Seasonic X-560 vs X-650 vs Platinum-660

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

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eli_singer
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Seasonic X-560 vs X-650 vs Platinum-660

Post by eli_singer » Tue May 07, 2013 10:38 pm

well, i really don't know what to do...

i want to get the model that has the best chances not to have coil whine because the forum is flooded with reports on the problem.

the X-650KM3 cost exactly the same as the Platinum-660 here, the Platinum has 7 years warranty where as the X-650 has 5 years, but it seams (from other threads) that the Platinum is the best candidate for whining so maybe i should go with the X-650 instead?

and there's the X-560 which people report that is less prone to the coil whine problem although it's from the second generation and the X-650 is the third generation...

what should i do??

on a side note- i am currently using Corsair HX620 that is about to die (3.3V keeps getting below 3V) and the cables that came with it weren't long enough to route conveniently in my Antec P280. does the Seasonic models mentioned here will suffice in that regard?
my MB is Intel dz77re-75k.

thanks,

Eli

CA_Steve
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Re: Seasonic X-560 vs X-650 vs Platinum-660

Post by CA_Steve » Wed May 08, 2013 6:33 am

Welcome to SPCR. "Flooded" might be an over-reaction. "A handful" might be more appropriate. Take a look at the customer reviews at large e-tailers like Newegg and Amazon and you won't see much (if at all) in the way of noise complaints. Follow these guidelines and you should be ok. If you still have high concerns, use a retailer with a decent return policy. :)

Corsair cable lengths here. Seasonic lists their cable lengths on their site.

edh
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Re: Seasonic X-560 vs X-650 vs Platinum-660

Post by edh » Wed May 08, 2013 7:57 am

What components are you using in your system? It might be worth considering this to look at which cables are not long enough for everything that you need to power. Extensions are always a possibility though not ideal.

eli_singer
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Re: Seasonic X-560 vs X-650 vs Platinum-660

Post by eli_singer » Wed May 08, 2013 8:09 am

first of all thanks for the welcome. iv'e been a reader of SPCR for years but only now got to post something :)

well yes, maybe 'flooded' is a bit excessive :)

but still, the problem remains. i know 'regular' users that review products on 'regular' sites don't pay attention to the noise issue as much as the guys here do and that's exactly the point, it is an issue for me and that's why i'm reading this forum and not just amazon reviews.

i'm thinking maybe going for the Platinum 520w fan-less version although it's priced about 55$ higher than the X-560 or 30$ highet than the Platinum 660w or the X650KM3.
correct me if i'm wrong but i think it will have enough Watts for my system.

my build is:
Case: Antec P280
MB: Intel DZ77RE-75K
CPU: Intel i7 3770K
CPU Cooling: Arctic Freezer 13 Pro
RAM: X2 8GB G.Skill F3-10666CL9 (soon to add another 2 modules)
GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 660
RAID Controller: IBM m1015
SSD: Intel 520 240GB
HDD: X4 HGST 4TB Deskstar 3.5" SATA III 7200 RPM in RAID 10 (soon to add another 2 drives to the array)
HDD: X2 WD Black Caviar 2TB (will be replaced with above HGST 4TB models)
DVD Burner
5-10 USB peripherals devices including 2 External USB 3.0 drives and an active USB 3.0 card reader
PSU: Corsair HX620w (soon to be retired- the reason we're here)


anyhow, i'm asking here if there is any recommendation where to lean in this model-coil-whining-conundrum since all models will be adequate in terms of performance i believe.

about the cable length, i currently have extensions for the main 20+4 pin ATX cable, the MOLEX cable going to the top of the case to power the fans, and the front panel HD Audio cable. pretty annoying to find that out when i put everything in the first time...

Eli

edh
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Location: UK

Re: Seasonic X-560 vs X-650 vs Platinum-660

Post by edh » Wed May 08, 2013 9:04 am

As Steve linked to, there is a reason identified for why Seasonic PSUs give some users coil whine problems. This is not a fault with the PSU, it's just how it works when the motherboard is configured in a certain way. It is definitely not a universal noise or else you would find everyone who had one on here complaining about it. Both the Gold and Platinum PSUs are covered by this problem and there's no real point considering which might whine loudest: it's better just to set your motherboard up properly regardless of PSU.

