Thinking of upgrading PSU

[Omnibit]

Hello everyone!

I have been adding onto my computer a bit more, and I want a bit more headroom when it comes to power in my PC. Right now I have a CX600, but I am looking for an upgrade. Here are the specs for my current build:

i5-4670k
Sapphire HD 7950 3GB OC w/Boost
8GB G.Skill RipJaws X RAM
240GB SanDisk SSD
1TB WD Blue HDD
Hyper 212 EVO
MSI Z87-G43
HAF 922 (3 200mm fans and 1 120mm fan)
and of course, the CX600.

Now looking towards the future, I am thinking of overclocking and adding another possible card so I can Crossfire (I have been looking up how to do that with the 7950 since they don't really sell anymore). I may also put in some extra HDDs, lights, and CD Drives.

What I want to know is what would be the best PSU for an upgrade? I have already compiled a list of PSUs that I may be interested in, and I just want thoughts and advice on which one would be best for my situation.

SeaSonic SSR-650RM 650W ATX12V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151118

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021

XFX XTR Series P1-650B-BEFX 650W ATX12V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207031

Of course I am open to suggestions! Thanks for your time!

 

[luckiest charm]

If you are going for quality, nothing beats SeaSonic. For your requirements, get at least 750W PSU because of CF.

This should be optimal for your needs while ensuring quality -

Seasonic 80+ Gold Certified Modular 750W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151132&clickid=3LDz3lyoF0Lyyfa2RnRJr3BqUkT1nLyFOVIZRg0&iradid=97618&ircid=2106&irpid=79301&nm_mc=AFC-IR&cm_mmc=AFC-IR-_-na-_-na-_-na

Seasonic 80+ Gold Certified 750W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151138&clickid=3LDz3lyoF0Lyyfa2RnRJr3BqUkT1nLUVOVIZRg0&iradid=97618&ircid=2106&irpid=79301&nm_mc=AFC-IR&cm_mmc=AFC-IR-_-na-_-na-_-na

Both are great. Don't go for Bronze certified since they cost nearly the same.

Good luck!

 

[RazberyBandit]

750W due to Crossfire my behind... A full system with two CrossFired 7950's and a 4670K @ 4.5GHz (1.25V) would barely top 550W combined 100% PEAK power draw. The CX600 could handle that load. Plug in the components and see for yourself: http://extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine

I you're set on "upgrading" (which I don't see a "need" to do at all) the SeaSonic you linked would be a good choice. You could save a few bucks and grab a Rosewill CAPSTONE 650 or 650-M, though. (The "M" version is modular.) The 650-M is $80 right now at Newegg with a promo code: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182263

Keep in mind that you've got enough power available in the CX600 to handle two 7950's and OC the 4670K already. Finding a 2nd 7950 is the problem... And unless you can recoup some of what you've already spent on the CX600, you won't make up the cost of replacing it with a gold- or platinum-rated PSU for years to come.

I wouldn't bother changing the PSU at all, but you should at least wait until you actually purchase the 2nd video card for CrossFire to get one. Otherwise, you're just wasting money on something you don't actually need.

 

[luckiest charm]

I heard adding more SSDs and a lot of storage also uses some power. You do not want a PSU to be running at its very absolute 100% right? It does not matter what is the wattage of the PSU, it would only take the power needed to run the system. A bigger PSU just means more room to add things later on.

I am not a big fan of Rosewill and I also do not trust their products as much as I do SeaSonic and Corsair so I would not recommend it. But that is just my opinion.

My sincerest apologies if something I said in my earlier post was unacceptable / idiotic. I am still learning and I appreciate you clearing that up.

 

[RazberyBandit]

SSD's are very power-friendly, and high-performance hard disks rarely pull more than 6-7W while seeking. And sure, you don't really want to have to stress a PSU by running it at it's max all the time, but maxing one such as the OP's CX600 would require someone to run software like Prime95 and Furmark simultaneously so as to fully load both the CPU and GPU. Games can max a GPU's load, but rarely does any game max both the GPU and the CPU.

As for brands, would you buy a Kingwin Lazer Gold PSU? What about an NZXT Hale90? These units are built by SuperFlower, which is an OEM, much like SeaSonic. The Rosewill Capstone series is also a SuperFlower unit, and they use the exact same core design as the Kingwin LZG and NZXT Hale90 PSUs. Brand bias lacking first-hand experience support is just crap, for lack of a better term. Since I own a Rosewill Capstone 650-M and a Tachyon 550, I can say without hesitation that Rosewill has some very good PSUs.

And it's not that you said anything idiotic or unacceptable at all. You simply over-estimated the OP's power requirements, even if he/she were to add the considered components. It's something that's all too common; the recommendation and/or purchase of 750-1000W PSUs because people think they need that kind of power in order to CrossFire or SLI two entry-level enthusiast-class video cards. Manufacturers are guilty of overstating PSU requirements, but only because they need to account for inferior PSUs. We're not dealing with such units here, though.

