Corsair TX650W or PCP&C 750W?

[Trizzay]

I am looking to get a new power supply for my new gaming rig. This is what I'll be running:

E8400
Gigabyte EP45-UD3R
4 GB G.Skill DDR2 1066
2 x WD Caviar Black 500gb SATA HD's
Geforce 9800 GX2

I'm getting the GX2 from a friend of mine for a great price ($50). Now from what I've read these are very power hungry cards. Would I be ok with the Corsair 650, or do I need to get the PC Power and Cooling 750W to be safe? Unfortunately the local shop I'm buying from doesn't have the Corsair 750, so that's not really an option. Thanks!

 

[disports]

Either one is fine.

 

[mpilchfamily]

Flip a coin. Can't go wrong either way. But i would lean towards the Corsair.

 

[BoomerD]

I have the Corsair 650HX modular PSU and have zero complaints. VERY stable power, VERY quiet.

 

[Kelvrick]

Originally posted by: mpilchfamily
Flip a coin. Can't go wrong either way. But i would lean towards the Corsair.

Care to elaborate? I'm not that knowledgeable, but these are both very good brands and neither offers much that the other doesn't. Neither is modular, although the corsair has a larger fan in it.

Since they're both quality supplies, you'll get your 80%, so I'd think 80% of 750 is better than 80% of 650.

 

[HOOfan 1]

Originally posted by: Kelvrick

Since they're both quality supplies, you'll get your 80%, so I'd think 80% of 750 is better than 80% of 650.

what? Are you talking about 80% efficiency?

Efficiency is based on how much AC power the unit pulls from the wall versus how much DC power it puts out. So if bother units were exactly 80% efficient, they would be pulling exactly the same amount of power from the wall at all power outputs.

 

[OCNewbie]

The PCP&C has the PCIe connectors (and enough power) to push 2 GTX 260/280/HD4870 type cards in SLI, whereas the 650w does not have enough connectors I believe.

Newegg has the PCP&C 750w on sale now for $79.99 after MIR and ZipZoomFly has it for $68.99 after rebate I believe.

Only 2 negatives I've heard about the PCP&C 750w is that it can get a tad loud at higher loads and the cables aren't that long.

 

[NoShangriLa]

What is the total power drawn from your current set up on the PS at peak & normal operation, and what is the power drawn for the new setup?

Add the total MB ++ peripherals Wattage and it should stay below the rated W of PS.

 

[Kelvrick]

Originally posted by: HOOfan 1

Originally posted by: Kelvrick

Since they're both quality supplies, you'll get your 80%, so I'd think 80% of 750 is better than 80% of 650.

what? Are you talking about 80% efficiency?

Efficiency is based on how much AC power the unit pulls from the wall versus how much DC power it puts out. So if bother units were exactly 80% efficient, they would be pulling exactly the same amount of power from the wall at all power outputs.

Umm, yea. But the pcp&c can pull 80% of 750, or up to 750, or 600 watts for your components. The corsair will be doing 80% of 650, or 520.

 

[OCNewbie]

No, that's not how efficiency works. If you have a 600w PSU that is 50% efficient, then you will need to pull 1200w AC power from the wall outlet in order to get 600w DC for your computer components. If your 600w PSU is 80% efficient then it will only pull 750w from the wall outlet. Efficiency just means how "efficiently" the PSU uses AC power.

If the PCP&C PSU is 80% efficient at max load (or 750w DC) then it is pulling appox 938w of AC power from the wall outlet, thereby wasting almost 200w in the conversion (of AC to DC power).

At least that's how I have come to understand things.

 

[Kelvrick]

Originally posted by: OCNewbie
No, that's not how efficiency works. If you have a 600w PSU that is 50% efficient, then you will need to pull 1200w AC power from the wall outlet in order to get 600w DC for your computer components. If your 600w PSU is 80% efficient then it will only pull 750w from the wall outlet. Efficiency just means how "efficiently" the PSU uses AC power.

If the PCP&C PSU is 80% efficient at max load (or 750w DC) then it is pulling appox 938w of AC power from the wall outlet, thereby wasting almost 200w in the conversion (of AC to DC power).

At least that's how I have come to understand things.

I can see that point of view as well... In the end though, that still means the pcp&c can provide up 750 while the corsair can provide up to 650?

I need jonny guru

 

[NoShangriLa]

Originally posted by: Kelvrick

Originally posted by: OCNewbie
No, that's not how efficiency works. If you have a 600w PSU that is 50% efficient, then you will need to pull 1200w AC power from the wall outlet in order to get 600w DC for your computer components. If your 600w PSU is 80% efficient then it will only pull 750w from the wall outlet. Efficiency just means how "efficiently" the PSU uses AC power.

If the PCP&C PSU is 80% efficient at max load (or 750w DC) then it is pulling appox 938w of AC power from the wall outlet, thereby wasting almost 200w in the conversion (of AC to DC power).

At least that's how I have come to understand things.

I can see that point of view as well... In the end though, that still means the pcp&c can provide up 750 while the corsair can provide up to 650?

I need jonny guru

True that PSU can only support up the the power that they can, however not all are rated the same.

And, I believe that you are confused between power input : outpower vs. the 80% rated of efficiency at operating temperature of PSU.

If manufactures all use standard guideline then most PSU should be able to provide at least 25-30% more power (peak power) than continuous. Another factor that you have to keep in mind is the life expectancy rating (total working hours of part before failure, Mean Time Between Failure) of the PSU, because one manufacture may rate their PSU for 100,000 hours and the other may rate their at 200,000 operation hours, etc...

