How Do I Pick Out A Safe/Stable/Reliable PSU?

My Problem
My Thermaltake ToughPower 750w PSU has died. I have purchased cheap generic PSU's in the past and my systems rarely lasted over a year. With the ToughPower I was running safely for four years. How do I go about finding a replacement? I'm in a rush and I'm hoping to find the best bang for my buck. But I don't want to risk damage to my system by buying an inferior product.

My Questions
I'm curious if I should take the time to do serious research on the subject before making a purchase or if you fine folks would like to make a suggestion or two? If I should research, what kind of stuff would be important in making this purchase? I knew my stuff on the subject four years ago but these days it is all a bit too foggy :cry:

I'm not sure exactly what wattage I truly need so I used the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator Pro v2.5. Click the image to see the full page of settings used for my calculation.

 

reliability vs cost..(watts)
Typically a good psu cost the same no matter what the brand.

Australian prices (good 700+ watts) $200+

things to look at

1) (avoid cheaper model . 120$ vs 200$ sim watts, )

2) ver 2.3 specs

3) multi rail/ single rail, single rail worst as it harder to maintain specs on it(higher failure rate) (within 5% power specs.)
note some psu high amps single can trip motherboards safety features, asus+silverstone psu

4) 2 video cards, 8+8 pin video card power(per card)

5) extra power safety features.

6) quit psu, many psu are not quiet under load, check out reviews, forumns
some will prefer to run psu at full speed(fan) when at 70% psu usage to cool psu down more

7)evermax safe cards( 7+3 power protection cirty), things like overvoltage, under voltage, shorts, thermal overload, polarity reversal, psu failure etc

8. typ a psu runs at 80+ 100 dec cel, but time failure times are tested at 25d cel(say doggy), so take it time between failure and chop it in half or less

9, get a bigger psu than you need, typ 20% more

need 700wats, get a 800+

2 reasons. a) more engey effecity as less usage, b) runns quiter/cooler


example

coolmaster range

(standard psu) has less safety features (out of 7 avaliable-(8 battery))





CoolerMaster eXtreme Power Plus 700W

The CM Extreme series pack a powerful punch delivering stable streams of power through dual 6+2pin PCI-E outputs. High efficiency and a life-time of 100,000 hours. Backed by a 2 year warranty.
$89.00

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_220&products_id=14857

last short time 1-2 years avg load(500wats usage)

tested at 100000 hours(but at 25 d cel, more like 25000 hours before failure avg

but below is better





CoolerMaster Silent Pro Gold 800W

$196.00
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_220&products_id=14862


Like i said typicall simular psu range(700-800w) cost same(high end) vs cheaper model..

my psu is Enermax(top of the range)

1250w sli
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=15_290

recommend

Enermax NAXN 850W Modular 82+

enermax make their own psu except 1.

$189.00
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_290&products_id=16689



evermax started to make a budget model, it ok, but i dont know how long it will last(iv put 1 in system 6 months ago). they dont makes this model, it the same as the coolmaster silent 600w from same msker(rebadge)

Enermax NAXN 600W 80+

The Enermax NAXN 600W features an 80 Plus efficiency rating and an ultra silent 120mm PWM fan. This PSU also features HeatGuard which forces the cooling fan to run for 30-60 seconds after the system has been powered off. This assists in dissipating the remaining system heat...
$99.00

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Enermax-NAXN-80+-600-W-Power-Supply-Review/1309

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/page/power
goods reviews from this place

 

You could buy the one i am using, Corsair GS600 80Plus. Its got a 3 year warranty as well. If you plan to upgrade later you could also buy the 800w version.

 

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Enermax-MODU87+-700-W-Power-Supply-Review/900

 

How much money are you going to spend on it? What wattage do you need? What features do you need (modular cables, high efficiency, silence, etc.)?

 

I'm not sure exactly what wattage I truly need so I used the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator Pro v2.5. Click the image to see the full page of settings used for my calculation.


Modular cables are a big plus but not a deal breaker. High efficiency would also be a big plus but due to system temps I think I could easily cope with the extra heat output of a low efficiency PSU. As far as noise goes, moderately noisy is fine as long as the sound it makes doesn't sound vibrational/high pitched or other insanity invoking sounds. I would say my previous ToughPower 750w was pretty quiet beyond the sound of the fan running inside pushing plenty of air. The fan itself wasn't noisy as far as I could tell.

Given a tight financial situation I would like to spend around $100 if possible but am willing to go as high as $200.
I commented on the features noted above but am not sure what other factors there might be to consider. If I have missed anything, please let me know.

 

Get atleast a 750w for peace of mind and future upgradeability. I'd pay the extra $20-30 for the better quality and customer support you get from corsair. I'd recommend this:

for under $100.

