Antec HCG-750 vs Silencer 760W

[Andy T]

I am picking up a power supply for my i5-2500K based system, with potential SLI (dual GTX 560Ti).
Right now, I have narrowed my search to either
Antec HCG 750W or the PC Power and Cooling Silencer 760W.
I am leaning a little toward Antec, although the Silencer is Silver rated. Any thoughts on which of the two may be better? Are there any other alternatives in the 700-750W range?
Ideally, I would like Corsair HX750 (CMPSU-750HX), but not sure if the price premium is justified.
Thanks!

 

[DesiPower]

Do you really need a 750W? I would a 600-620 should be enough... that being said I's stick with Antec,its a fairly reputed company and way cheaper!!

 

[BoomerD]

Depends on which PCP&C Silencer this is...

The Silencer 750 is Seasonic built
The Silencer MkII 750 is Sirfa/High Power built. (Not nearly as good IMO)

The Antec High Current Gamer 750 is a Delta build. Not bad...but IMO, not as good as a Seasonic build.

IMO, Corsair sells very good units and stands behind them.
For me, that makes it worth a small price premium.

Others to consider are XFX and SeaSonic. (yes, Seasonic build PSUs for other companies...and for themselves.)

Edit...fixed my error...

 

[pugh]

Do you really need a 750W? I would a 600-620 should be enough...

+1

 

[Slugbait]

Depends on which PCP&C Silencer this is...

It's a Seasonic: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4441/pc-power-cooling-silencer-760w-910w/1

Others to consider are XFX and SeaSonic. (yes, they both build PSUs for other companies...and for themselves.)

XFX doesn't build PSUs. A few of their models are made by Seasonic.

I's stick with Antec,its a fairly reputed company and way cheaper!!

After rebates are considered, yes, you'd save about $40 going with the Antec. But cheaper does not mean "better"...I'd save yet another $15, and go with this Seasonic 620W unit instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371048

 

[Anarchist420]

I thought the PC P&C silencer 750W was long discontinued.

Anyway, a 600W PSU won't be enough for 2 GTX 560 Tis if it doesn't have 4 PCI-E power connectors.

 

[DesiPower]

... After rebates are considered, yes, you'd save about $40 going with the Antec. But cheaper does not mean "better"...I'd save yet another $15, and go with this Seasonic 620W unit instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371048

I agree, but Antec is not bad, I have been using them for a long time with very little to no issues and moreover, that's why i asked OP, did he really want to go with 750+ watts... if not then there were many possibilities..

 

[BoomerD]

It's a Seasonic: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4441/pc-power-cooling-silencer-760w-910w/1XFX doesn't build PSUs. A few of their models are made by Seasonic.After rebates are considered, yes, you'd save about $40 going with the Antec. But cheaper does not mean "better"...I'd save yet another $15, and go with this Seasonic 620W unit instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371048

Yeah, sorry, I mis-spoke...SEASONIC builds power supplies for other companies AND for themselves. XFX is like most of the other companies...they buy re-badged power supplies to sell.

 

[Slugbait]

I agree, but Antec is not bad...

Still, imo Antecs made by Seasonic are better than Antecs made by Delta.

I thought the PC P&C silencer 750W was long discontinued.

The Seasonic, yes...the Sirfa, no. But it doesn't matter, OP is looking at the 760.

Anyway, a 600W PSU won't be enough for 2 GTX 560 Tis if it doesn't have 4 PCI-E power connectors

Agreed, so if OP actually does decide to go SLI, the unit I linked to won't cut it...in which case, I would go with the PP&C 760W.

 

[Andy T]

Thanks for the info. I think I am going to drop my requirements to 650W psu then. Does the Silver rating worth it over bronze?

 

[Slugbait]

Does the Silver rating worth it over bronze?

A Silver unit in the 600-700W range will cost a minimum of $50 more than the Bronze unit I linked above...I don't know if you'll be able to recoup the cost difference in power savings within the first year, but I doubt it, especially if you don't run 24/7. So in a word, no.

 

[BoomerD]

Thanks for the info. I think I am going to drop my requirements to 650W psu then. Does the Silver rating worth it over bronze?

IMO, no. The slight improvement in efficiency is nice...but if there's more than a minor difference in price, it'll never pay for itself.

 

[Andy T]

Thanks! One more question:
Is Corsair CMPSU-650TX worth the extra $25 over the Antec HCG-620?

 

[BoomerD]

Thanks! One more question:
Is Corsair CMPSU-650TX worth the extra $25 over the Antec HCG-620?

IMO, yes, if only because the Corsair has a 5 year warranty as compared to 3 years with the Antec.

 

[Slugbait]

IMO, yes, if only because the Corsair has a 5 year warranty as compared to 3 years with the Antec.

IMO, no. The HCG-620 is a newer design and has higher efficiency than the four-year-old Corsair. Definitely not worth $25 for two years more warranty. Also, check the Cons at newegg for the last 35 days of reviews: kinda scary.

 

[Andy T]

Agreed, so if OP actually does decide to go SLI, the unit I linked to won't cut it...in which case, I would go with the PP&C 760W.

Thanks for catching that! Would it be ok to use a molex to PCI-E adapter to get an extra 2 PCI-E connectors or is it better to get a PSU with four PCI-E connectors in place?
To go with the Antec theme, what about HCG-750 ?

 

[Patrick Wolf]

It's best not to use molex to PCie adapters, or so I've read.

 

[Slugbait]

To go with the Antec theme, what about HCG-750 ?

That's a Delta (all of their higher-wattage units are Delta). Has high-quality caps, but skimps on heatsinks.

If you're looking at price, there really aren't any *great* deals currently for the 600+ units, and deals for 700+ are currently meh. But those deals pop up every couple of months or so.

Personally, if I were buying today at less than $75 for an SLI rig, I'd go with this Seasonic-built unit: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817207014

 

[BrianTho2010]

Personally, if I were buying today at less than $75 for an SLI rig, I'd go with this Seasonic-built unit: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817207014

I second this decision. I saw this PSU but was not sure if it was Seasonic. Knowing now that it is Seasonic, I would go with it.

Personally, I do not like to overbuy on power supplies (as far as wattage) because when you do that the PSU is running at low effeciencies most of the time (low load) if you get a PSU that will run at 80%+ of max capacity while playing games then when at idle you should be running ~20% load which is the minimum load % that 80+ certifies.

I scoured NewEgg and found VERY few competitively priced Seasonic built PSU's that support 4xPEG connectors and below 750 watts.

FWIW, I did a little math and with your system you COULD even go as low as a 520 watt PSU depending on what kind of peripherals you are looking at. The only time a 520 watt would not cut the mustard is if you did LinX + AVX at the same time as you were running Furmark. Those two applications would put you into the 550+ watt territory.