I need a bit of Power Supply advice for a new build

[oregonxfile]

Hello all,

I'm nearly done assembling components for a new system I'm building, but I'm a bit hung up on a power supply. I fear my chosen components are a bit more power hungry than the system I built 5 yrs ago.

Then, I bought a SEASONIC X650 GOLD 650W PS, and it has performed flawlessly. I am not a power user, but am starting to do a bit more image editing, which would be the bulk of my "heavy use".

I'm not a gamer, and I don't overclock (although my components would allow for that if I chose)

I'm looking for a new Seasonic PS, with perhaps a bit of a bump. wattage-wise, if advised, if for nothing more than a bit of headroom for equipment upgrades (which will be unlikely)

I'm also still trying to choose a case, and I'm not sure if PS placement in the case matters as to choice. Seems like alot of the new cases opt for bottom-of-the-case install. I'm still leaning towards a Sonata-like case, as it would suit my size requirements and equipment, but, again, I'm open to suggestions and advice here.


Can I post an equipment list here, and get a reasonable suggestion as to a power supply?


I also need a bit of help on the silent video card front, but I can post that elsewhere here

Thanks!

Dave

[CA_Steve]

Go ahead and post your potential build here. It's better to keep it to one thread.

FYI, a Haswell i5 or i7 + mobo + a couple of drives and fans = 130W or so stressed load.

[Abula]

The X-650 shoudl handle even 8 or 12 cores cpus, specially since you dont even use a dedicated GPU, you should be fine for the eternity with that PSU, as long as it doesnt fail on you. But if you want to jump into the Platinum banwagon, then consider Seasonic Platinum and Kingwin Lazer Platinum series, there are others like Antec HPC and Enermax Platinum but i would chose either of the before over anything, on the wattage post your complete specs, specially if you plan on using a dedicated GPU on your editing.

[oregonxfile]

This will be my actual build, below.

Please let me know if I'm posting correctly.

I'm kinda new to the forum.

Thanks,

Dave

GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD5 AM3+ AMD
AMD FX-8350 Black Edition Vishera 4.0GHz
Noctua NH-C14 140mm x 2 SSO CPU Cooler
SAMSUNG 840 EVO MZ-7TE500BW 2.5" 500GB SATA III
SAMSUNG 840 Pro Series MZ-7PD256BW 2.5" 256GB SATA III
Western Digital Red NAS Hard Drive WD30EFRX 3TB
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866
ASUS DVD-Writer 24X Model DRW-24F1ST
Video Card uncertain at this moment…

[Abula]

For the pecs of PC you posted, even with the highest end of single (none SLI/Xfire) GPUs the X650 should be more than enough.

For the GPU, you chose whatever you want, the PSU should hold you fine, just research if you will benefit from it on your editing software, if not i would suggest to go with a Intel i7 4770K or 4670K, the integrated iGPU HD4500, should be more than enough for anything thats not gaming or editing related (here despends if it can use quicksync).

Wondering why are you chosing AMD 8350 and NH-C14? what case you also using?

[oregonxfile]

The AMD, primarily due to price and cost benefit. I've used them forever, and they have served the purpose well enough of my needs.

The C14 because it's and excellent, silent cooler I have experience with, and, as the board I've chosen tends to run a bit warm, it can't hurt

I will run a single graphics card, which I am in search of right now. Hoping for something silent, or nearly so.

Right now, I'm leaning towards an Antec Sonata2 or something equally quiet, in that size range. The whole Sonata line I've had excellent luck with. Simple, straight forward, minimal frills, and very good cooling, IMHO.
I like the Fractal Design cases, but am still a bit uncertain about the bitumen soundproofing material. I don't have any experience with it, but maybe someone who has might like to chime in on the discussion. I'd be interested. Don't know why I feel a bit weird about it.

Dave

Are the platinum-standard powers supplies worth the additional cost, and are they equally as silent? I've not seen alot of reviews on them yet.

[quest_for_silence]

GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD5 AM3+ AMD
AMD FX-8350 Black Edition Vishera 4.0GHz
Noctua NH-C14 140mm x 2 SSO CPU Cooler
SAMSUNG 840 EVO MZ-7TE500BW 2.5" 500GB SATA III
SAMSUNG 840 Pro Series MZ-7PD256BW 2.5" 256GB SATA III
Western Digital Red NAS Hard Drive WD30EFRX 3TB
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866
ASUS DVD-Writer 24X Model DRW-24F1ST
Video Card uncertain at this moment…

If I can take the liberty, the only parts I really don't like are the Gigabyte board and the WD drive.
The Gigabyte board for the usual sub-par fan control system, the WD drive because you don't need the NAS firmware and there are chances newer batches are louder than original Reds and current Greens.
I would advice for a less obtrusive heatsink on RAM sticks, but it's your call.

