# PSU Overkill?



## DARKADAM (Jul 17, 2012)

Hi, this may sound stupid, but will a 700watt psu be enough for my rig? Specs to the left..
Feel free to thrash me on overkill.....
Thanks!


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## Ravenas (Jul 17, 2012)

Yes I would say so.

http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/amd-radeon-hd-6000/hd-6770/Pages/amd-radeon-hd-6770-overview.aspx#3



> ■450 Watt or greater power supply with one 75W 6-pin PCI Express® power connectors recommended (600 Watt and two 6-pin connectors for AMD CrossFireX™ technology in dual mode).


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## Jstn7477 (Jul 17, 2012)

I run an overclocked 2600K and 7950 on a quality 550w unit, so yes.


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## D007 (Jul 17, 2012)

Not really overkill, just very stable. More than effective though.


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## [Ion] (Jul 17, 2012)

Given that you have a Corsair 700w listed, that will be more than sufficient.  I've run a SLI + C2Q setup on a Corsair 400w, and although I wouldn't recommend it, it did work fine.  With that 700w PSU, you'll be able to run the AMD X4 and a high-end Crossfire/SLI setup with ease


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## DARKADAM (Jul 17, 2012)

Feeling good now as what I want in a pc is multi screen setups!
Cheers Guys


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## erocker (Jul 17, 2012)

No such thing as overkill when it comes to a PSU.


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## TRWOV (Jul 17, 2012)

500w is more than enough for most systems with a single GPU. I'm running an i5-2320, 8GB RAM, HD6950, 5 HDDs and 6 fans off a 500w PSU.


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## TheMailMan78 (Jul 17, 2012)

erocker said:


> No such thing as overkill when it comes to a PSU.



I disagree. Some people are far better off with less watts in their system. People have a really bad habit of buying tons of low quality high watt PSUs instead of what they need at high quality.

I mean really would you rather have a 1000w Rosewell or a 600w Seasonic X? At the same time VERY few people need more then 500w. Why blow 200+ bones on a PSU you will NEVER use fully when you can get a high quality PSU with less volts in itself is overkill and will last you for years?


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## wiak (Jul 17, 2012)

just get a quality brand, corsair, seasonic, ocz, antec etc are all good, and for the future it will be wise to get atleast a 700W

more expensive psus usely means they have better quality so that translates to better power and less problems, i myself have a Corsair AX850, Corsair HX620, MIST 600W and a Corsair CX600


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## DARKADAM (Jul 17, 2012)

Again, I opted for this PSU as its corsair and I find them to be very reliable as well as stylish


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## Aquinus (Jul 17, 2012)

With everything stressed on my rig, I don't use more than 450-watts. I have a 1000-watt Seasonic PSU and it barely gets warm when I push my rig and voltages stay nice and steady. Now, I might never get close to using a full kilowatt, but there are benefits to running a powerful PSU under what it can handle. The fan doesn't even have to kick on it runs so cool (which is a little scary, I will admit, but I don't care if it's cool/cold to the touch.)

Heat can reduce the life of a PSU. If you get a good PSU that has a reasonable amount of output and you don't use it all, it will run cooler, which in turn will have increased longevity.


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## erocker (Jul 17, 2012)

TheMailMan78 said:


> I disagree. Some people are far better off with less watts in their system. People have a really bad habit of buying tons of low quality high watt PSUs instead of what they need at high quality.
> 
> I mean really would you rather have a 1000w Rosewell or a 600w Seasonic X? At the same time VERY few people need more then 500w. Why blow 200+ bones on a PSU you will NEVER use fully when you can get a high quality PSU with less volts in itself is overkill and will last you for years?



A quality, higher wattage PSU will last just as long and you have room to upgrade. Yes I would rather blow 200+ bones (though you can get quality high wattage PSU's for cheaper) than get what is good enough. There's nothing "better off" with having a lower wattage PSU.




Aquinus said:


> Heat can reduce the life of a PSU. If you get a good PSU that has a reasonable amount of output and you don't use it all, it will run cooler, which in turn will have increased longevity.



Also, this guy.^^ +1


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## TheMailMan78 (Jul 18, 2012)

My 650's fan doesnt even turn on. A 1000w PSU for a system that pulls 450w tops is a huge waste of cash and isnt very efficient.


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## scaminatrix (Jul 18, 2012)

erocker said:


> No such thing as overkill when it comes to a PSU.





TheMailMan78 said:


> I mean really would you rather have a 1000w Rosewell or a 600w Seasonic X? At the same time VERY few people need more then 500w.





Aquinus said:


> I don't use more than 450-watts. I have a 1000-watt Seasonic PSU



It's generally accepted that a PSU is most efficient closest to 50% load (give or take). This is my excuse anyway  

I know I'm running a 650w but I'm looking to get another one when my RAID array comes back into use.


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## m1dg3t (Jul 18, 2012)

erocker said:


> No such thing as overkill when it comes to a PSU.