It is not easy to determine what the efficiency drop to lost of PSU MTBF due to different quality of parts/insulations. Some PSU may have an additional 40-60% more headroom than rated continuous power, however it doesn't mean that they are better parts, but it is a technique that manufactures use to meet the MTBF requirement (similar to Intel/AMD rating/derating of HZ in the same family of CPU). Running the parts at lower usage translate to lower temperature therefor extend the working life of the PSU.

Arm with the above information one can make a more educated decision on what PSU to purchase for the intended hardware, and another factor in the decision is how long the PSU going to require to be in service for.

PS. Keep the PSU and the rest of the hardware clear of dust and well ventilated to minimize over heat/early failure.

 

[HOOfan 1]

Originally posted by: Kelvrick


I can see that point of view as well... In the end though, that still means the pcp&c can provide up 750 while the corsair can provide up to 650?

I need jonny guru

and the Antec SG-850 can provide 850W and the Silverstone ZM1200M can provide 1200W...but that still has nothing to do with efficiency.

The point is either of those PSUs are completely fine for the OP's system and both of them demonstrate similar build quality (both made by Seasonic). From there the OP just needs to decide which is priced better for him or whether he wants a large 120MM fan or a 80MM fan. Also as NoShangriLa pointed out there are different ways companies can rate a power supply.

 

[BoboKatt]

If I might add, I have both these exact same two PS.. in my different systems. Consider at least that the PC&C 750 is louder than my Corsair. Not sure if that is a concern. I can actually "hear" my PC&C whereas I simply cannot hear my Corsair and both are running systems about the same specs.

my 2c worth.

 

[magreen]

Just to make the point that HOOfan already said abundantly clear: the psu's max wattage rating tells how much dc power it can actually supply to your computer's components. How much AC power it draws from the wall to produce a given amount of DC power for your computer is called its efficiency rating. For example, if your computer components draw 80W of dc power and the psu pulls 100W of AC electricity from the wall to supply it, that's 80% efficient (for that particular 80W load).

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: BoboKatt
If I might add, I have both these exact same two PS.. in my different systems. Consider at least that the PC&C 750 is louder than my Corsair. Not sure if that is a concern. I can actually "hear" my PC&C whereas I simply cannot hear my Corsair and both are running systems about the same specs.

my 2c worth.

rofl........of course but XX number of years down the line I know for sure the PCP&C will still be running strong!

 

[OCNewbie]

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda

Originally posted by: BoboKatt
If I might add, I have both these exact same two PS.. in my different systems. Consider at least that the PC&C 750 is louder than my Corsair. Not sure if that is a concern. I can actually "hear" my PC&C whereas I simply cannot hear my Corsair and both are running systems about the same specs.

my 2c worth.

rofl........of course but XX number of years down the line I know for sure the PCP&C will still be running strong!

ROFLdotdotdot Yes, and so should the Corsair just at a lower audible volume (just like day #1 when you get them).

 

[MihiAir]

I'm also deciding on the two. On Newegg the CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W is selling for $99.99 with $20 rebate is $79.99 and on Amazon the PC Power and Cooling S75CF Silencer 750W Quad Power Supply is selling for $99.99 with $35 rebate is $64.99 and free shipping/tax free. So the PC Power and Cooling PSU is the better deal?

 

[OCNewbie]

It's definitely a better deal. The 2 not-so-great things I've heard about the PCP&C 750w is that at higher loads the single fan can get a tad noticeable (sound-wise) and the cables aren't all that long. Probably depends on how many fans or how much noise in general your PC outputs when it comes to hearing the PSU fan or not.

 

[Jessica69]

Both are quite good power supplies......PCP&C uses a higher speed 80mm fan for cooling, the Corsair a 120mm, slower turning fan. (As we all are quite aware of the fact a larger, slower turning fan can more than equal the cfm output of a faster spinning smaller fan at much lower audible sound levels.....something to consider.)

Both are warrantied for 5 years.

The Corsair's output is rated at 50C while the PCP&C's is rated at 40C.

Personally, I lean towards the Corsair, not so much in terms of quality, for both are very high quality builds and are both more than you need, but because of quietness and I despise the FUD PCP&C continues to spew on their website....."myths" which are mostly marketing drivel, if not outright fabrication or fantasy.....

But, as is true with the PCP&C Silencers, you do get great Seasonic build quality, but at a cost of being a bit noisier than power supplies using 120mm fans or even most others using 80mm fans, esp. when warm.

 

[Itchrelief]

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda

Originally posted by: BoboKatt
If I might add, I have both these exact same two PS.. in my different systems. Consider at least that the PC&C 750 is louder than my Corsair. Not sure if that is a concern. I can actually "hear" my PC&C whereas I simply cannot hear my Corsair and both are running systems about the same specs.

my 2c worth.

rofl........of course but XX number of years down the line I know for sure the PCP&C will still be running strong!

I wouldn't say that the PCP unit will be 100% reliable X years down the road, but their customer support is very good. A year or two ago I had a silencer 400 unit that was a year out of warranty and wouldn't turn on. E-mailed them and sent it in, and they repaired it free of charge. I only ended up paying for shipping to their facility. Of course, if you live in Alaska, the shipping fees may end up killing you anyways, as their supplies are freaking heavy!

Now, Corsair may be just as good in this regard, but I can't say as I have no experience with them.