Hi Guys,

I know we have a lot of Seasonic fans here, and I think it's time for me to upgrade. I'm having random freezes, and process of elimination is bringing me to my 7 year old PSU...

Anyway - I have a pretty vanilla system, and 99% of the use is light - web, e-mail, or MS Office.

I want to buy one PSU to last over a couple of mobos, and I have my eye on the X-560. Aside from the fanless models, it's the smallest X, but I'm wondering if I'm crippling my efficiency since I'll probably be drawing <100W most of the time.

I also see the new G series, but the 450 isn't available / reviewed yet. (I'm not sure I want to go as low as the 360). I hope to re-use the power supply for a couple of upgrade cycles.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

Corey

Current System
Core 2 Duo
1 SSD
2 HD's
WiFi NIC
Passive Nvidia GT220
2 case fans, plus CPU fan

Probable Next System
Ivy Bridge i7 (or maybe Haswell in 2013)
Integrated video
1 SSD, 2 HD's
2 case fans
WiFi NIC

Hi and welcome to SPCR.

Your current system's stressed load power is no more than 150W (prime 95+furmark+ accessing all the disks, etc) with normal use probably closer to 60W. Your future system will use less power. You are the perfect candidate for the G 360.

What elimination have you already done? Have you already tried with another PSU to prove that the old PSU is at fault? I just always get concerned about buying something to fix a potential issue and then finding that the fault isn't fixed. Normally a PSU would not give you random freezes as it would instead freeze when power steps up which would be systematic. You could use Speedfan to log your voltages, temps, and CPU load and review after there is a freeze to see if any pattern emerges. With systems since the Pentium 4 the bulk of system power is delivered by a 12V connector to the motherboard and it is the motherboard that steps it down for the CPU and other motherboard components. It is therefore unusual for a power supply voltage to cause lockups with modern systems, the motherboard VRMs handle it.

I second the G-360 if you do have to replace your PSU.

The Seasonic G360 is more than enough. I'd even say that your system won't even draw half that wattage unless you intend to overclock.

The only minor quibble with the G360 is that it isn't modular. But besides that it seems like an awesome PSU.

Thanks for the advice guys.

Regarding silence - am I safe to assume that the fan won't kick in during "normal" use (surfing, Office, etc.)

Thanks,

Corey

The fan is always spinning on the G 360 as opposed to the semi-passive design in the X series. However, 13dBA is pretty darn quiet.

the two (or even one) hdd's will be louder than the g360w under normal load.

Sorry to hijack this thread, but I'm in a similar situation. (I can start a new thread if that's preferred.)

I currently have a Corsair VX450 powering a E6550 and a passive 9500GT. I'm looking at upgrading to an i5-3570 and a GTX 660 or GTX 660 Ti. My PSU is 5 years old, and I'm wondering if I should replace it for the new build. If I do, the X-560 comes to mind, but I know that's overkill. Problem is there's no sign of the G-360 locally yet, and low wattage PSUs are actually hard to get here. Any thoughts?

X-400 and X-460 are also available here, but both cost more than the X-560, and given I'm in the tropics, the fan makes for good insurance. I've seen the G-550 listed somewhere, but the price difference to the X is small.

The Corsair VX450W has a five year warranty, and sive you've never pushed the PSU much in that period, I think it's safe to assume that you can use the PSU at least a year or two more.

The PSU should be able to handle the load of the i5-3570 and the Geforce 660. Why not let the Corsair VX450W run a bit more time while you wait for the G360 to become available? You could even wait for the G450 which is modular.

That sounds like a good idea, thanks!