[SOLVED] Recommendations on a new PSU

[Willyboi2534]

I'm upgrading to a RX 580, and thought it would be smart to get a good PSU first. I'm also a gamer.
Specs include:
CPU: Ryzen 5 2600
GPU: GTX 1050
RAM: Corsair RGB 16GB
Motherboard: ASRock B450 Steel Legend
Power Supply: EVGA 100-BT-0450-K1, 450 BT, 80+ Bronze 450W, 3 Year Warranty, Power Supply

In retrospect, I don't think buying that Power Supply was worth it, I've had it for two years now, and before I get a new GPU I want to get a new PSU, I don't want my current PSU to damage my PC at all either, Could you recommend a Power Supply that's maybe under like 105$ that would be good for games like Rainbow, and also get the job done for my PC?

 

[Barty1884]

I'm going to come at this from a totally different angle...

The BT isn't bottom of the barrel quality... It's not a fire hazard, nor likely to damage your components.
It's an old SuperFlower platform, and outsourced to RSY ... Ultimately, built down to a pricepoint.
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/evga-450-bt-value-psu,5605.html

I wouldn't recommend running out & buying it today, since you already own it, it could be possible to work with what you have (at least temporarily), if you plan accordingly.

How much are you anticipating spending on an RX580?
A new RX580 can be had for as low as ~$180.... and you have ~$105 for a PSU? Total, you're working with a budget right around $300.
Of course, if you're buying a 580 used, then that changes things.

Just throwing this out there... this is what I would do, in your situation.

• Buy a 5600 XT for $280-$290 (assuming looking at new cards) and flash the BIOS - a stronger GPU vs the RX580

With the new BIOS' revision (that you'd need to flash), total board power is ~180W. I would be ok with running one from a 450BT.... While it is

• Run the 5600XT on your 450BT temporarily.
• Sell your GTX 1050 and put that money towards a new, quality PSU.

A quality PSU doesn't have to break the bank.
Something like a CX550 would set you back $60, which should be totally viable to sell the 1050 for.


Of course, if you're looking at a used 580 for $X, or don't plan to sell the 1050, then that changes everything.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

I remember the thread actually.

What about this seasonic?

https://www.newegg.com/seasonic-s12iii-bronze-series-ssr-650gb3-650w/p/N82E16817151228

https://www.newegg.com/corsair-cx-series-cx650-650w/p/N82E16817139200

Maybe take a look at those. I've had good luck with Corsair, seasonic is a pretty respected name also.

I would recommend depending on budget, I think you said 210 in the other thread? Get the 1660 super if you have the extra 20. If you can afford the 5600xt, that looks like a great card. I just purchased a 1660 super myself. I like AMD cards, and have a 580, have owned a 470, used to have a Vega 56 which I sold, that was a great card to. Even had a 7950 back in the day. But I just didn't want to drop 280 on a card right now. Hence me getting the 1660 super.

Get the best card you can. Sell your 1050, and upgrade your power supply asap with the funds. It will probably be ok for a little while, but I would recommend doing the power supply upgrade sooner rather than later.

 

[Barty1884]

The S12III from SeaSonic is much like the BT from EVGA.
It's an older design, outsourced to keep cost down, and doesn't carry the typical warranty period expected from SeaSonic.

On top of that, there's no legit reviews out there for the units at this time (and it's been months!), which is a little concerning. Personally, I'd use one, given SeaSonic's reputation is on the line..... but I'd stop short of actually recommending one to anybody else.

The CX650 is a bit overkill for the setup, but if the OP is ok with rebates, the $50 (end-state) pricetag is appealing..... However, the CX550 gets the same $20 mail-in rebate, making it $40 when all said & done... and I'd be more inclined to opt for that instead.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

Can't say I've used seasonic, so I defer to you on that. Just heard a lot of good about them. The 550 is probably great. I guess I always like slight overkill on power supplies.

 

[Willyboi2534]

I'm going to come at this from a totally different angle...

The BT isn't bottom of the barrel quality... It's not a fire hazard, nor likely to damage your components.
It's an old SuperFlower platform, and outsourced to RSY ... Ultimately, built down to a pricepoint.
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/evga-450-bt-value-psu,5605.html

I wouldn't recommend running out & buying it today, since you already own it, it could be possible to work with what you have (at least temporarily), if you plan accordingly.

How much are you anticipating spending on an RX580?
A new RX580 can be had for as low as ~$180.... and you have ~$105 for a PSU? Total, you're working with a budget right around $300.
Of course, if you're buying a 580 used, then that changes things.

Just throwing this out there... this is what I would do, in your situation.

