Do i need a new power supply?

[Fayd]

I'm upgrading my computer significantly in the next few weeks.

moving from a phenom II x4 945 (95w) to a FX8320 (125w), and from a radeon 5770 (next to nothing) to a radeon R9 270 (a bit more).

I don't overclock, so power consumption in addition to this isn't likely.

I do have 3 harddrives and an SSD. That's the only other parts in the build.

The power supply I have is a corsair HX-520. I'm not so much worried about the wattage capacity (i imagine the 8320 + r9 270 come in significantly under), but the power supply is now over 7 years old. do power supplies lose capacity over time?

 

[lehtv]

I would upgrade a 7 year old unit. It's two years past its warranty and it will definitely have lots quite a bit of its full capacity, and all the waste heat from it being only 80Plus rated should have had a pretty big toll on the unit as a whole.

I'm wondering if the FX-8320 is a good move. For gaming, the FX-6300 is cheaper and just as good. If you can really use all the eight threads though, the FX-8320 is nice.

 

[lakedude]

Your 270 is a 150 watt part. Sitting there surfing the internet your system is not going to be @ TDP, in fact I bet you will be under 100 watts while surfing. Playing a game will kick the video card into gear but even then you will be under 300 watts. Running a program like Furmark to stress the GPU while also running Linpack to stress the CPU might squeak you over 300 watts.

I have a similar Intel based system and the most it will draw is around 265 watts and that is only if it is running programs specifically designed to stress the system.

A quality 520 watt PS should be plenty even allowing for some degradation due to age.

It certainly won't hurt to get a new PS but as long as the old one works it would be a waste to get a new one IMHO.

 

[lyssword]

the wattage should be enough.. however, I strongly advise replacing a 7yr old power supply, especially if you've been a heavy user. My 6yr old antec power supply, which I thought was indestructible, blew up taking out motherboard, mouse and keyboard. You should weigh the hassle of replacing your new hardware against saving money.

 

[lakedude]

the wattage should be enough.. however, I strongly advise replacing a 7yr old power supply, especially if you've been a heavy user. My 6yr old antec power supply, which I thought was indestructible, blew up taking out motherboard, mouse and keyboard. You should weigh the hassle of replacing your new hardware against saving money.

Lyssword I was going to give this one to you, until I got to thinking. The OP has a "proven" PS. Sure it is getting a little long in the tooth but there is no guarantee that a new one is going to be better (EDIT: because a new one could be DOA). Sure a new one might be better (EDIT: more efficient, quieter, longer lasting) but if you look at the ratings for any power supply there are almost always some one star reviews because a brand new part was bad out of the box. Now I'm not saying it is likely that a brand new power supply will be bad but it is certainly a possibility.

 

[lyssword]

ok just make sure there is no weird "powering down" high, barely noticeable pitch sound when you power off the computer 😛

 

[lehtv]

Sure it is getting a little long in the tooth but there is no guarantee that a new one is going to be better.

There's plenty of guarantee that a new unit tested to perform well in professional reviews will be better than a 7 years used unit, no matter how high end that unit was 7 years ago.

 

[ejjpi]

you should definitely also change the PSU

 

[lakedude]

There's plenty of guarantee that a new unit tested to perform well in professional reviews will be better than a 7 years used unit, no matter how high end that unit was 7 years ago.

I'm sure you would agree that a SeaSonic 650 watt power supply is generally a good unit, wouldn't you? Thing is not everyone gets a good part out of the box. Out of 16 Amazon reviews 4 people are very unhappy with their purchase.

"Died after playing a game for two hours"

"i absolutely hate it,... I had another 1 dying in 2 months, and this 1 is dead on arrival."

"High pitched noises...Saw the previous reviews about coil whine, but the price was right so I gave it a shot. Although not very loud, in my near-silent htpc case it was audible above the case fans. Returned for a corsair."

"It's NOT WORKING AT ALL"

http://www.amazon.com/SeaSonic-650-W...owViewpoints=0

 

[lakedude]

Fayd

What is the opportunity cost of getting a power supply? What are you not going to get if you spend money on a PS?

This is the real question. It isn't simply a matter of a new PS, it is a matter of a new PS vs a better CPU or GPU or whatever thing you would buy if you had an extra $100 or so.

 

[nwo]

You can get a pretty decent 500 or 600W for less than 50 bucks (non-modular), but if your current PSU works fine, you would be better off investing that $$ into a better CPU or GPU.

If your current PSU runs fine then it should continue to run fine on the new system as well. Just because it's x years old doesn't mean it's a bad unit. Just because it's only 80+ and not 80+ bronze is not going to make it run significantly or noticeably hotter than a new 80+ bronze unit.

I am using a refurb Corsair TX 750 (v1) 80+ with my overclocked 7970, 7870, and i7 4770k, all three of which are mining 24/7. The PSU is by far the most silent and the coolest part of my system.

 

[lehtv]

I'm sure you would agree that a SeaSonic 650 watt power supply is generally a good unit, wouldn't you?

No, it's an excellent unit

Thing is not everyone gets a good part out of the box. Out of 16 Amazon reviews 4 people are very unhappy with their purchase.

"Died after playing a game for two hours"

"i absolutely hate it,... I had another 1 dying in 2 months, and this 1 is dead on arrival."

"High pitched noises...Saw the previous reviews about coil whine, but the price was right so I gave it a shot. Although not very loud, in my near-silent htpc case it was audible above the case fans. Returned for a corsair."

"It's NOT WORKING AT ALL"

Well, I wasn't talking about a particular sample being DOA, nor is coil while relevant here (it has no bearing on reliability/quality).

 

[lakedude]

Well, I wasn't talking about a particular sample being DOA...

Earlier when you quoted me (somewhat out of context) I was specifically talking about a particular sample being DOA.

I certainly would not have been arguing that in general a new high quality power supply is a bad thing, only that you are taking chances either way. An old PS could give up the ghost, a new one could be DOA or die quicker than the old one.

 

[lakedude]

... nor is coil while relevant here (it has no bearing on reliability/quality).

The funny thing about the coil whine is that the reviewer with the coil whine traded his Seasonic for a Corsair, which is what the OP already has!

Personally I'm old and I can't hear coil whine so I could care less. To a young person with good ears and in an HTPC where quiet is a desired trait coil whine could be an issue.

 

[lehtv]

Hmm, I didn't connect the dots between the sentence I quoted and the part where you talked about DOA. 🙂

 

[lakedude]

Hmm, I didn't connect the dots between the sentence I quoted and the part where you talked about DOA. 🙂

Sorry that was not more clear. The whole paragraph was intended to be a reference to DOA samples only, not a fully functioning new PS with a better efficiency rating.

Hmmm, maybe the new PS will pay for itself in electric savings?

 

[lehtv]

Even if the new unit was Gold rated, it would only be maybe 8% more efficient. If we assume 1kW per day with the HX520 and an average cost of electricity of $0.15/kWh, an 8% more efficient unit would save only about 30kW per year, that's $4,50. In a computer this low wattage, it's not reasonable to expect the new unit to pay itself back unless you have a much higher than average cost of electricity. Even with Hawaii's cost of electricity it would take at least four years to save $60, the price of Rosewill Capstone 450W.

 

[ronss]

if it was me, i would fell better with a 650 watts psu....a lot of r270,s recommend at a mininum, a 500 watt psu......

 

[jellowiggler]

I would stay put with the unit you have if it has the right connectors for your system. It's a good quality unit that isn't causing a problem.