Hello,

I want to build an ITX system and I'm having a bit of trouble determining which PicoPSU and power brick would be suitable. The system will consist of:

- CPU Core i7 3770K
- (Probably) Big Shuriken 2 cooler + fan
- Mainboard (model to be determined)
- NO graphic card, only on-board graphics
- Samsung 830 256GB SSD
- 16GB DDR3 RAM (2x8)
- (Maybe) DVD-ROM drive
- (Maybe) 120mm case fan

Around here (Netherlands) the biggest PicoPSUs I see are 150 XT - and usually with suspiciously underpowered bricks (98W, 102w etc.). I don't think an 102W brick would be enough for the above system, right?

It should work if you buy a frugal mobo and don't overclock/overvolt the CPU. Here's a nice article showing the differences in motherboard power use using similar hardware to yours. Note the power is measured at the wall. Figure the PSU used in the test is ~80% efficient at 100W, so multiply the numbers in the chart by 0.8 to get the Watts DC.

Pico 160 would be fine surely?

Intel motherboards are generally the best when it comes to energy efficiency. For confirmation, see some of SPCR's comparative tests.

The review linked to above, didn't include any Intel motherboards.

One thing I'm not clear on: if I need, let's say, 150W, is it enough if the PicoPSU is above that (e.g. PicoPSU 150XT) and can I use a lower power brick (e.g. 100W), or does the power brick also need to be rated above the needed consumption?

I think it's the second, but I'm puzzled about the PicoPSU combinations I'm seeing for sale. What's the point of selling an 150W PSU, if the brick is limited to only 100W or even 80W, as I've seen some combinations?


Best regards,
Sebastian

The brick is what drives the whole thing. It has to be able to handle the load. The picoPSU does the conversion down to the other voltages the computer needs, besides the +12v that the brick delivers.

Since the brick delivers +12v and many things in a computer runs on +12v (like the CPU power regulator stuff) it's actually possible to use a high capacity brick and a small pico like the picoPSU-90-XLP to power a relatively power hungry system. I usually let the brick feed the 4pin +12v cable directly in my builds. That should take care of the CPU I think. It might be possible to do the same with other stuff, perhaps graphics cards but who needs them nowadays, right?

OK, thank you, that makes it clear.

Any recommendations of suitable good power bricks of 150W or even 200W? (If available in Europe, even better).

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After posting I saw this one on ebay.de: PicoPSU 160XT + 192 W Adapter. Sounds like what I need, but I wonder if it's genuine. Anyone else used/bought this one?
http://www.ebay.de/itm/picoPSU-160-XT-1 ... 5814wt_942

160w Pico and 150w power brick would be fine

I'm building a similar setup as the Original Poster, and am wondering which power brick to use.
Are there any comparisons/reviews/recommendations for the power brick?

The only useful thing found by Googling is this:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=207

I'm in Europe, too - just like the OP of this thread.

Cheers

That damn jonnyGURU review again..

The conclusion is all wrong, he doesn't seem to grasp the importance of the brick. I've ranted about it before. One of the few picoPSU reviews out there, that why it keeps coming up.

Good 12V bricks are a bit hard to find. One popular one is the Dell DA-2, it's not that expensive from eBay and very powerful (18A). I use Mean Well bricks for most of my systems, they are very nice. Efficient but hard to find, at least in my area.

As a baseline in the US, look for bricks that meet either CEC level 5 (California Energy Code) or Energy Star 5, or just look for an "Efficiency: V" label (also covers the EU). They have to be 87% efficient for loads over 49W.

I ended up buying the 160W version with an 192W brick from www.goodthingsonline.eu (temporary they seem on holiday, it's a small shop). Not sure what to look for on the brick to see the efficiency. It does say "Efficiency Level V".

The system is not finished yet, the mainboard had some issue and I had to RMA it. Still, the system was starting up nicely with the PicoPSU. When I'll get the mainboard back I'll post a mini-review and I'll take some power measurements as well. Probably (as it was advised earlier on this thread), the 150XT with 160W brick would have been enough, but I wanted to be on the safe side.