Question Wondering if my PSU is good enough for a new GPU

[GoingFaewild]

Hello! So I currently have a Ryzen 3600x, 16gb of Corsair vengeance RAM, a 256 SSD and 2 HDD finally I have a GTX 1050ti. (this was my first personal PC build so I was on a massive budget!)
I finally have enough to upgrade my GPU (personally I think it's the weakest part of my setup). I'm trading it in for a 1660ti or 1660 super (Availability depending)
My PSU is a CV550 by Corsair that I got about 2 years ago. I know it is for low end systems and though it has the connector for the 1660 I was wondering if it is going to be good enough to last with a beefier card. Do you think it would at least least to Christmas? I can upgrade to a CX600 then. If it won't does anyone have a different GPU upgrade suggestion?

 

[Lutfij]

I can upgrade to a CX600 then.
That is the green label unit, you shoulda void it like the plague.

As for your current PSU, that unit isn't that good, you could operate with it for a short period of time without putting much load on the GPU(taxing the GPU heavy) but it's going to need replacing sooner than later for peace of mind. If you had a 650W CX unit or even higher with a TX, then this discussion would've only centered around the GPU purchase.

Might want to test the GPU before you invest into it. A lot of second hand cards are going to be one's that were mined on...tread carefully. If you're looking beyond a 1600 series of GPU's you're going to need more juice.

 

[geofelt]

To verify that you can benefit from a gpu upgrade, try this simple test:
Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
This makes the graphics card loaf a bit.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.
Corsair CV units are not regarded highly, but so long as your new gpu is not a factory overclocked unit needing more than a single 8 pin pcie connector, I think you should be ok. I think it has a 5 year warranty.

But, for the future, think much bigger.
Your 3600 processor can run many demanding games at higher resolutions.
I could imagine a big graphics card jump in the future.
For that, keep in mind a 750-850w psu with a 7 to 10 year warranty.

 

[GoingFaewild]

I can upgrade to a CX600 then.
That is the green label unit, you shoulda void it like the plague.

As for your current PSU, that unit isn't that good, you could operate with it for a short period of time without putting much load on the GPU(taxing the GPU heavy) but it's going to need replacing sooner than later for peace of mind. If you had a 650W CX unit or even higher with a TX, then this discussion would've only centered around the GPU purchase.

Might want to test the GPU before you invest into it. A lot of second hand cards are going to be one's that were mined on...tread carefully. If you're looking beyond a 1600 series of GPU's you're going to need more juice.

The card I am getting is coming from a secondhand retailer I have done some good business with in the past (CeX, idk if they do business past the UK?) But they give a 24 month warranty on all parts which is real good and (In my experience at least) they test their pc parts fairly vigorously. I will definitely make sure I test it myself as well though!

Idk much about PSUs ngl. Can you explain what a green label unit is?

 

[GoingFaewild]

To verify that you can benefit from a gpu upgrade, try this simple test:
Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
This makes the graphics card loaf a bit.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.
Corsair CV units are not regarded highly, but so long as your new gpu is not a factory overclocked unit needing more than a single 8 pin pcie connector, I think you should be ok. I think it has a 5 year warranty.

But, for the future, think much bigger.
Your 3600 processor can run many demanding games at higher resolutions.
I could imagine a big graphics card jump in the future.
For that, keep in mind a 750-850w psu with a 7 to 10 year warranty.

I would love to think bigger (plan is to upgrade my PSU next to allow for more upgrades for that express reason!) But I am but a simple student with a simple students amount of money! I could only afford the original build (2 years ago roughly) because I got a landscaping job over summer!

 

[DRagor]

Idk much about PSUs ngl. Can you explain what a green label unit is?

Sometimes PSU manufacturers make new models but reuse old names. That is the case with Corsair CX model - there are two of them. They differ by the colors on the label, one is green and other is grey. Green is very bad, gray is ok. You may ask how we know PSU you mentioned is green one? Because grey models have different wattage (there is no 600 W grey).

 

[geofelt]

I would love to think bigger (plan is to upgrade my PSU next to allow for more upgrades for that express reason!) But I am but a simple student with a simple students amount of money! I could only afford the original build (2 years ago roughly) because I got a landscaping job over summer!

Most of the time, there is not much difference in price between adjacent wattage power supplies.
For example, you should find that the cost of a 750w unit is not much different from a 650w unit. That is looking at retail prices.
Used, it is supply and demand.

Regardless, in the long term it will be cheaper to, for example buy a 750w unit now and not need to change it out in a year or two vs, selling a 650w unit for almost nothing and then buying 750w.

 

[NightHawkRMX]

As the 1660 or 1660 Super is only a 125w card I would see no issue running it on a Corsair CV550. The CV550 is a lower end group regulated unit, however it would have no issues with a system of this caliber that would draw 300w at its worst.

That being said, it would not be a bad idea to upgrade it to a higher end unit when you get a chance, and I would definitely upgrade the unit if you want to upgrade to a higher power card than a 1660/super in the future.

 

[Karadjgne]

The CV 550w isn't all that bad for an entry level psu. It's an HEC built, double forward, Bronze efficiency design with active PFC, so definitely a step up from the CX-M and VS, which are on the bottom of the barrel. It's biggest issue is with Intel C6/C7 ultra low power sleep modes.

Other than that, I don't see an issue with it powering a 65w cpu, and 125w gpu, which doesn't use Ray Tracing and doesn't really suffer from transient load spikes like it's larger 30 series cousins do.

Idk much about PSUs ngl. Can you explain what a green label unit is?

Simplest explanation is that Corsair isn't stupid. They have worldwide sales, but rely heavily on Brand recognition. As a result, they don't change naming schemes much. What they do do is change appearances with newer versions. For a long time they used white numbers and colored letters, the above mentioned CX600 would have Green CX and White 600. That changed around 2017 (tells you how old that CX600 is) as new updated versions got released. From 2017-2019, you'd see CX600 in black/silver lettering, from 2019-2021 it was black/white lettering and from 2021+ it's white/black lettering.

This (if the consumer is paying attention) prevents you from buying a 2021 CX600 with white/black lettering in the picture and receiving a green/white in the mail, which is what many smaller vendors tried to do to buyers, get rid of older stock for newer prices, basically fraud.

So if you see a Corsair psu with any color other than white/black letters/numbers, that's an older version, older model, even a discontinued model.

 

[GoingFaewild]

So an update! I bought the 1660 super from CeX for £127 after the £63 store credit I got from my 1050ti trade in. Now, I had to get the first order cancelled cause it didn't take my credit of the order. They actually sent me the cancelled order and the second order is still on its way in the near future.... In other words I got a free 1660 single fan super essentially. So I can probably get the better PSU earlier or I can keep the second one that comes as spare parts (never a bad idea). Or I could give the second one back (if my neighbors don't steal it).