I upgraded my old GTX 760 to a GTX 1660. It arrived today but I found out that it needs an 8-pin cable, while the 760 and my PSU are of the 6-pin variety.
Now I could get a couple of adapters, but I'm concerned about the PSU itself. It's a Thermaltake Smart SE 730W, and I've been using it since 2013 with zero problems. However now that I do some research I get the impression that they are a terrible brand, especially since this PSU is a "Tier-4". Also that I should preferably try to get something like Seasonic or SilverStone. Problem is those brands aren't available here and I can't currently afford any of the Tier 1 and 2 models that are required for gaming unless I save for a few more months.
I would really appreciate if someone could clear up the confusion on PSUs because this seems to be the most complicated part of PC building! Just some questions:
Now I could get a couple of adapters, but I'm concerned about the PSU itself. It's a Thermaltake Smart SE 730W, and I've been using it since 2013 with zero problems. However now that I do some research I get the impression that they are a terrible brand, especially since this PSU is a "Tier-4". Also that I should preferably try to get something like Seasonic or SilverStone. Problem is those brands aren't available here and I can't currently afford any of the Tier 1 and 2 models that are required for gaming unless I save for a few more months.
I would really appreciate if someone could clear up the confusion on PSUs because this seems to be the most complicated part of PC building! Just some questions:
- Are brands like Thermaltake and Corsair bad due to bad quality assurance, i.e. you might get a defective product? If this is the case, is my current PSU fine since it's lasted 6 years without any issues?
- Are adapters for 6-pin to LP4 to 8-pin safe?
- What exactly causes a PSU to go bad? Can a bad quality one just fry at any moment or does something have to happen to it, e.g. water spillage?
- Do I really need to get a Tier 1 or 2 PSU for gaming? Again I can't find solid advice on this, some say to avoid lower than 4 or 5 while others say avoid lower than 2.
- Intel i5-3340 3.1GHz
- GTX 760 2GB (1660 6GB waiting in the box)
- 1x8GB DDR3 RAM
- 1 1TB HDD
- 1 250GB SSD
- Asus P8Z77-V LK Motherboard
- Thermaltake Smart SE 730W PSU