• Buy a 5600 XT for $280-$290 (assuming looking at new cards) and flash the BIOS - a stronger GPU vs the RX580

With the new BIOS' revision (that you'd need to flash), total board power is ~180W. I would be ok with running one from a 450BT.... While it is

• Run the 5600XT on your 450BT temporarily.
• Sell your GTX 1050 and put that money towards a new, quality PSU.

A quality PSU doesn't have to break the bank.
Something like a CX550 would set you back $60, which should be totally viable to sell the 1050 for.


Of course, if you're looking at a used 580 for $X, or don't plan to sell the 1050, then that changes everything.

 

[Willyboi2534]

Okay so it’s my birthday in a week. I’m asking my parents for the ROG Strix RX 580. They have a max budget of 210$. Now I could get the card, and I have 100$ right now, I could just buy a new PSU. Unless I should just ask for 210$ for my birthday, and work from their.

Also I was reading the reviews for he cx550, and a lot of them were saying it killed their system or failed.

 

[Barty1884]

If it's a gift, then sure, a 580 is still a good card. I was just sharing what I would do, if this was all my own money. Gifts change everything, of course.

In terms of the PSU, "user reviews" can be misleading. They're not substantiated, and are anecdotal at best.
The newer CX-M and CX units (grey/black) are good quality. The older CX lineup (green/black) weren't the best. Shouldn't be killing systems, of course.... but they were not particularly good.

Of course, if you want to spend more on a PSU, you certainly can.... it's just not necessary.

There's EVGA's G3 lineup. 550W is $99, but 650W is $107
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/sMM323,y88H99/

You can have a SeaSonic Focus+ Gold 550W for $99.... but then the Focus+ Platinum 550W is $108
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/bkp323,sYyxFT/

Then there's Corsair's RMx 550W for $99, but then the 650W is $110
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/2HbwrH,bqVD4D/

Of the bunch, the Focus+ Platinum is a steal at $108..... but again, not necessary.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

I may get yelled at, so maybe don't listen to me here lol. But here is the power supply in my system.

https://www.microcenter.com/product...-80-plus-bronze-atx-semi-modular-power-supply

One of the reasons I said I prefer a little overkill lol. I had gotten a vega 56 at the time, and was a little afraid of pushing an EVGA 600 Bronze that I'd already had a few years to far. I was at Microcenter, used to do a lot of shopping there, and they had that in there.

PowerSpec is their house brand. Didn't know a lot about the unit, but had warranty, and was 80+ Bronze. Felt heavy, which is one thing I know you look for when shopping for a power supply, and semi modular. I think the 12 v+ rail is 62.5 amps. I had it paired with my vega, which I've now sold and it ran a good while with it.

Ended up missing my Vega, so I have a GTX 1660 super that should arrive tomorrow, and the RX 580 I've got now can go on ebay. Probably going to try to get about 100 bucks for it. Bought it used but so far it's been ok. Just wanted more power after being spoiled by the Vega 56.

Suffice to say though, the powerspec power supply has done good for me so far. I couldn't really tell you much about it, except I know it's Microcenter house brand and it seems to work. But as to the actual manufacturer, couldn't tell you tbh. Just got a good deal at the time and took a chance which so far it seems to be good. But I've probably not tried to pull the full 750 watts either. Like the idea of having a little headroom just in case.

 

[Willyboi2534]

If it's a gift, then sure, a 580 is still a good card. I was just sharing what I would do, if this was all my own money. Gifts change everything, of course.

In terms of the PSU, "user reviews" can be misleading. They're not substantiated, and are anecdotal at best.
The newer CX-M and CX units (grey/black) are good quality. The older CX lineup (green/black) weren't the best. Shouldn't be killing systems, of course.... but they were not particularly good.

Of course, if you want to spend more on a PSU, you certainly can.... it's just not necessary.

There's EVGA's G3 lineup. 550W is $99, but 650W is $107
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/sMM323,y88H99/

You can have a SeaSonic Focus+ Gold 550W for $99.... but then the Focus+ Platinum 550W is $108
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/bkp323,sYyxFT/

Then there's Corsair's RMx 550W for $99, but then the 650W is $110
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/2HbwrH,bqVD4D/

Of the bunch, the Focus+ Platinum is a steal at $108..... but again, not necessary.

 

[Willyboi2534]

So you honeslty think theirs no reason for me to upgrade?

 

[King_V]

Can't say I've used seasonic, so I defer to you on that. Just heard a lot of good about them. The 550 is probably great. I guess I always like slight overkill on power supplies.

Seasonic is generally good, with the Focus and Prime models.

