Question Will a Thermaltake Smart 500 Watt 80 Plus handle my build?

MXGamer80

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Apr 23, 2017
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Build specs.
CPU: Ryzen 5 1600 4.1 Ghz 1.4v
CPU Cooler: Corsair Hyper 212 evo (2 fans LED)
GPU: Amd Radeon RX Vega 56
Ram: DDR4 8GB 3066
Motherboard: Msi X370 SLI Plus
Storage: wd black 1tb 7.2k Rpm and HP S700 250GB ssd
3 Thernaltake Riing 120mm fans

So could a Thermaltake Smart 500watt 80 Plus PSU handle these specs?
 

Karadjgne

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Best dig a little deeper into the budget. Your 2 choices below $60 are a Corsair CX (2017) 650w and the venerable Seasonic M12-II 620w.

The psu is the heart of your pc. It's responsible for powering everything. If a surgeon said that you needed a new heart and gave you the choice of a 60yr old overweight chainsmoker for $100k or an 18yr old athletic non-smoker for $120k, bet your ... You'd figure out a way to get that extra $20k. This is no different. $60 limit on your $800+? Pc will mean you get the old fat man's cigar smelling half dead heart.

And we'll see you back here in a couple of weeks when the issues like mid-game shutdowns, high temps, low performance, blackouts etc start getting regular.
 

Defenestrator IX

Prominent
May 10, 2019
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7
565
Build specs.
CPU: Ryzen 5 1600 4.1 Ghz 1.4v
CPU Cooler: Corsair Hyper 212 evo (2 fans LED)
GPU: Amd Radeon RX Vega 56
Ram: DDR4 8GB 3066
Motherboard: Msi X370 SLI Plus
Storage: wd black 1tb 7.2k Rpm and HP S700 250GB ssd
3 Thernaltake Riing 120mm fans

So could a Thermaltake Smart 500watt 80 Plus PSU handle these specs?
I have almost the same PSU, just it's 700W and is running a RX 580, which uses 150-200W. I personally think Thermaltake makes really nice units. AMD recommends a 650W PSU, but that depends on what other hardware you have. The power consumption on a card I found is 210W, so you might need a more powerful PSU.
Here's the PSU I got that works fine for me: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014W3EAX8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 

DSzymborski

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I have almost the same PSU, just it's 700W and is running a RX 580, which uses 150-200W. I personally think Thermaltake makes really nice units. AMD recommends a 650W PSU, but that depends on what other hardware you have. The power consumption on a card I found is 210W, so you might need a more powerful PSU.
Here's the PSU I got that works fine for me: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014W3EAX8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They don't, though. This isn't some brand name preference, but the fact that they use lower-quality, older platforms, with older parts, especially mediocre (or worse in some of the really dire ones) capacitors. And they don't "make" anything.

The modern gold/platinum Toughpowers tend to be solid. They're typically quality CWT and the better Enhance units. Lite Power/Pure Power are generally mediocre at best and only a few of the higher-end Smart series are consistently recommendable. The TR2 either tend to be below-average quality if recent, literal garbage if they're older than about 2013 or so.

The only you linked is one of the low-quality ones. It's great that you want to take the risk -- you don't actually know what it's doing to your equipment slowly unless you have specialized equipment such as a load-tester -- but it's the original poster's money you're risking here, not yours. You can just smell the cheapness here, the two big coils in the secondary meaning it's a group-regulated PSU...in 2019. You can see the 85 degree caps too. At least CWT had the decency to use Teapo capacitors and not the JunFu garbage-ones that Thermaltake had them stuff in some of the worst of the TR2 units.
 
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Karadjgne

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Apart from the Toughpower series TT are not much more than a shiny new paint job on a rotten apple.
Here's an example. DC voltage (Direct Current) is supposed to be a constant line voltage, AC (Alternating Current) voltage fluctuates up and down, a sine wave. Ac voltage is bad for DC components on many levels.


This is the 12v output of a 650w TT Smart Power Pro, as tested by jonnyguru's ppl.


This is the 12v output of a 550w Evga G2, as tested by the same ppl.

You tell me which one looks like it's supposed to be a 12v DC output and which one looks like it's barely any better than the AC coming from the wall.

Just what do you think that poor cpu and gpu is going to be like in a few short months with that miserable excuse of a wave pounding at it relentlessly. Stability? Good luck there unless you over voltage the cpu so that those drops don't bluescreen of death with regularity.

There is a reason regular posters harp about spending more money on a better psu, it means you won't be replacing burned out motherboards or cpus or gpus. Spend $700 on a top line gpu, and try and squeak by on a $50 psu. Right. Priorities. Gotta get that last few fps.

Right up until the point they start posting here with power related issues, bluescreens, pc won't start, why am I getting no signal....
 
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I ran one of the newer TR2s for a few months, lead to numerous system crashes in what would best be described as a "Screech of death". Had to disable all OCs and it helped a bit, but a few weeks later it degraded further.

Replaced it with my current unit and its been fine ever since, through 3 rebuilds.
 
MXGamer80, you should choose one of the PSUs recommended by Karadjgne. These are probably the best you'll get, and are solid choices.
On a side note, I know everyone is saying that cheap PSUs are bad... And they are 100% correct. However, there are random occasions when cheap is actually alright. One is for very old hardware. I have a PSU that was included in a budget MSI prebuilt from 2004. That provides stable voltages on all rails, even when at load. The only thing it needs is a dust-down to stop that darn fan running so loud.
However, I would never recommend going and purposely buying a low quality or old PSU... Like said before, skimping on your PSU is like skimping on a heart. If it fails, it could take everything out with it, and that is not what you want.
 
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