 

[luckiest charm]

Yeah I am getting your point sir.

I am deeply sorry for posting misguiding information. As I said, I am still learning and still have a lot to learn.

 

[jb6684]

Okay, let's verify something FIRST:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130694

1: PCI Express 3.0 x16

1: PCI Express 2.0 x16
(running at x4)

IF this is your motherboard, then you can NOT effectively CrossFire in the future due to Only having x4 PCI lane support on the second slot. If will "work" in CF, but, you'll see very small if any improvement in your FPS...

So, your option is a single stronger GPU and a better power supply to support it. Coming from a 7950, your going to have to really step up to make a real difference

Tom's recommends 4 levels to "see" the difference:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html

That would put you into 7990 or GTX690 dual GPU-on-single-card-zone OR 290X / GTX 780Ti for single GPU's

 

[RazberyBandit]

Yes, he can effectively CrossFire in the future, with a caveat that the 2nd card will be bandwidth limited. The penalty for running an x8 + x4 CrossFire configuration versus an x8 + x8 isn't as drastic as some people would lead you to think it is. Is there a difference? Absolutely. Is it readily noticed while playing a game? No, it's not.

Also, the single GPU upgrade recommendation is at least 3 levels. From the Best GPU for the Money series: "I don’t recommend upgrading your graphics card unless the replacement card is at least three tiers higher."

Lucky charm: Don't sweat it. There wasn't any technically misguided info... You sided very much (I argued it was too much) on the side of caution regarding power requirements. It's my feeling that 750W is overkill. But is it wrong to recommend that much? No... Not technically. It's just a lot more than the OP's actual requirement.

 

[jb6684]

Yes, he can effectively CrossFire in the future, with a caveat that the 2nd card will be bandwidth limited. The penalty for running an x8 + x4 CrossFire configuration versus an x8 + x8 isn't as drastic as some people would lead you to think it is. Is there a difference? Absolutely. Is it readily noticed while playing a game? No, it's not.

Also, the single GPU upgrade recommendation is at least 3 levels. From the Best GPU for the Money series: "I don’t recommend upgrading your graphics card unless the replacement card is at least three tiers higher."

Lucky charm: Don't sweat it. There wasn't any technically misguided info... You sided very much (I argued it was too much) on the side of caution regarding power requirements. It's my feeling that 750W is overkill. But is it wrong to recommend that much? No... Not technically. It's just a lot more than the OP's actual requirement.

 

[jb6684]

In my experience running a 2nd GPU in an x4 slot was noticeable. So, my advice is the same, steer clear of x16/x4 motherboards to get the full potential out of dual GPU configuration.

My Example: Playing DiRT3, resolution 1600x1200:
- Single 5770 : ~50FPS (Intel i7-860 CPU) x8 / x4
- Dual 5770's : ~55FPS (Intel i7-860 CPU) x8 / x4 (ASUS LX motherboard)
- Dual 5770's : ~100FPS (AMD 940 CPU) x16 / x16
- Dual 5770's : ~95FPS (Intel i7-860 CPU) x8 / x8 (ASUS PRO motherboard)

Others have seen an impact to x4 also: (in this case 10--24%)
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/pci-express-scaling-p67-chipset-gaming-performance,2887-10.html

Turns out, DiRT3 (my favorite at the time) is a heavily impacted game. Some game see very little impact. There are many other factors the effect the amount of impact...

- the game itself
- monitor resolution
- CPU power
- and of course, level of GPU power (7950's will take a heavier hit than lowly old 5770's)

The impact is there, will you notice it in your game play ? maybe / maybe not...

 

[Omnibit]

If you are going for quality, nothing beats SeaSonic. For your requirements, get at least 750W PSU because of CF.

This should be optimal for your needs while ensuring quality -

Seasonic 80+ Gold Certified Modular 750W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151132&clickid=3LDz3lyoF0Lyyfa2RnRJr3BqUkT1nLyFOVIZRg0&iradid=97618&ircid=2106&irpid=79301&nm_mc=AFC-IR&cm_mmc=AFC-IR-_-na-_-na-_-na

Seasonic 80+ Gold Certified 750W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151138&clickid=3LDz3lyoF0Lyyfa2RnRJr3BqUkT1nLUVOVIZRg0&iradid=97618&ircid=2106&irpid=79301&nm_mc=AFC-IR&cm_mmc=AFC-IR-_-na-_-na-_-na

Both are great. Don't go for Bronze certified since they cost nearly the same.

Good luck!

Alright thanks everyone for your responses! Even though it may be overkill, I do want to get 750W because I may upgrade down the line and just want extra headroom. Also, my PSU has been making some odd noises every once and a while, so I just wanted to make sure I get another better quality PSU and keep this one as a "backup."