HELP -- PSU Calculators all different

[GamingDaemon]

Hello Ananders!

So I am building a new PC, carrying over only my EVGA 1080 GTX FTW, and my 3x1TB SSD drives. Everything else is new:

• Intel 8700K (yes, mine did ship and arrived yesterday)
• Gigabyte AOURUS Gaming 7 mobo
• Thermaltake Core P3 SE Snow Edition (bought the tempered glass)
• 4x8GB G.Skill Trident Z RGB
• NZXT Kraken X62 Cooler
• 2 Pack of Corsair LL140 RGB fans (for Kraken radiator)
• PSU??????????

NOTE: I plan to replace the 1080 and buy a 1080 ti when they go down in price in 2018.

But from my own calculations, I figured a 700W PSU would be plenty and have therefore been looking at 750W PSUs. From PC Part Picker, they recommended a bit less, around 650W. But then NewEgg calculated I would need 808W. And CoolerMaster calculated 479W.

HUH? How is that possible?

So:

1. Help me, please. How much wattage do I need?
2. And would you recommend EVGA or Corsair PSUs.

Thank you!

 

[UsandThem]

The reason why a lot of PSU calculators over-estimate the size of PSU, is because all PSUs aren't created the same. The lower cost ones can sometimes barely (or not all) be able to hit their stated wattage. You want a little over-head left over, because most PSUs have the best efficiency in the 40-70% range, depending on the unit. That's where the effeciency rating comes in (80+, bronze, gold, platinum, titanium).

For the 1080 you listed, EVGA recommends a PSU of 500w. For a 1080ti, they recommend 600w. So in your case, since you will be upgrading later on, I recommend a 650w unit.

And as far as recommending a PSU, the EVGA G2, P2, and G3 are great choices. Seasonic is another great option, with many product lines to choose from. Their newest mainstream line, the Focus Plus (gold and platinum) are great choices. Finally, Corsair RMx line is a solid mainstream option as well.

I recommend going to JonnyGuru and read the reviews of the units. He gives the warranty length, how they perform, and finally opens them up to show the build quality, and which OEM builds them (only Seasonic above makes their own units).

Full disclosure, I own a Seasonic Focus Plus Platinum, and one each of the EVGA G2, G3, and P2. I also had a Corsair CX-M from 2012 until it was replaced with the EVGA G2 about two months ago.

 

[GamingDaemon]

Thank you for the quick reply UsandThem!

I was JUST looking at the EVGA fully modular SuperNOVA 750W G3. Maybe I will drop down to the 650W unit, though I wish they made a 700W one.

Also, any recommendations on custom cables? I was looking at mod-one.com. I figured I would do the 2 power supply cables and the video card cable. Is there any one websites I should visit?

 

[UsandThem]

Thank you for the quick reply UsandThem!

I was JUST looking at the EVGA fully modular SuperNOVA 750W G3. Maybe I will drop down to the 650W unit, though I wish they made a 700W one.

Also, any recommendations on custom cables? I was looking at mod-one.com. I figured I would do the 2 power supply cables and the video card cable. Is there any one websites I should visit?

The one thing to be aware of on EVGA G2/G3 units is the warranty length. For 550w and 650w units, it is 7 years. For 750w+ units, it is 10 years. Even if you buy a larger unit than needed (sometimes they are on sale and cheaper), they are all pretty efficient. So if you plan on keeping the unit for a long time, you might like the extra 3 years of warranty.

Also, I've never used custom cables, so hopefully someone else can come along and recommend a place.

 

[TennesseeTony]

I'd fully agree with UsandThem. Pick a SeaSonic, Corsair, or EVGA (Gold or above) that will run at 50-75% of your (future) load, and you will be one happy camper.

 

[GamingDaemon]

Awesome, pulling the trigger on the EVGA 80 Gold SuperNova 750 G3. That's the last thing I needed to begin my 8700K build over thanksgiving.

Thank you, everyone!

 

[UsandThem]

Good luck on the build!

 

[GamingDaemon]

Thanks! I would be happy to post pix but not sure which would be the right forum... Do we have one?

 

[UsandThem]

Thanks! I would be happy to post pix but not sure which would be the right forum... Do we have one?

I'd say once you get it built, create a post in general hardware to show it off, offer tips and advice for any new builders since you are building a Coffee Lake system.

 

[Torn Mind]

The wattage spec is just as much marketing as it is an indication of the actual sum of wattages on the unit. Quite a few PSUs can only deliver half their advertised wattage but people with limited information buy based on "specs".

Adding up the TDP of all of your devices and multiplying by two will get the wattage amount to size your CPU so you can lose the least money when running the CPU, GPU, etc at 100% load .

 

[GamingDaemon]

The wattage spec is just as much marketing as it is an indication of the actual sum of wattages on the unit. Quite a few PSUs can only deliver half their advertised wattage but people with limited information buy based on "specs".

Adding up the TDP of all of your devices and multiplying by two will get the wattage amount to size your CPU so you can lose the least money when running the CPU, GPU, etc at 100% load .

Probably true, but I did pretty much what you suggested, except I may have multiplied by 1.5 instead of 2. That gave me 700, and I went with a 750 EVGA PSU.