PSU advice please.

[Iceni]

Hey,

I'm looking into a PSU upgrade for Christmas. It needs to be capable for my next upgrade cycle not just the current hardware I have.

My current system is:
R5 3600,
16GB DDR4
x570 motherboard.
7900 GRE
2x SSD's.

8 case fans with lighting.

My next upgrade hasn't been decided yet, but it will be a CPU, Motherboard, Ram upgrade. I'm not sure what power level I'll be looking at for those probably an i5/r5 of the newest generation at the time of the upgrade.


This model has caught my eye in the sales.

Seasonic Focus 850W. I think it's a 1st gen construction and comes in at £90

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/850w-seasonic-focus-gx-850-80plus-gold-single-rail-fully-modular-quiet-70a-120mm-fan-atx-psu

Will I be missing out on new features if I go with that one over the newer models.

The Seasonic forus 850W ATX3.0 £130
And the Seasonic focus 850W ATX 3.1 spec at £140

As for as I can work out the difference is the 12VHPWR connector that can be adapted into from regular PCIe connectors.

If that's right am I also right in thinking the £90 basic Seasonic Focus 850W is the correct model to get. And keep the saving.

 

[eidairaman1]

Hey,

I'm looking into a PSU upgrade for Christmas. It needs to be capable for my next upgrade cycle not just the current hardware I have.

My current system is:
R5 3600,
16GB DDR4
x570 motherboard.
7900 GRE
2x SSD's.

8 case fans with lighting.

My next upgrade hasn't been decided yet, but it will be a CPU, Motherboard, Ram upgrade. I'm not sure what power level I'll be looking at for those probably an i5/r5 of the newest generation at the time of the upgrade.


This model has caught my eye in the sales.

Seasonic Focus 850W. I think it's a 1st gen construction and comes in at £90

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/850w-seasonic-focus-gx-850-80plus-gold-single-rail-fully-modular-quiet-70a-120mm-fan-atx-psu

Will I be missing out on new features if I go with that one over the newer models.

The Seasonic forus 850W ATX3.0 £130
And the Seasonic focus 850W ATX 3.1 spec at £140

As for as I can work out the difference is the 12VHPWR connector that can be adapted into from regular PCIe connectors.

If that's right am I also right in thinking the £90 basic Seasonic Focus 850W is the correct model to get. And keep the saving.

Just go atx 3.0 spec and not atx 2.3

 

[Bill_Bright]

My next upgrade hasn't been decided yet, but it will be a CPU, Motherboard, Ram upgrade. I'm not sure what power level I'll be looking

Then wait until you do know.

It makes no sense to buy now if you don't actually need to replace a failed PSU now. For all you know, it is possible your next motherboard, or perhaps an upgraded graphics card will require a new power connection not yet supported on current PSUs.

I also note your 750W supply is considerably bigger than your current hardware needs. You could easily get by with a nice 650W. The next generation motherboard, DDR5 RAM and perhaps even the next i5/r5 CPU may even be less thirsty. This means you might be able to buy an even higher quality 650W next time around for the same money as that 850W.

Plus, life has a habit of getting in the way of the best laid plans. You say you need this new PSU to support you for your "next upgrade cycle". No one here knows what that even means. Is that in 6 months? A year? What if your car breaks down, you or a loved one becomes ill, or some other unexpected expense delays your next upgrade for even longer? You could end up with an obsolete, superseded, outdated PSU before you even buy the new hardware - not to mention used up some valuable warranty time.

No. You need to wait until actually know what your power requirements will be.

 

[Bill_Bright]

basicly he have a really nice system only the cpu needs an upgrade in the future for some 5700x3d

Huh? He said he will be looking at an "i5/r5 of the newest generation at the time of the upgrade"

The 5700x3d is a Ryzen 7 not r5 and Zen 3 processor - hardly the latest.

Zen 5 generation CPUs are out now with Zen 6 expected in 2025. Why go back 2 or 3 generations? That makes no sense.