The S12II is an older design, good for its day, but not well suited to the way modern systems draw power.

The S12III is, from what I understand, an embarrassment.

I may get yelled at, so maybe don't listen to me here lol. But here is the power supply in my system.

https://www.microcenter.com/product...-80-plus-bronze-atx-semi-modular-power-supply

One of the reasons I said I prefer a little overkill lol. I had gotten a vega 56 at the time, and was a little afraid of pushing an EVGA 600 Bronze that I'd already had a few years to far. I was at Microcenter, used to do a lot of shopping there, and they had that in there.

PowerSpec is their house brand. Didn't know a lot about the unit, but had warranty, and was 80+ Bronze. Felt heavy, which is one thing I know you look for when shopping for a power supply, and semi modular. I think the 12 v+ rail is 62.5 amps. I had it paired with my vega, which I've now sold and it ran a good while with it.

From the link I generally rely on, the issue with PowerSpec is:

The Powerspec units sold by Microcenter are a mixed bag. Some of them are fairly decent using the same platform as the Sirfa High power Astro lite platform, so not total dumpster fire type units, but not particularly good either, and some of their units are simply garbage and should be listed below in the DO NOT USE category, but I'm leaving them out because there are really no reviews of them and since there are a few units from them that are ok-ish, I'm giving them a "use at your own discretion but buy a better model if you can" grade.

A gray label CX or CXm unit would probably be an upgrade from one of those Powerspec models, without any doubt.

EDIT: while the newer (2017) CX and CXm are decent, it's the sort of "not bad, but getting a better quality one is preferred" scenario. However, with the $20 mail in rebate from NewEgg, the CX 550 comes down to $39.99 and the CX 650 comes down to $49.99 - so, if pressed, go with one of those. Ergo, I fully agree with @Barty1884 's statement:

The CX650 is a bit overkill for the setup, but if the OP is ok with rebates, the $50 (end-state) pricetag is appealing..... However, the CX550 gets the same $20 mail-in rebate, making it $40 when all said & done... and I'd be more inclined to opt for that instead.

I'd lean to the Seasonic or the Corsair RMx he'd recommended, though, if you've got the $100 to put toward it. They'll be bulletproof.

Also I was reading the reviews for he cx550, and a lot of them were saying it killed their system or failed.

That could be for the older ones - there's the distinction between the CX/CXm, and the 2017 model CX/CXm, as well as sticking with the Gray label ones and avoiding the Green label ones.

 

[Barty1884]

I may get yelled at, so maybe don't listen to me here lol. But here is the power supply in my system.

Not really comparing like for like there though.
PowerSpec units, AFAIK have various OEMs, including High Power. They're budget orientated, but not horrible.
Typical aspects you'll find with budget units, are lower temperature ratings. Not saying it's the case with that particular PSU, but as an example.
62A on the 12V rail..... at 30'C
Technically correct, but in a ~22'C ("room temperature") ambient environment, your PSU will almost certainly be exceeding 30'C operational temp - especially if you're attempting to pull close to 750W from it.. At that point, can it do 62A? Probably not. But it not claiming to, and doesn't have to to meet any requirements.
Interesting to note that the specific PowerSpec unit PS 750GFM was certified by 80+ back in 2011.
https://www.plugloadsolutions.com/80PlusPowerSuppliesDetail.aspx?id=1395&type=2

Vs something like a Focus+ Gold (or similar). The same 62A on the 12V...... at 50'C* Overkill, yes, but better to overshoot here than undershoot.


As far as weight, that's becoming less & less of a definitive. When comparing two budget units, all else appearing equal, weight can be a good indicator.....

However, with modern platforms, improved efficiency etc, it's not as black & white.
If you compared on weight alone, an older platform vs a modern high-end unit... the older budget offering would 'feel' like a better choice, which isn't the case.

Overshooting to account for poor quality is why you used to see GPUs will ridiculous PSU requirements relative to their TDP. Nvidia/AMD were covering their bases to account for the abundance of poor quality units out there. It's not such a common practice anymore, although plenty poor quality PSUs exist.

So you honeslty think theirs no reason for me to upgrade?

Not to something that's going to cost you $100, no.
A CX550 or CX650, there's absolutely no harm.... and gives you peace of mind.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

Yes. And myself, I'm a techie. Messed with computers for years. So knew I was taking a chance on the unit. Hence why I bought that much wattage, probably figured that it would be enough over what I needed.

Either way, I don't reckon I'll come too close to pushing that power supply full throttle with a 1660 super and a 1700x overclocked to 3.8ghz at 1.325. Probably all the further i'll push that cpu.