Suggestion for 500-600W PSU

PSUs: The source of DC power for all components in the PC & often a big noise source.

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mgchan
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Suggestion for 500-600W PSU

Post by mgchan » Tue Apr 09, 2013 11:11 am

I'm building a new computer and looking for some input. I had originally planned on a SeaSonic X650 based on reviews, but in retrospect most of the reviews I read were 3 years old and it seems like more recently there have been issues with noise. This is going to be built partially for gaming, and complete silence is not the goal, but I'd like to make it a priority.

Budget is preferably in the $100-$120 range, but could be over for a truly superior product.

My general setup is as follows, with specs that will be at the upper range of my budget just to overestimate potential power usage.

Fractal Design Core 3000 case
Z77 based motherboard
Core i7-3770k -- will likely overclock, not sure
AMD Radeon 7950
16GB DDR3 RAM
1 optical drive, a couple case fans, a few USB devices
1 SSD drive
1 SATA drive -- probably 7200 RPM

I might consider two lesser GPUs as an alternative to the 7950, which is the main reason I was going for a 600-700W supply, but would also drop down to the 550W range if it'll eliminate some headache and save some money as well (and possibly upgrade later).

Features I'd like to see, in order of importance:
High quality power
Quiet -- ideally no fan usage at low voltages
Modular cables

Would the SeaSonic still be a decent bet? It sounds like maybe some of the coil wine issues are user specific. Others I've considered are KingWin, Corsair, and Antec. Ideally, something easily purchased in the US (I have Amazon Prime and ShopRunner for cheap shipping). I can also make my way to a MicroCenter or Fry's if that'll help.

CA_Steve
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Re: Suggestion for 500-600W PSU

Post by CA_Steve » Tue Apr 09, 2013 3:52 pm

Welcome to SPCR. Your system as defined (assuming the 7950 Boost version) will use ~ 350W under stressed load and no more than 300W while gaming. I like the Seasonic X series as well as Kingwin LZP series. Either the X-550/560 or x-650/660. For Kingwin it's LZP-550, LZP-650. You could go with the 500W class. While the fan will be ramping up a little bit at 300W, the video card noise will overwhelm it. Or, you could go up to 600W class. (shrugs). There's also the Seasonic Platinum fanned and fanless. the 620XP2 fanned or 520FL fanless would fit.

Couple of build comments:
- I'd spend another $20-30 and go with the Define mini or the R4.
- I hope your monitor resolution is >1080p, otherwise the 7950 is probably overkill.
- Few games make use of hyperthreading/more than 4 cores. Unless there's another app than can make use of it, you could easily move down to the i5-3570K.

mgchan
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Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2013 10:54 am

Re: Suggestion for 500-600W PSU

Post by mgchan » Tue Apr 09, 2013 4:57 pm

CA_Steve wrote:Welcome to SPCR. Your system as defined (assuming the 7950 Boost version) will use ~ 350W under stressed load and no more than 300W while gaming. I like the Seasonic X series as well as Kingwin LZP series. Either the X-550/560 or x-650/660. For Kingwin it's LZP-550, LZP-650. You could go with the 500W class. While the fan will be ramping up a little bit at 300W, the video card noise will overwhelm it. Or, you could go up to 600W class. (shrugs). There's also the Seasonic Platinum fanned and fanless. the 620XP2 fanned or 520FL fanless would fit.

Couple of build comments:
- I'd spend another $20-30 and go with the Define mini or the R4.
- I hope your monitor resolution is >1080p, otherwise the 7950 is probably overkill.
- Few games make use of hyperthreading/more than 4 cores. Unless there's another app than can make use of it, you could easily move down to the i5-3570K.
Thank you for the suggestions. So far what I've found available has been the X650 series for $120, which again is part of the reason I went with the X650. It's actually cheaper than the LZP-550. I understand that with the graphics card I'll probably run into more noise, but my goal is to make things quiet when I'm not gaming. My only concern was reading about the whining noise, I just can't get handle on whether it was just a temporary issue with production, related to specific environments, or what.

I guess overall given availability and price it's still my best choice, and I'll just have to risk having to return it to Newegg (the ShopRunner account may come in handy).

Regarding the other comments, they are appreciated. The machine is actually going to be somewhat of a hybrid workstation and gaming. I have a 1440p monitor which is why I'm planning to go with the 7950. Regarding the processor, I am still debating between the i5 and i7; the i7 is $40 more at MicroCenter which seemed like a good deal but it's definitely low down on the list.

Pappnaas
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Re: Suggestion for 500-600W PSU

Post by Pappnaas » Tue Apr 09, 2013 8:00 pm

I can't see a reason to go fanless on the PSU while using a HDD. Chances are that HDD noise and vibrations will annoy before even noticing the fan of a reasoable quiet active PSU + think about the tons of $$ saved.

mgchan
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Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2013 10:54 am

Re: Suggestion for 500-600W PSU

Post by mgchan » Tue Apr 09, 2013 8:05 pm

Pappnaas wrote:I can't see a reason to go fanless on the PSU while using a HDD. Chances are that HDD noise and vibrations will annoy before even noticing the fan of a reasoable quiet active PSU + think about the tons of $$ saved.
I guess it's more specific to the environment. My computer is in a den area but close to the living room and dining room. I don't mind noise while it's actually in use, but want it be fairly quiet while idling.

I'll have an SSD drive as the main drive, with the HDD only used for storage. Hopefully it will be idle most of the time.

Abula
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Re: Suggestion for 500-600W PSU

Post by Abula » Tue Apr 09, 2013 8:57 pm

Consider either,

SeaSonic G Series 550-Watt ATX12V/EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply SSR-550RM I would consider this if you are trying to save some, the fan always spins but very quiet, only 2 cables that come attached are the 24 n 8 pins that you will most likely use on a modern build. Below your current budget this would be my pick.

KingWin Lazer Platinum Series 550 Watt Power Supply with Universal Modular Cables LZP-550 Probably one of the best in its gen, more efficient than the seasonic, and the fan should be passive at idle... still under load should be very quiet, if you want to dump $10 over your budget this would be my pick.

I agree with ca_steve into spending a little more on the case, for R4.

CA_Steve
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Re: Suggestion for 500-600W PSU

Post by CA_Steve » Wed Apr 10, 2013 7:36 am

Seasonic whine: When it comes to noise, SPCR members are the freakish edge of the DYI PC builder population (in a good way!). So, if there's any noise to be heard, you'll see a lot of posts about it here. Compare this to the average PC builder - take a look at Newegg and Amazon reviews. Nary a noise issue to be found.

Seasonic Rep has posted on the issue here. It's related to ErP2013 compliance for the PSU and the steps you can take with your mobo's BIOS to negate it.

mgchan
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Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2013 10:54 am

Re: Suggestion for 500-600W PSU

Post by mgchan » Mon Apr 15, 2013 9:43 am

Happy to report back that I went ahead and bought the Seasonic X650 and am totally happy with it. I don't hear any coil whine, either because it's not there or because my ears simply aren't sensitive enough. Either way, I can't hear the power supply.

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