Sorry TimmyT but it is clear you don't know what he "needs". None of us do. But also, what people want and what they need very often are two totally different things.

 

[Bill_Bright]

he need atx 3.1 or 3.1 psu with min 850 watt

No! You still don't know what size PSU he needs. Regardless, with an i5 or r5, it is highly unlikely he will "need" 750W, let alone 850W minimum. Please stop guessing. It can lead to bad advise.

NO ONE knows or will know what size PSU he will need until we know what hardware he will be buying.

And my apologies for misspelling you name. My fingers often don't do what they are told.

 

[TommyT]

yea you are right. so i just read in forum from now

no replay to no one no more buddy

 

[Iceni]

Just go atx 3.0 spec and not atx 2.3

I've been looking into this and ATX 3.0 is DOA isn't it? With 3.1 already re-writing the spec from Nvidia's 12VHPWR connector to the newer 12V-2x6 connector. That uses the same form factor but with longer sense pins for the PSU/GPU communication connectors.

No More 12VHPWR Connector! Say hi to 12V-2×6 - Hardware Busters

Hardware Busters - No More 12VHPWR Connector! Say hi to 12V-2×6 - News

hwbusters.com

It would make a bit more sense to the model revisions from Seasonic TBF.

GX-850 is PCIe 8/6 - 3 cables 2 connectors on each for 6 connectors.

GX-850-ATX3.0 is PCIe 8/6 - 3 cables 1 connector for 3 connectors + 12VHPWR x1 connector.

GX-850-ATX3.1 (2024) is PCIe 8/6 - 3 cables 1 connector for 3 connectors + 12V-2x6 x1 connector.

Each one of the PSU's is capable of 70A@12V over the common rail (840W). The newer spec has better spike mitigation, but I'll be over spec anyway so spikes shouldn't be an issue on the 7900 GRE.

It makes no sense to buy now if you don't actually need to replace a failed PSU now. For all you know, it is possible your next motherboard, or perhaps an upgraded graphics card will require a new power connection not yet supported on current PSUs.

I think your right... Means I'm going to have to find another Christmas present for the missus to get me.

I figured I'd be looking at the future, but I think you are correct there as well. I'm on a 65W chip, and I don't think I would really want to add much more to that, I've don't my time overclocking, and messing about. I just want stability now. Provided I'm sensible when the upgrade cycle happens I can make a decision about the PSU at that point.

 

[Bill_Bright]

I've been looking into this and ATX 3.0 is DOA isn't it?

No, it is not DOA, but it is heading to the "legacy" hardware graveyard. If all you needed was a replacement PSU to support current hardware, ATX 3.0 would be fine. But you have made it clear you want your new PSU to support future upgrades. So in that scenario, it is always better to prepare, and buy for the future rather than unneeded legacy support.

With that said, I am confused by your recent comments. You [correctly so] are concerned about ATX 3.0 becoming obsolete and 3.1 being the new standard. So why did you list the GX-850-ATX3.0 with its 12VHPWR x1 connector?

In any case, it is still premature to decide on a new PSU now, before you have selected your new components. And if looking at 65W CPUs, 850W is still WAY overkill.

I just want stability now.

What does that mean? Is your system unstable now? Are you experiencing sudden, unexplained lockups, shutdowns, and reboots now?

If not...

Provided I'm sensible when the upgrade cycle happens I can make a decision about the PSU at that point.

...that makes sense.

 

[dirtyferret]

I've been looking into this and ATX 3.0 is DOA isn't it?

hardly dead (on top of what Bill already said), in fact you are better off with a better built ATX 3.0 than a ATX 3.1 that's not as good and since brands are looking to clear out their ATX 3.0 stock you can find some good deals on them

Should I get an ATX v3.1 PSU, or will an ATX v3.0 be fine? Everything you need to know! - Hardware Busters

Hardware Busters - Should I get an ATX v3.1 PSU, or will an ATX v3.0 be fine? Everything you need to know! - Quick Tips

hwbusters.com

 

[eidairaman1]

I've been looking into this and ATX 3.0 is DOA isn't it? With 3.1 already re-writing the spec from Nvidia's 12VHPWR connector to the newer 12V-2x6 connector. That uses the same form factor but with longer sense pins for the PSU/GPU communication connectors.

