Seasonic G 360w + 7950?

[KeDaHa]

Hiya, I originally bought a Corsair HX650 to go into a Bitfenix Prodigy because I wanted a gold rated PSU (silver would have done, but they don't seem to really exist 😛) and I needed it to be relatively short.

Suffice is to say, the HX650 is junk with terrible build quality (and newegg reviews backs that up) and it's being returned.

It's incredibly hard to find any gold rated PSU that's small enough to fit in the Prodigy, but the G 360w seems to fit the bill perfectly.

I've measured the power draw on my currest system running a VTX3D 7870 @1100/1225 on Furmarks 1080p torture test and it doesn't top 230w. Returning my graphics card and looking at getting a Sapphire 7950 boost, however the G series only has one 6pin PCI-E connector and the 7950 requires a 6pin AND an 8pin (even though the 7870 runs fine with just a 6pin and seems to draw the same kind of power).

Would it be possible and safe to get a 6pin to 8pin adapter, and a twin molex to 6pin adapter to run the card?

Cheers,
Kevin

 

[buklau]

The G360 priced as $59.99 in newegg and I would spend $10 extra and get the rosewill capstone 450w 80 plus gold just to be safe assuming you will be overclocking the 7950 as well.

 

[Broheim]

the HX650 is fine and is actually built by seasonic, the newegg feedback is also quite good.

what exactly was your problem with it?

 

[Meghan54]

Suffice is to say, the HX650 is junk with terrible build quality (and newegg reviews backs that up) and it's being returned.

Sorry, Charlie, but neither statement is based on fact. The HX650 is not junk by any means and neither do the Newegg reviews substantiate your point of view, either, unless you mean the 85% that gave the unit 4 or 5 eggs. Guess that's the backup from the reviews you meant, eh?

 

[lehtv]

The G360 priced as $59.99 in newegg and I would spend $10 extra and get the rosewill capstone 450w 80 plus gold just to be safe assuming you will be overclocking the 7950 as well.

The Capstone 550-M is $70 AP. Definitely worth it over any 360-450W unit when factoring in the fact that a properly OC'd 7950 will probably consume over 200W at load.

 

[KeDaHa]

Braid on cables was rubbing off the fan. Fan was very noisy (ignoring chirping and braid). Fan made chirping noises every time it changed speed. I noticed when pulling it out something was loose and jangling inside. It also turns out that the PSU is designed to be mounted at the top of the case, and using it on the bottom (even in a mini itx) resulted in it being difficult to daisy chain SATA devices, and the inflexibility and wrong orientation of the ATX power cable made it a pain too.

All that = the HX650 is junk in my book, but maybe y'all disagree and they count as product benefits in a premium product.

Also, if you actually look at the newegg reviews, you'll see that most of the 3* and a large proportion of the 4* comments are complaining about failed units (how a unit that fails within warranty deserves anything but a 1* astounds me, but nonetheless) and/or the fan being noisy and the chirping noise. There's no excuse with any kind of QC to have approaching a 15% defective/failure rate and anyone who argues differently is going to come across as being rather clueless.

Now, while I'd love a Capstone (Super Flower over here), unfortunately they're 165mm deep and I need one with a maximum depth of 150mm or less, and I would really rather like it to be as efficient as possible.

Considering the current system with an OC 7870 draws ~220watts, why do I need a 550watt PSU when a 7950 will draw around 40watt more than my current system?

220+40 = 260, less than half of a 550w.

 

[lehtv]

Did you ever contact Corsair about your bad experience with the HX650? It sounds like the fan was faulty, they would probably have replaced the PSU for you. Don't judge the quality of the model based on one possibly faulty unit.

The PSU is certainly not "designed" to be top mounted. PSUs mounted on the bottom can be oriented fan facing up or the other way around. Mounting it the fan facing down (pulling air in from outside the case) is supported by most cases by including a mesh and a filter for the PSU. This orientation is the same as when you mount a PSU on top of the case. If you had problems with the HX650 in the orientation you had it set, you would encounter the same problems with any PSU.

24-pin ATX power cables are always inflexible.

