PSU Question

[Asianyeti]

Will Newegg.com - Recertified: SeaSonic OB-S12 Energy Plus SS-550HT 550W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Open Box

run

E8400 (non OC)
Newegg.com - ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards
a 9800GTX OC

4GB crucial ram

That is not the psu i have or am going to have, its just a step under the one i have, i just cant remember mine cause its in the shop, cause my comp is peice of ****.

Was wondering so i could know if i needed to buy a better PSU

 

[philbar71]

go with this one instead. it's much better.


Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Power Supplies

 

[Luke]

A 380 earth watts would also be a fine choice.

 

[zmatt]

IMO, those earthwatts psus are over rated. They are good quality and a great value but I have seen their capabilities greatly overstated on tech forums. If you plan on running a powerful video card then i would recommend the 550vx. I have one and I am running 2 4850's in crossfire and an overclock e7200 with no issues.

 

[Ethan_Kaizer]

IMO, those earthwatts psus are over rated. They are good quality and a great value but I have seen their capabilities greatly overstated on tech forums. If you plan on running a powerful video card then i would recommend the 550vx. I have one and I am running 2 4850's in crossfire and an overclock e7200 with no issues.

I agree there. Though an Earthwatts may be able to handle it, the power supply will be stressed a good amount of the time, and that's not a good idea. The 550vx is an excellent choice.

 

[kmote]

Seasonic make great PSUs and the SS-550HT is one of Ste's picks.

 

[Luke]

IMO, those earthwatts psus are over rated. They are good quality and a great value but I have seen their capabilities greatly overstated on tech forums. If you plan on running a powerful video card then i would recommend the 550vx. I have one and I am running 2 4850's in crossfire and an overclock e7200 with no issues.

I agree there. Though an Earthwatts may be able to handle it, the power supply will be stressed a good amount of the time, and that's not a good idea. The 550vx is an excellent choice.

Well for one he is not running a higher end video card. Also it is not meant to be a future proof choice it is meant to be a cheap and quality psu that is capable of powering his system. Also i have seen several people power sli systems or higher end video cards with the 380 earth watts (including tech-forums RicanFlow)

It could easily power a single 9800gtx with out stressing the psu too much...it would be fine to run a system like that.

 

[zmatt]

Seasonic make great PSUs and the SS-550HT is one of Ste's picks.

They are good quality. But look at the specs on it. 4 12v rails. That will be obnoxious to setup. All of the load balancing. It really limits you in a way.

Well for one he is not running a higher end video card. Also it is not meant to be a future proof choice it is meant to be a cheap and quality psu that is capable of powering his system. Also i have seen several people power sli systems or higher end video cards with the 380 earth watts (including tech-forums RicanFlow)

This is true but I was trying to keep future use in mind. I think its a good thing if we recommend him parts that he wont necessarily have to replace next time he builds.

 

[Luke]

^well obviously if he is going to upgrade in the future, or use the psu for his next build he should think ahead and id probably go for a 520hx (i like modular a lot)...but other then that a 380 earth watts would be an ideal bang for buck.

 

[zmatt]

modular psu's are very polarizing, some like the features, but others think its a waste of money, you pay more for less power. I have never dealt with one but I don't see an outstanding need for a modular psu. You can take care of that with smart wire management. In general we don't recommend them here that often unless the OP explicitly says they want one.