Hi community, I'm looking on input, advice, criticism of a new PSU. So if you have the time and will, please help a fellow enthusiast out First of all, some background: Here's my current rig (also should be part of my visible profile under my nickname): CPU: i7 3770 3.4GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 3.90 GHz Monitor: Dell S2330MX, 23 inch Flat Panel, Ultra-Trim with LED RAM: 12GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHZ-2x2GB + 2x4GB GPU: AMD Radeon HD 7870 2GB DDR5 HDD: 2TB SATA 6Gb/s, 7200RPM CASE: XPS 8500, Black Chassis w/19:1 media card reader PSU: 460W ISSUE: Recently, when helping my brother upgrade his aging rig with new components (GPU and PSU), I noticed that my GPU (Radeon HD 7870) has minimum PSU requirements of 500W which was incongruent/mismatched with my default (DELL XPS 8500) PSU of 460W. Radeon HD 7870 System Requirements: http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/7000/7870/pages/radeon-7870.aspx#2 Relevant info: "500W (or greater) power supply with one 75W 6-pin PCI Express power connector recommended" Also, looking into the near future, "600W power supply (or greater) with four 75W 6-pin PCI Express power connectors recommended for AMD CrossFire™ technology" for CrossFire option. Why did DELL XPS 8500 ship the system and GPU, so clearly underpowered, with a PSU below the system requirements of the GPU included? Or did I mess up when building the rig on the DELL site? They should have at least somehow warned me of this incongruence and recommended me higher wattage PSU. ANYWAYS, I figured I needed at least a 650W (better yet 750W or 800/850) PSU upgrade for my rig. Here's some that I've found 650W, BRONZE certification, cheap at $80 FSP: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817104164 OCZ: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...kwCjCV1-CjCE&gclid=CNez6fGPnrQCFUQw4AodTjQAZw 750W, GOLD certification, $130 (my budget is under $150) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ogleNEW-_-Power+Supplies-_-Corsair-_-17139010 So, my questions to the community are the following: 1. Given the above information, what PSU would you recommend for my GPU and system? 2. Out of the three options I've found, am I searching in the right direction, in terms of features (wattage, certification, fan size, pins)? For example, certification is very important. There are many "cheap" but very unreliable companies like Kentek that offer 650W for $30 or $40, but PSU is very important. I don't want it to blow up inside my computer. I'd rather invest in such hardware because it is so vital. At the same time, I don't want my expensive, new PSU to fail to work to some misfit with Dell XPS 8500 system/case. 3. Lastly, but not least, is it pretty easy to install the new PSU into an existing case? I read that DELL XPS 8500 is not very expandable/improvable (not enough room). Is this the case? I could use some help actually installing these, if they don't come with a handy manual. Thank you very much for your time reading all that, Thank you in advance to any kind souls willing to help me out, Best regards, Nomadic AI 7
7870 doesn't consume much energy. 480W would be enough for your system, even if you stress your CPU and GPU at the same time. 500W min, doesn't really explains for what CPU it was mentioned. IMO, keep your current PSU. There no need for a stronger PSU, unless your system does heavy tasks 24/7 or you looking into adding new video card. Keep your current PSU, if system goes unstable, start considering new PSU, however I doubt PSU would be the cause.
Generally I wouldn't trust Dell's in-house psu. If I were you I'll get a Corsair gs 500w or any known brand such as seasonic, antec, cooler master etc if you want the cheaper options. Or you can go for Corsair hx750w psu which you have linked above. I used the hx750w before, great psu. Corsair hx750
If I had the money I would probably get a nice "future proof" high wattage 80+ PSU. Seasonic, XFX (which uses seasonic parts), Corsair, Antec and a few more are safe bets. Be sure to get a PSU with a single 12v rail, and with modular (detachable) cables. The problem with low quality PSUs is that they can potentially cause problems with your electrical system and toast your computer parts, which is not really nice lol. I wouldn't worry that much tbh if your PSU had more power, but at 460W it's running at pretty high stress considering it's some random PSU (Were it a high quality PSU you would be okay). Your choice either way, I would probably only get a new PSU if I started having problems or when I had the extra cash for a proper one which I can use for a few years with upgrades in mind.
Newegg has this seasonic X650 full modular for $104.99 with free shipping + a $15.00 rebate. Think the deals good for another 24 hours. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...121412-Index-_-PowerSupplies-_-17151088-L011C
Thanks for all the responses guys! Much appreciated. Yeah, I just don't know what manufacturer Dell used the 460W PSU and I don't trust Dell with such a choice. It seems misplaced, given the rest of the system energy demands, especially the high-end card I've custom added to my last rig. Oh snap! I missed that window of opportunity the X650 that ground_zero298 posted. It's allright, I kind of want to go with a somewhat "future-proof" PSU like the Corsair HX750W. It's both single 12V rail and full modular, it seems.
Thats a good power supply, but you can get much better deals than this. I just landed a Thermaltake Toughpower 675 80+ Bronze PSU for $59.99 shipped from Newegg on sale. Just keep your eyes out! Your current PSU doesn't sound like a safe bet for your setup to me.
Newegg has select corsairs on sale with promo code til the 23rd. Looks like $99 and free shipping for the 750 and a $15 rebate.