Regarding the depth issue with Capstones... take a look at Antec Earthwatts Platinum 450W $100 (or 550W for $110). It is shorter than it is wide, only 5.5" or 140mm. Efficiency advertised up to 93% (probably 230V). Unfortunately not modular. The extra efficiency is just barely worth it over a Bronze unit half as expensive, but when factoring in that it's for a cramped ITX rig, I can sort of appreciate the idea.

 

[KeDaHa]

Did you ever contact Corsair about your bad experience with the HX650? It sounds like the fan was faulty, they would probably have replaced the PSU for you. Don't judge the quality of the model based on one possibly faulty unit.

The PSU is certainly not "designed" to be top mounted. PSUs mounted on the bottom can be oriented fan facing up or the other way around. Mounting it the fan facing down (pulling air in from outside the case) is supported by most cases by including a mesh and a filter for the PSU. This orientation is the same as when you mount a PSU on top of the case. If you had problems with the HX650 in the orientation you had it set, you would encounter the same problems with any PSU.

24-pin ATX power cables are always inflexible.

Regarding the depth issue with Capstones... take a look at Antec Earthwatts Platinum 450W $100 (or 550W for $110). It is shorter than it is wide, only 5.5" or 140mm. Efficiency advertised up to 93% (probably 230V). Unfortunately not modular. The extra efficiency is just barely worth it over a Bronze unit half as expensive, but when factoring in that it's for a cramped ITX rig, I can sort of appreciate the idea.

As I said, I appreciate that the vast majority of Corsair HX 650's are fine (although a large amount seem to suffer from the chirping, which Corsair blame on other components in the PC creating some sort of resonance with the capacitors...) but a too large minority are having problems. Similar to certain hard drives (WD15EARS, hello there etc). I only have the PSU less than a week so it's being sent off for a refund as I don't really want another HX 650! Re: Inflexible cables- I honestly thought I was in danger of damaging the motherboard trying to get the 24pin off, some serious torsion effects even with one hand trying to brace the mobo.

Did some more research and found a 80+ Gold PSU that will just about fit, 500W be quiet! STRAIGHT POWER E9 80PLUS Gold. Non modular so gives me that extra bit of space to somehow wedge it in, and works out at almost half the price of the HX650 = result!

The Antec looks like it would be absolutely perfect for the job, unfortunately in the whole of UK/Ireland, not one store has stock (and only two smaller retailers seem to stock it at all). My guess is it was quickly superseded by the Platimax series (which are too big for me).

 

[Zap]

Also, if you actually look at the newegg reviews, you'll see that most of the 3* and a large proportion of the 4* comments are complaining about failed units (how a unit that fails within warranty deserves anything but a 1* astounds me, but nonetheless)

Understand that what you just said can apply to any end user review on any product at any online retailer.

Seasonic has higher wattage G series available. They came out after the 360W. I think the 550W was the next one available, and there is also a 450W. Perhaps look into those? Check the depths before purchasing, just in case they are deeper than the 360W.

 

[Rvenger]

HX650 is a bronze rated PSU and I owned 2 and never had an issue with them. I would just get a good bronze rated PSU. Most of the time the efficency is at the gold/silver rating until you hit peak wattages anyways.

 

[balane]

I have a HX650 in my garage computer and it's been really great for me. Fit and finish were flawless, it has done its job silently and invisibly since I bought it. I really couldn't ask for more out of a PSU and your post surprised me when you stated it was a bad PSU in a matter-of-fact way. The first thing I did was go to read the Newegg reviews you mentioned and I was relieved to find that, by far, nearly all users have had the same experience as me.

In fact, I'm going to go leave a glowing review for the HX650 on Newegg's site now because I would most definitely purchase another one should the need ever arise.

 

[lehtv]

The Antec looks like it would be absolutely perfect for the job, unfortunately in the whole of UK/Ireland, not one store has stock (and only two smaller retailers seem to stock it at all). My guess is it was quickly superseded by the Platimax series (which are too big for me).

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/500w...ff-80-plus-gold-eps-12v-quiet-fan-atx-v23-psu
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/450w-seasonic-g-450-80-plus-gold-rps-12v-modular-atx-psu
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/550w-fsp-aurum-80-plus-gold-modular-psu-90-eff