+1
______________________________________

Ocz zx series are some damn good units, check the reviews here by crmaris, they are usually on rebate which makes them even better IMO

I have seen the zx850 as low as $125 and the zx1000 @ $150, after rebates of course. I agree about the efficiency part, also I find most people are very conservative when using PSU calcs. Example, my q9550 system  can be rated at ~550w or close to 700w, and guess what? I had some crashes under load using a 700w PSU but switched to an 850w unit and haven't looked back.


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## Aquinus (Jul 18, 2012)

TheMailMan78 said:


> My 650's fan doesnt even turn on. A 1000w PSU for a system that pulls 450w tops is a huge waste of cash and isnt very efficient.



Did I mention it was Seasonics 80 Plus Platinum PSU? Also, your just wrong. Under 20% of maximum where efficiency goes down the drain, not 40-50%. In fact 35-65% is where the best efficiency on a PSU is.

Look what I found in TPU's database of reviews!






What were you saying about being inefficient?


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## Kreij (Jul 18, 2012)

IMO, there are two things you should never go cheap on when building a rig.
The case and the PSU. They are the two things you are most likely to keep the longest, and you want to make sure both will serve you well for upgrades.


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## TheMailMan78 (Jul 18, 2012)

Aquinus said:


> Did I mention it was Seasonics 80 Plus Platinum PSU? Also, your just wrong. Under 20% of maximum where efficiency goes down the drain, not 40-50%. In fact 35-65% is where the best efficiency on a PSU is.
> 
> Look what I found in TPU's database of reviews!
> http://tpucdn.com/reviews/Seasonic/P1000/images/efficiency.jpg
> ...



I said nothing about 50%. Reading fail on your part sir. Having a 1000w PSU for a 450w max isnt what you call smart.




Kreij said:


> IMO, there are two things you should never go cheap on when building a rig.
> The case and the PSU. They are the two things you are most likely to keep the longest, and you want to make sure both will serve you well for upgrades.



I agree. NEVER go cheap on a PSU. But never get more then you need as its a waste of money.


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## Aquinus (Jul 18, 2012)

TheMailMan78 said:


> I said nothing about 50%.


450w / 1000w = 45%
I was rounding. You didn't have to say it, it was implied.



TheMailMan78 said:


> Reading fail on your part sir. Having a 1000w PSU for a 450w max isnt what you call smart.


...and why is that? It gives me the ability to have flexibility upgrading, it keeps temperatures even under full load down as its one less component generating heat which in turn results in better PSU longevity, as I said before, the actual efficiency of the PSU is very good, it is silent, and last but not least it has a 7 year warranty. Running a PSU at full power creates more heat, reduces the longevity of your PSU, you run the risk of over-voltaging your machine due to inadequate current (if you're running it to the max,) and quite frankly, it will result in reduced life and my upgrade options won't be nearly as open.



TheMailMan78 said:


> I agree. NEVER go cheap on a PSU. But never get more then you need as its a waste of money.


Many people would disagree with you.

So tell me, what isn't smart about it? I don't seem to be able to figure it out. All the fail in your post seems to make it hard to understand what you're try to get at.


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## Jstn7477 (Jul 18, 2012)

I'd rather buy a 550w 80+ Gold PSU over a 750w 80+ Bronze model for the same price.


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## TheMailMan78 (Jul 18, 2012)

Aquinus said:


> 450w / 1000w = 45%
> I was rounding. You didn't have to say it, it was implied.
> 
> 
> ...


It wasn't implied. You assumed. All I said is there is such thing as overkill with a PSU to Erocker. Would you install a 1000w Seasonic into an HTPC? Of course not. That would be overkill and stupid. As for the heat issue I run a 650w X and the fan has yet to turn on. I have plenty of room to upgrade with it also. If heat was THAT big of an issue for my "massive" draw on the 650 by not having a 1337 PSU of a 1000watts one would assume the fan might turn on once in a while.  I would guess in 99 out of 100 cases a 1000w PSU is over kill. Maybe 1% need it. Its inefficient and stupid to waste a PSU like that on most computers.


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## m1dg3t (Jul 18, 2012)

Depends on the HTPC tMm


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## Aquinus (Jul 18, 2012)

TheMailMan78 said:


> Its inefficient and stupid to waste a PSU like that on most computers.



It might be stupid (I still disagree with you,) but it certainly isn't inefficient. Also your draw on a stock 2600k and a 570 Ti probably barely hits 200-watts, maybe 250-watts tops. So I put 450-500 watts of load on my 1000w PSU and it is stupid, you put 200-250-watts of load on your 650 watt PSU and it's not? Give be a break, you're hypocritical because you're practically doing the same thing as me. Additionally, the 1000-watt Platinum is only 80 USD more than the 650 Gold. I wouldn't call that a waste.


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## TheMailMan78 (Jul 18, 2012)

Aquinus said:


> It might be stupid (I still disagree with you,) but it certainly isn't inefficient. Also your draw on a stock 2600k and a 570 Ti probably barely hits 200-watts, maybe 250-watts tops. So I put 450-500 watts of load on my 1000w PSU and it is stupid, you put 200-250-watts of load on your 650 watt PSU and it's not? Give be a break, you're hypocritical because you're practically doing the same thing as me. Additionally, the 1000-watt Platinum is only 80 USD more than the 650 Gold. I wouldn't call that a waste.