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W $95 after MIR

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021



and for that extra peace of mind


CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX850 V2 $125 after MIR

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139022

 

In a nutshell, here's how I pick a PSU.

1. Brand

Tier 1: Seasonic and its derivatives (all XFX, some Antec PSUs and some Corsair PSUs), as well as other Antec and Corsair PSUs.
Tier 2: Enermax, PC Power and Cooling, Silverstone, some OCZ and Thermaltake units (could be some others too that fit this category)

Anything else I don't even bother with, because either they cost the same but are worse than the above, or they cost much less by sacrificing too much quality.

2. How many watts do I need?

1. Google the TDP of your CPU, and add your % overclock to that TDP (+ some more if you increased voltage).
2. Check the power consumption of the GPU or GPUs you will use (manufacturer website or reviews; Guru3D is a good source). More watts if you OC.
3. 50W for everything else on an average system, 100W with a more high end motherboard, additional expansion cards, or many HDDs and fans and lights and so on.

Add these together. This way you arrive at a rough estimate of the power consumption that's the absolute max you'll reach in any highly demanding game. This number should be optimally around 60-70% of the rated wattage of the PSU, and at most around 80%. E.g. an average system of i7-2400 at and a GTX 570 at stock clocks this is about 345W, so a 500W PSU is optimal, but even a quality 430W PSU would get by (provided it has a strong +12V rail).

How much is acceptable is dependent of course on the quality of your PSU, and the total wattage rating of its +12V rail. Remember to check the specs and read the reviews especially if considering a Tier 2 brand.

3. How much am I willing to pay?

After the above calculations, you arrive at a range of choices from the mentioned manufacturers, some quite cheap, some quite expensive. All of the choices should already have the adequate wattage rating and high power quality. By paying more, you can get even higher power quality, higher efficiency rating, semi-modularity or modularity, better looks, and longer warranty.

4. Other considerations

Does the PSU need to be extra quiet? Does it need to have extra long cables? How many PCI-e connectors do I need?

 

XFX Pro XXX Edition 750W - 99.99$ after MIR. Great quality, performance, value, 5 year warranty, silent, modular, 80+ Silver eff. Simply put, bang 4 buck winner.

Review http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=184

 

Just stick with reputable brands, Seasonic, Channel-well, corsair, antec, etc. Lower quality is usually OCZ, thermaltake, and a few others which are still better than generic

 

last few posts are giving bad information i'm afraid.


The psu brands don't mean much, which is why you need to read the reviews to find out who 'manufactured' the psu.

There are mostly 3 main names to look out for, seasonic, channel well (CWT) and fsp.

Seasonic manufactures under it's own name and for other brands such as some corsair psus. Channel well is amongst the most popular and manufactures most Corsair/thermatake toughpower series psu's and fsp manufactures for a very large number of suppiers.

For e.g my thermaltake toughpower 850w is the same as the corsair HX 850w as they are both manufactured by channel well.

 

Not sure if I omitted any brands that use the above OEMs, and if I did, that's what the part "could be some others too that fit this category" was for

Also, Delta should be in that list IMO; and Enermax and PCP&C make their own PSUs

 

You are not using the calculator right in the first place. No need to add 35% cap aging. That is nonesense. Also you don't need to select high-end desktop either.

 

Here are new results. Are these proper? I changed High End Desktop to Regular and Cap aging is now at 20%. Again just click the image full settings used for calculation.

 

Yes that is more realistic. Also bare in mind this calculator is calculating a 90% system load which almost never happends in normal use. The only time 90% usually happends is extreme stress-testing. Go buy the PSU I have in my system specs and you'll be fine problem-free!

 

Is that the EA500D? It's $65 at newegg atm. If I may suggest an alternative, the PC Power & Cooling 550W is only $45 after rebate and promo code.

 

Yep, brand name dont matter, its who makes the PSUs. My TT is a Channel-well too. Although I do believe some TTs back in the day were cheaper, lesser quality makes. The 750w XFX and Corsair mentioned above I believe are are the same PSU (Seasonic), just with diff name plates.

 

Not sure if it is a "D" but this is mine:

 

Yeah I agree get the Corsair Enthusiast Series TX750 80 PLUS BRONZE CERTIFIED. This is what I upgraded to like 2 weeks ago and it's a reallly good reliable and enough power for awhile to come.

 

I did some searching and came across this thread on another forum (pics and good reading start at post #22. According to a self described Antec rep the D doesn't stand for anything specific, it's simply an internal version number. However, one of the folks there purchased one and took it apart to find the PSU is not made by SeaSonic like the EA500, but by Delta. It uses inferior components and I was unable to find a review of this unit (like everyone else in the thread linked). I'm having trouble finding the EA500 anywhere online. All seem to be the EA500D.