Which PSU - Corsair AX850 or AX1200?

Jack500

Distinguished
Mar 4, 2011
125
0
18,680
Hello,

I could use some help in deciding which PSU I should get. Here are the current build specs:

1. Case - 700D
2. Motherboard - Intel DX58SO2
3. CPU - Intel Core i7-970
4. RAM - 24 gbs
5. Video card - Asus 6970 (just one for now, but I may want to get a second one down the road)
6. Sound card - Omega Claro Plus
7. Case fans - 3 that are existing in case + another 3 that will be placed on top
8. Hard drives - 2 for now, 7200 RPM
9. DVD writer - 1
10. BD-ROM - 1
11. BD-R/RE - 1
12. Monitors - 3

I think that's it so far. Again, I may decide to put in an additional 6970 video card. Also, a fan controller and maybe a GPU and CPU fan coolers as well.

I don't care about the price difference between the two
I want to make sure I future-proof this thing.
What do you think? Thanks for your help everyone.

Jack500
 
D

Deleted member 217926

Guest
Look for about an 850w unit from Corsair, Seasonic, PC Power and Cooling, XFX, Antec, Enermax or Silverstone for top quality.
 

flong

Distinguished
Dec 27, 2010
1,106
0
19,310
The HX 850 from Corsair is highly rated and actually puts out more than 900 watts. Google "Corsair HX 850 reviews" and you will find several. While I am not an expert, with three monitors and two 6970s you will want to double check what size PSU is required. Others on this forum are more qualified than I to comment on the what size PSU you will need. The Corsair should be large enough though even with three monitors.

Heres a Quote from Hardware Canucks, "When it comes to the HX850, it seems that Corsair has brought a bazooka to a gun fight. It is simply head and shoulders above every other power supply we have tested and routinely beat the pants off of 1000W units that cost double its asking price. Incredible voltage regulation, ungodly ripple suppression and high efficiency have all been rolled into one appealing package. The HX850 is also extremely quiet as is befitting of a high efficiency power supply and has a durable exterior finish that holds up well to some serious abuse. There really isn’t much more one can ask of a power supply in this price range."

I have been researching coolers (CPU) and one of the best (maybe the best) available is on sale at Newegg for $75.00 ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018 ) - the Noctua NH - D14. It is the single best cooler for cooling efficiency and doing it quietly. The Coolermaster Hyper 212 does a very good job and is very cheap but it is not nearly as efficient as the Noctua D14. There is a great review here: http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2525. Just make sure your case has room for it because it is massive. This cooler beat some water cooling systems which is amazing. There is another review here at Overclockers http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/noctua_nhd14/ . They state that it's performance is "sick" it is so good and it is the best that they have ever tested. If your case is not big enough for the D-14 Noctua has a new cooler almost as good the NH-C14.

I don't know which GPU coolers would be best but the Cooler Master HAF X 942 case had the best GPU air cooling. Careful it is huge. If you don't want a very large case choose something else. The Silverstone Fortress also has super cooling efficiency and is more conservatively styled than the CM HAF X. The Lian Li 742 also looks very promising.
 

flong

Distinguished
Dec 27, 2010
1,106
0
19,310
Sorry, I didn't pay attention, you already have the Corsair 700D case. Check to make sure that the NH-D14 will fit and make sure it clears your memory. It has 44 mm of clearance (1.72") if I remember right.
 

Bigmac80

Distinguished
Feb 3, 2011
528
0
19,010
I have the Corsair 850HX modular and it's amazing! Got it only for $149.99 at Centralcomputers.com with a $15 rebate. But 850 watt should be enough for your system.
Omg i just notice you'll be using 24gigs of ram, Why so much ram? Also if you want the best Aircooler go with the Noctua NH-D14. You may think it's expensive but honestly to me it's not because of the fans it comes with. The fans alone on the Noctua are $25 per fan so to me you get the best deal out of the Noctua heatsink. Checkout Corsair.com and it'll show you how much power you'll need to run your system.
 

flong

Distinguished
Dec 27, 2010
1,106
0
19,310


Why? I can see that it is Gold Certified but you can't necessarily trust that as sometimes the manufacturers inflate their specs. Are there reviews that show this to be a high quality PSU? I don't mean to sound critical and I am sincerely interested in why you think this is the best value (please do not read any sarcasm into this- I just have not heard of Lepa).
 

Jack500

Distinguished
Mar 4, 2011
125
0
18,680
Well, I used a few of those PSU calculators online and did some slightly different configurations on my setup and the draw I was receiving was in the low 800s to mid 1100s region. That is a wide swing so I think to just play it safe and futureproof this thing I will get the AX1200 and rest easy knowing I most probably will never have to tinker with that piece of equipment again.

I did check out Corsair.com and tried to use their PSU calculator, but it wasn't working.

As for the 24 Gbs of RAM, I prefer to max this out and not have to worry about it later. Similar concept as with the PSU. FWIW, I forgot to mention I'll be running Windows 7 64-bit OS. I do see myself running multiple applications where additional RAM will be necessary and I don't want to spend time analyzing - "well, should I get 8 Gbs of RAM or maybe 12? would 16 Gbs be fine?" Maxing it out solves my problems.

I still need to research coolers and will look at the ones mentioned above.

Thanks everyone!
 

flong

Distinguished
Dec 27, 2010
1,106
0
19,310



Hi, I know that other people on this forum are more qualified to comment on this than me but I doubt from your configuration that you will ever need more than 12 gig of ram. I am not sure that there is any combination of computer applications that would require 24 gig. The one exception may be if you are running three high resolution monitors concurrently (like three 30" monitors) and I am not sure how much ram that requires. Keep in mind that if 12 gig is not enough it is fairly easy to upgrade to more. Let me qualify this statement by saying that I am not a computer expert but the reviews of increased ram I have read show that after 8GB are installed you get substantially diminished returns for a one-user configurations. There is actually limited value from going from 4 GB to 8 GB for most users, but you are running three monitors and so you will probably need higher ram.

Perhaps some eyefinity users can add there expertise on this subject as to the ram required to successfully run video two cards and three monitors. Their real-world experience would be invaluable for your proposed setup.
 

flong

Distinguished
Dec 27, 2010
1,106
0
19,310


Here are two articles on the subject.

1. The review the new Corsair Vengeance ram with 6g, 12g and 24g. The link is here: http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews/1083/pg1/corsair-vengeance-ddr3-1600mhz-12gb-kits-review-introduction.html

You will note that without overclocking there is very little actual real-world performance change between the 6g and 24g kits. However, they overclock the 12g and get a notable performance increase. It looks like either 8 GB or 12 GB of RAM is the performance sweet spot.

2. This review is of a setup to run three 120 htz monitors in 3D. While this is not using eyefinity, it is using two GTI 480 card. You will note that their setup only requires 6 gb of ram. The link is here: http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews/1034/pg1/nvidia-surround-featuring-3d-vision-introduction.html

Interestingly they have a 1200 W Corsair PSU for the three monitors. That may be because the GTI 480 is a power hungry card.

I hope this helps you


 
As suggested by everyone, your usage should decide your purchase (both in d case of ram and CPU).. As for the PSU, a crossfired 6970 config along with a heavily overclocked i7 should not require more than 650 watts (along with other components).. Thus, getting a good 850 unit will be plenty.. But then of course, if you have no cash restriction then getting the best and the biggest unit available (Corsair AX 1200) will not be an insane decision..