If you'd rather try another make then Superflower/Kingwin might be worth a look if you haven't already.

eli_singer
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Re: Seasonic X-560 vs X-650 vs Platinum-660

Post by eli_singer » Wed May 08, 2013 9:25 am

does the BIOS configuration thing defiantly solve the issue?
does anyone have experience with one of this models and my Intel DZ77RE-75K board and can report on the matter?

Superflower/Kingwin are not available here, otherwise i would give them a try.

Eli

CA_Steve
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Re: Seasonic X-560 vs X-650 vs Platinum-660

Post by CA_Steve » Wed May 08, 2013 12:58 pm

correct me if i'm wrong but i think it will have enough Watts for my system.
Probably 325W with stress load (unless you are overclocking/overvolting). So, sure. You could easily drop down to the 460W fanless.

I mention e-tailer reviews because you can get a sense of the percentage of people affected by/notice an issue. For grins, here's some customer review data from Newegg.

Code: Select all

PSU     # of reviews  # that mention whine                  %
X650        516                 14                          2.7%
660XP2       36                  8                         22%
400FL2       75                  0                          0%
460 FL       58                  1                          1.7%

eli_singer
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Re: Seasonic X-560 vs X-650 vs Platinum-660

Post by eli_singer » Wed May 08, 2013 2:12 pm

how did you manage to see this data analyzed in newegg??

well, this really does give me a different perspective on things. it does show that i should clear away from the p-660.

i'm a bit worried dropping the PSU to 460w... is it really just in my head?
the x-650 has a hell of a lot more reviews which might be a better indicator.
in addition, i can't seems to find a seller who states the 460 to be the second version. i'll call a few stores in the morning to find out exactly.

but none the less, if the BIOS configuration will solve it than why not go with the best cost effective of the bunch- the P-660?

damn... why can't it be simple?

Eli

CA_Steve
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Re: Seasonic X-560 vs X-650 vs Platinum-660

Post by CA_Steve » Wed May 08, 2013 2:53 pm

eli_singer wrote:how did you manage to see this data analyzed in newegg??
I did it the old fashioned way - I looked at all of the 1 and 2 star reviews and then added up all of the ones that mentioned noise issues.

edh
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Location: UK

Re: Seasonic X-560 vs X-650 vs Platinum-660

Post by edh » Wed May 08, 2013 10:55 pm

eli_singer wrote:it does show that i should clear away from the p-660.
Not neccessarily, it might be that people who buy the bigger PSU are more likely to be running a configuration that could cause problems.
eli_singer wrote:i'm a bit worried dropping the PSU to 460w... is it really just in my head?
Yes, in your head I'm afraid. Seasonic PSUs are wonderfully overspecced so you don't need to worry about running near the limit - the 460 has been tested by some reviewers at ~700W.

I wouldn't go for the 400W because then you won't have sufficient power connectors for the graphics card whereas the 460FL2 has 2x PCI-E power.

eli_singer
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Joined: Tue May 07, 2013 10:17 pm

Re: Seasonic X-560 vs X-650 vs Platinum-660

Post by eli_singer » Thu May 09, 2013 3:15 am

Steve, you're the best :)

it turns out that i can get these three models for the same price from different vendors:
P-660
X-650
P-460

it feels weird to pay the same for a 200W difference, and from the same line!
will my configuration make any problems with the P-660 considering the right BIOS setup?

if not, i think i'll go with the 460 although there are a lot more reviews on the 650...

nobody here with a similar setup who can comment?

Eli

eli_singer
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Joined: Tue May 07, 2013 10:17 pm

Re: Seasonic X-560 vs X-650 vs Platinum-660

Post by eli_singer » Thu May 23, 2013 12:12 pm

got the X-650 in the end, seems fine to me... :)

thanks all!

Eli

CA_Steve
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Re: Seasonic X-560 vs X-650 vs Platinum-660

Post by CA_Steve » Thu May 23, 2013 4:13 pm

enjoy :)

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