About your requests, if you liked the Sonata, you should appreciate the Antec Solo II while, about the videocard, nothing fanned is actually unnoticeable, so IMO the best option should be something like a GTX-750/GTX-750Ti with a passive Accelero S1 Plus slapped on (it's not perfectly compatible but it would fit with just a very minor issue).

Last but not least, if I were you I would stick with the X-650, as the newer XP3 Platinum won't worth either money-wise or noise-wise.

[oregonxfile]

Thank you for your honest opinion.

All of my components are bought at this point, except the case, PS, and video card.

I understand the concern about heatsink clearance and that cooler, but I have used it before, with other GSkill memory, and had surprisingly plenty of room. There is a fair amount of space under there.

I am currently using a fanless Gigabyte HD 5700 series card, which has worked well in my current, quiet system. It may be a bit underpowered for my future needs, tho. Its heatsink is quite large, and seems to do the job. I'm just looking for the next step or two up, nVidia or ATI.

The Red drive is only going to be used for backup and storage, but its use is not locked in stone. It is one of the early drives, still surprisingly fast for a drive of its type. And, I wont be using it in its NAS config. I just got a really good deal on it.

Ive had a Solo case, and I like it quite a bit as well.

Will the current X-650 be sufficient for the listed components, do you think?

Thanks,

Dave

[CA_Steve]

Will the current X-650 be sufficient for the listed components, do you think?

yes.

If all you are doing is image editing, you don't need much of a video graphics card. Lightroom doesn't use gfx acceleration at all. Photoshop CS6 does, but it doesn't take much of a card to max out the benefit. The HD 7750 / R7 250 is as good as you need. Or, if you want Nvidia, GTX 750. The former comes in fanless, the latter has a couple of very quiet fanned solutions.

[quest_for_silence]

I'm just looking for the next step or two up, nVidia or ATI.

Personally I won't call an HD5770 as outdated, with reference to your needs: however, as already said, the cheapest Nvidia GM107-card with the S1 Plus should offer you the most bang for the buck; some more powerful (and noticeably more expensive) options could be the Powercolor SCS3-series, fanless, but clearly an overkill performance-wise, along with the newer ASUS Strix R280 (it sports a semi-fanless cooler design), while lower performing cards are the various passive R7 250 in the market.
In my experience any other fanned card (particularly Nvidia cards) would be, even if not such obtrusive, clearly audible over the C14 noise signature at idle/light loads.

Ive had a Solo case, and I like it quite a bit as well.

The newer iteration is probably even better, as it sports 120mm front intakes (if needed), istead of 92mm ones, and a top grille which is perfect for the Seasonic X-series, which can breath freely facing upwards.

Will the current X-650 be sufficient for the listed components, do you think?

Absolutely far more than enough: just to give you an idea, with a 350W PSU I powered for a year or so without hiccups a Phenom II Black Edition along with a pair of GTX-460 (and they were folding, so running at full bore all day long), and your proposed system should have an average power draw well below that mark.

[vishcompany]

If it's of any interest, I'm running a very similar system:
- FX-8120 (which is rated equally, tdp-wise)
- GIGABYTE GA-970-UD3
- nvidia GT-520 (fanless) in the beginning, which I replaced with a GTX-760 (tdp=170W) a few months ago
- the usual SSD/HDD/DVD stuff

All this powered by a Seasonic X-400 fanless with no problem, so I think, your X-650 will provide more than enough juice, even if you put in a very powerful GPU.

The case is a Solo2, it could handle the heat of the CPU + GT-520 easily, it does get a bit warm with the GTX-760 when gaming, but with some tweaking I got it silent and cool enough.

If I had to build my system from scratch today, I would go a different route, as it took me quite some effort to balance the temps inside the Solo2 when I put in the stronger GPU, so I think, an R4 would be a more suitable case, as well as going for an intel build.
The top-position of the PSU inside the Solo2 makes this case very sensitive for PSU fan-noise, that's why I ended up with a fanless PSU, so if I was in your boots with your actual PSU, I would look for a case with the PSU sitting in the bottom.

[quest_for_silence]

The top-position of the PSU inside the Solo2 makes this case very sensitive for PSU fan-noise, that's why I ended up with a fanless PSU, so if I was in your boots with your actual PSU, I would look for a case with the PSU sitting in the bottom.

In my opinion it doesn't work that way: I've had an original X-750 inside a Solo II, and I've probably never heard it, as it used to run fanless up to about 150W and very quiet above that level.

Even with reference to the R4, the Solo II isn't necessarily less performing, cooling wise: actually powerful CPU/GPU run cooler inside the Antec box than into the former R2, according to SPCR findings (incidentally the 250W GTX460 pair I was talking above run inside a Solo I and it was satisfactory, noise-wise).

Eventually, a proper, noise-conscious setup inside a FD Define won't be less time-consuming, depending of user expectations (not to mention that the FD build quality is IMVHO inferior).