No More 12VHPWR Connector! Say hi to 12V-2×6 - Hardware Busters

Hardware Busters - No More 12VHPWR Connector! Say hi to 12V-2×6 - News

hwbusters.com

It would make a bit more sense to the model revisions from Seasonic TBF.

GX-850 is PCIe 8/6 - 3 cables 2 connectors on each for 6 connectors.

GX-850-ATX3.0 is PCIe 8/6 - 3 cables 1 connector for 3 connectors + 12VHPWR x1 connector.

GX-850-ATX3.1 (2024) is PCIe 8/6 - 3 cables 1 connector for 3 connectors + 12V-2x6 x1 connector.

Each one of the PSU's is capable of 70A@12V over the common rail (840W). The newer spec has better spike mitigation, but I'll be over spec anyway so spikes shouldn't be an issue on the 7900 GRE.



I think your right... Means I'm going to have to find another Christmas present for the missus to get me.

I figured I'd be looking at the future, but I think you are correct there as well. I'm on a 65W chip, and I don't think I would really want to add much more to that, I've don't my time overclocking, and messing about. I just want stability now. Provided I'm sensible when the upgrade cycle happens I can make a decision about the PSU at that point.

Ya know if you worry and wait too long you will never get a replacement psu, so just pick 1 and use it, you can always swap it later.

 

[Iceni]

No, it is not DOA, but it is heading to the "legacy" hardware graveyard

So why did you list the GX-850-ATX3.0

I listed that one as it's still on sale here.

The basic one is £90, 3.0 is £130, 3.1 is £140. For the same family and power output.

What does that mean? Is your system unstable now?

Mines fine but I'm also running a 100% stock computer now. I'm too lazy to want an overclocked machine, And I got rid of my water-cooling earlier in the year for the same reason. I just want to push the button and it's quiet. My son's less so. He's already expressed an interest in my old psu should I upgrade! I think he picked up some really cheap POS PSU earlier in the year.

Ya know if you worry and wait too long you will never get a replacement psu, so just pick 1 and use it, you can always swap it later.

I'm always glad I ask. You guys keep up to date on this stuff. I wouldn't of known about the ATX pin out revisions without asking. I always feel it's better to be wrong and re-educated, than to just be plain wrong

 

[Bill_Bright]

I'm too lazy to want an overclocked machine

Being lazy or not has nothing to do with the desire to overclock or not. I don't overclock because I don't see the challenge or value in it anymore. There's essentially no risk. You change a menu setting. If it doesn't work, you change it back. Big deal. And computers are so quick anyway these days, it is highly unlikely the vast majority of users can actually "see" any real changes, except on benchmark scores - or from the placebo effect.

Back in the day, to overclock you had to physically cut motherboard circuit traces and solder in jumpers - totally destroying any warranty. That was a scary challenging adrenaline rush. Today? Meh.

I just want to push the button and it's quiet.

Nothing wrong with that.

That said, nothing wrong with seeking bragging rights - as long as one understands those rights will not let them pay their bills, shop Amazon, update social media, stream music or video, type or click a mouse button any faster.

 

[eidairaman1]

I listed that one as it's still on sale here.

The basic one is £90, 3.0 is £130, 3.1 is £140. For the same family and power output.



Mines fine but I'm also running a 100% stock computer now. I'm too lazy to want an overclocked machine, And I got rid of my water-cooling earlier in the year for the same reason. I just want to push the button and it's quiet. My son's less so. He's already expressed an interest in my old psu should I upgrade! I think he picked up some really cheap POS PSU earlier in the year.



I'm always glad I ask. You guys keep up to date on this stuff. I wouldn't of known about the ATX pin out revisions without asking. I always feel it's better to be wrong and re-educated, than to just be plain wrong

Yeah, so have you found 1?