Need a new PSU - any suggestions?

[Dark Light]

I am looking for a new PSU that will be able to last me for a good few years, since my current PSU doesn't seem to be working and has taken out 4 HDDs. I am looking for a PSU with high reliability, one that is quiet and one that will be able to power any reasonable system in the future, and of course modular.

I want the PSU to be able to power multiple systems, but my next system might be a Ivy Bridge 2700k, decent motherboard, GTX 680 4GB, 1 HDD and maybe 2 SDDs. In addition I want the PSU to be able to power higher end hardware such as Haswell-E.

And of course everything will be overclocked possibly by liquid cooling, so the PSU must be quiet.

My budget is upto £200 for a modular PSU, I am currently looking at the AX850, XFX 1000W and the Platimax PSUs, any suggestions?

[YahooElite]

Well if you are going high end at some point and may go SLI further down the road then i dont see a problem with getting the XFX.

Corsair or the XFX would be the better choices.

If i were you when you get the funds again id look at a UPS capable of handling whatever power supply you get. if your area is prone to power outages or spikes they can be a life saver.

[rotNdude]

I would probably opt for the XFX, but you may want to note the fan noise that is pointed out in this review.

The direct 80 Plus Platinum alternatives come from Seasonic, SuperFlower and Enermax. If you prefer to shop at Newegg, the Platinum 1000W from Seasonic is more expensive than the version from XFX. For the difference ($17 USD) customers get a better fan, 7 years warranty and a few extras such as cable ties and a bag for the unused cables.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5546/x...lus-platinum/6

[dosbox]

The Corsair AX is a rebadged Seasonic X, so you can't really go wrong with that choice.

[Dark Light]

Originally Posted by rotNdude

I would probably opt for the XFX, but you may want to note the fan noise that is pointed out in this review.



http://www.anandtech.com/show/5546/x...lus-platinum/6

If I remember correctly the XFX is very quiet, well at mid loads anyway.

[piggys]

Originally Posted by dosbox

The Corsair AX is a rebadged Seasonic X, so you can't really go wrong with that choice.

XFX are made by Seasonic.

[borg_7_of_9]

I have the AX850 it's dame quiet, so quiet Im not sure the fan is working

Not sure what XFX are offering on warranty but the AX850 has 7 years witch is dame good and I doubt you will ever need all 850W unless you plan on Quad CFX/SLi with some older power hungry cards and CPU...

[dosbox]

Originally Posted by piggys

XFX are made by Seasonic.

Yes, but the design is not as good as the X series. As borg noted, the fan doesn't even spin up under low loads (<250W), which is where most computers will spend the majority of their time.

[madpistol]

The AX850 sounds like the winner in this. On top of that, if you decided to add another GTX 680 down the road, it could easily power 2 GTX 680's.

[Dark Light]

Originally Posted by madpistol

The AX850 sounds like the winner in this. On top of that, if you decided to add another GTX 680 down the road, it could easily power 2 GTX 680's.

But could it run higher powered GTX cards, what if the GTX 780 was 250W. Then what if I SLIed and OCed two GTX 780 with high end liquid cooling with a OCed Haswell-E?

[dosbox]

Originally Posted by Dark Light

But could it run higher powered GTX cards, what if the GTX 780 was 250W. Then what if I SLIed and OCed two GTX 780 with high end liquid cooling with a OCed Haswell-E?

Given the jump from a single GTX 680 to a pair of 780's, I wonder if you're actually looking for advice, or just want people to support a decision you've already made.

Assuming the former:

a) wait until the GTX 780 comes out to see what power draw looks like
b) there is a 1200W version of the Corsair AX, or a 1050W version of the Seasonic

Both would be WAAAAAY overkill for a single GPU system, no matter how heavily overclocked.

[Dark Light]

Originally Posted by dosbox

Given the jump from a single GTX 680 to a pair of 780's, I wonder if you're actually looking for advice, or just want people to support a decision you've already made.

Assuming the former:

a) wait until the GTX 780 comes out to see what power draw looks like
b) there is a 1200W version of the Corsair AX, or a 1050W version of the Seasonic

Both would be WAAAAAY overkill for a single GPU system, no matter how heavily overclocked.

I haven’t made a decision, I just don't want to be in a situation where I don't have enough power. If you look at the way cards are going you can see that the TDP is increasing not decreasing.

Comparing the highest TDP single card per series.
171W - 8800GTX
236W
250W
244W
250W - HD 7970

It is very possible that a card in a few years time could use 300W or even 350W.

[rotNdude]

If you are that worried about power being an issue, I would buy a case that can support two PSUs.

[madpistol]

Originally Posted by Dark Light

But could it run higher powered GTX cards, what if the GTX 780 was 250W. Then what if I SLIed and OCed two GTX 780 with high end liquid cooling with a OCed Haswell-E?

850-watts should handle that. If you're worried, get the AX1000 model.

[Dark Light]

About the AX850: would the AX850 have enough connectors and would those connectors be able to power everything, for example two high end cards and a high end liquid cooling system?