I would pay attention also to the facts that other suitable cards (R7 or GTX750Ti) are far less hot than the GTX-760 and, above all, that he won't game, so he should never experience any intense heating neither any heat build up.

[vishcompany]

In my opinion it doesn't work that way: I've had an original X-750 inside a Solo II, and I've probably never heard it, as it used to run fanless up to about 150W and very quiet above that level.

I beg to differ: Good for you, if the PSU ran fanless most of the time, but I ran two different bequiet PSU inside my solo2 and the fan noise drove me nuts. That's why I say, if you have a fanned PSU, be careful.

I would pay attention also to the facts that other suitable cards (R7 or GTX750Ti) are far less hot than the GTX-760 and, above all, that he won't game, so he should never experience any intense heating neither any heat build up.

I completely agree, there won't be much heat with the intended cards.

edit: typo

[oregonxfile]

I do not push my system really hard, ever, but I want the headroom, in case I do. I'm also trying to future-proof my system, a bit, even if it's only for 6 months to a year.

I have an original Solo case, and have zero problems with fan noise from my X650. I really like the size of the Solo. I don't really want a taller tower, necessarily. Probably because I don't push it hard. I also leave my computer on all of the time, and have for literally 4 to 5 years with my current setup, and have not had a speck of trouble with heat or fan noise. Zero issues, literally.....My system is dead silent, the 1st silent system I've ever built. I've not had a component failure, or a fan die, or anything. Even I'm a bit surprised.

I have a Samsung 1TB HD, along with a ATI-based 5700 series video card (Gigabyte). I think Ive been a bit lucky, but Ive also chosen well the components Ive used. Seems a bit fussy, but, it's worked well. Maybe not so odd, but many of my components I've bought based on recommendations from SPCR. I'm upgrading everything, but I'm also trying to maintain the silent system I've come to enjoy.

Those recommendations have been totally, spot-on. Totally.

Thank you everyone, for all your advice. I'll take as much info and opinion as you want to share with me.

Dave

[vishcompany]

If you want to stick to the original Solo case, I guess you will be fine. The Solo2 has a grille on the top, so the user can choose the orientation of the PSU. If you turn the fan downwards, it will help the temps inside the case a lot (4-5 C in ma case), if you turn it up, the PSU will breathe cooler air, but you can hear the fan quite distinctly (at least it was annoying to me) and the temps inside the case go up.
Anyway, as long as you stick to your case (and I don't see a reason, why you should change), all this is rather pointless.

Enjoy the rebuilding of your system, your PSU will be perfectly capable of delivering enough power.

[oregonxfile]

My new system will have a Red 3TB WD drive, that I had intended to use for storage and archiving, etc. Possible a few program installs.

I'm going to use my EVO 500 GB drive for my windows 7 install, and the 256 Pro for my Lightroom/Photoshop install. Neither of which I've done yet.

I got a good deal on both of my SSDs, and I'd like to use them, but I was thinking of using the Red drive for storage and backup, primarily, etc. (As opposed to an external drive for the same)

I was thinking an external drive for storage, but I dont maybe want to mess with cables and placement. I figured the internal 3TB drive would serve the same purpose, provided again I can cool it properly, along with everything else.

[oregonxfile]

Has anyone compared the X650 to the SS-660XP Platinum?

It's probably down to these two, with the 660 being only 10 bucks more.

They are both highly rated, highly reviewed, and there doesn't appear to be any downside either way.

They will be both silent in my build, I think. Plenty of headroom, plenty of power.

Oddly, I can't find a single review comparing them side by side.....

Advice or suggestions?

Also, probably going to be a Solo II, or a Sonata case....

[Abula]

Just wondering, you already have X650? why you still looking for a PSU?

[oregonxfile]

I'm building a brand new system, and am looking for advise on a few components

[CA_Steve]

Go with the Solo II over the Sonata. I think you'll like it better.

Has anyone compared the X650 to the SS-660XP Platinum? It's probably down to these two, with the 660 being only 10 bucks more.

For ten bucks, go for the Platinum. That said, why not go for the 460FL2? Fanless, more power than you need, will work well with Solo II top mount.

[CA_Steve]

Drives: I use a 240GB SSD for OS/Apps/current games/docs and a 2TB Red for media and for internal backup. Also use thumb drives for doc backup and have an external drive that I connect far too seldom for the "ok crap, my PC is completely fried" backup. When I get around to it, I'll move my iTunes library to an inexpensive SSD just to get rid of the remaining HDD spool up (except during backups and PC boot).

[oregonxfile]

I went for the Platinum.

It even had an additional 15 dollar rebate in addition. Not a bad deal.

Now down to the vid card and case

Dave

[oregonxfile]

Bought a vid card, after a bit of research, etc.


MSI GAMING N750Ti TF 2GD5/OC GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB 128-Bit GDDR5 HDCP Ready Video Card

A bit of overkill, perhaps, but rated and reviewed well, and silent as well as very power efficient.

X