Of course its a waste. My Seasonic I got for 90 bucks. Thats 110 less then the 1000w Plat. That 100 bucks extra in my pocket. Also you could have got a 850 and had PLENTY of room to upgrade. You got a 1000w for epeen. Which is fine but don't try and justify it as a "smart" choice. Your specs don't even come close to needing that.


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## DARKADAM (Jul 18, 2012)

Heres a little snippet: 
Certified To Deliver 80% Efficiency Or Higher At Normal Load Conditions (20% To 100% Load)

A Single +12V Rail Provides Up To 56A Of Reliable, Continuous Power For Multi-Core Gaming Pcs With Multiple Graphics Cards.

Another plus here is that since i will only use 500watt and ill be doing only slight overclocking, the PSU fan will stay nice and quiet and , even better, Cool.


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## LAN_deRf_HA (Jul 18, 2012)

Modern highend rigs spend most of their time at 120-180watts idle, and 350-450 load. Get a platinum 550-650 and call it a day. Going to high wattage hurts efficiency and wastes money in the short and long term for no good reason.


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## dj-electric (Jul 20, 2012)

Just... why? why spend so much money on a gold or platinum PSU in that case?
A good quality 400-450W 80+ certified PSU wont die or will get replaced as fast as other component in your PC.
my 2 cents are save your money, get something like this to get your rig going
Antec VP-450 450W ATX 12V v2.3    Power Supply
no need to go nuclear on a 180W@game system.


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## Kreij (Jul 20, 2012)

Dj-ElectriC said:


> A good quality 400-450W 80  certified PSU wont die or *will get replaced as fast as other component in your PC*.



I disagree. If you buy a PSU that is rated higher than what you need, you will replace it far less often than other components.


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## Aquinus (Jul 20, 2012)

TheMailMan78 said:


> Also you could have got a 850 and had PLENTY of room to upgrade.



It was only 80 PLUS, not even bronze. It also wasn't modular. Additionally I draw over twice as much as you and have a PSU that is twice as large. The Seasonic 1000 also has a 7 year warranty. For what my rig is and what I do with it, I wanted that overhead. As you said, no one is going to draw 1kW unless you're running 4 high end video cards with everything you have overclocked and I knew that buying it. I wanted a quality power supply and I think that you can agree with me that Seasonic makes quality PSUs. Also at the time Seasonic hadn't released the 850-watt (I think it is 850,) Platinum PSU.

Clearly we're not going to see eye to eye on this, but you don't have to call it stupid because you don't agree with it. I wanted a very capable PSU that would shine under any workload and be covered under warranty way past when I would consider upgrading my rig anyways. I don't know about you, but I've had plenty of PSUs fail on me and I'm done taking that risk, and if I feel that paying that extra money for it is worth it, so be it.

Are you going to say that SB-E is e-peen too and that an ASUS P9X79 Deluxe is stupid because it costs a lot? I had a large budget and I built this rig to fit that and based it on the workloads I was going to be putting on it. I had reasons for every piece of hardware I purchased for this rig, including the PSU.



Kreij said:


> I disagree. If you buy a PSU that is rated higher than what you need, you will replace it far less often than other components.


It will also last longer if you don't stress it as hard.


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## mauriek (Jul 20, 2012)

Aquinus said:


> It will also last longer if you don't stress it as hard.



maybe the quality of our electricity from power company also contribute to kill a PSU? i have 4 broken PSU for the last 2 years, all the broken PSU are good brand and supposed to last longer, the last was my Seasonic 650, it run quite warm for month before it died. even my current Seasonic P860 are slight warm in my system. i use regular UPS with integrated AVR.

so Overkill? this is my most expensive PSU i can afford, i think i have no choice but to overkill to avoid changing PSU to often,


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## Aquinus (Jul 20, 2012)

mauriek said:


> so Overkill? this is my most expensive PSU i can afford, i think i have no choice but to overkill to avoid changing PSU to often,



I have a UPS on mine. Occasionally it will go off (switch to battery and internal transformer,) because of voltage fluctuation, but it's usually pretty stable. This is also over the course of many years that I've lost PSUs. I haven't in the last 3 years, when I was using a Corsair GS800. Worked well but since it wasn't modular, it made for a messy wiring job.


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## mauriek (Jul 20, 2012)

Aquinus said:


> ...it made for a messy wiring job.



So overkill is kinda different for each person need, and for some like me, we do not have much choice ( my UPS usually trigger 3-4 times/day), i bought the PSU knowing that it will be overkill when it comes to wattage but i hope not overkill in durability.

when talk about messy wiring, i use 12 HDD/SSD and 9 case fan, it was a 6 hours of fun nightmare to do the cable management the last time i change PSU and i don't want to go through that again soon, full modular is a great bonus.

Think carefully of our need and condition before decide to buy a PSU, sometime is unavoidable to be overkill.


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## Elmo (Jul 20, 2012)

Sitting down and eating popcorn.


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