Seasonic S12G 550w or S12II 520w?

[viknesh]

Need a recommendation between Seasonic S12G 550w (80+ Gold) vs S12II 520W (80+ Bronze) PSUs.

I don't game. This will be used for Photoshop and 3ds max work with Photoshop running most of the time. I don't plan for an extreme overclock or multi gpu setup. Will mostly buy a Vega based GPU once its released.

Will there be any noticeable reduction in power consumption between these two? Or should I be fine with a lower watt psu like 400w or so? I am fine with either. S12II is cheaper though.

Edit: This is my build

CPU - AMD Ryzen 1700
MB - Gigabyte AB-B350 Gaming3
RAM - Gskill 16GB (2x8gb) 3200mhz or 3000mhz
SSD - Samsung 850 Evo 250GB
HDD - Seagate 2TB 6gbps
Case - NZXT S340
GPU - Will use my old Nvidia GT9600 512mb card for now.

 

[lehtv]

Out of those two, S12G is better. The higher efficiency saves maybe up to 5 watts at load, which is inconsequential. But S12G employs a newer, independently regulated design.

But why are you restricted to these two choices? Where are you buying from?

Vega for Photoshop and 3DsMax doesn't seem like a good idea. As far as I know, there's only one Vega-based GPU: RX Vega which is a high end gaming GPU.

Post all your specs please. It's impossible to determine power requirements based on the graphics card alone.

 

[viknesh]

But why are you restricted to these two choices? Where are you buying from?

I am buying these from Chennai, India. Most of the vendors here have lower efficient series like Corsair, Cooler Master and Antec. Very few have limited selection of Seasonic psu. Since it is more trusted than others I chose these two models.

Vega for Photoshop and 3DsMax doesn't seem like a good idea. As far as I know, there's only one Vega-based GPU: RX Vega which is a high end gaming GPU.?

I am not fixed with Vega. I read Polaris based gpus are also expected (Please correct me if I am wrong). So I am waiting for some good gpu with better performance / price.

Post all your specs please. It's impossible to determine power requirements based on the graphics card alone.

Updated the question with specs.

 

[lehtv]

I am buying these from Chennai, India. Most of the vendors here have lower efficient series like Corsair, Cooler Master and Antec. Very few have limited selection of Seasonic psu. Since it is more trusted than others I chose these two models.

OK. Go with the S12G. S12G-450 is would to be fine too since you're unlikely to need a >200 watt graphics card. But the 550W model may run slightly quieter at load.

Edit: This is my build

CPU - AMD Ryzen 1700
MB - Gigabyte AB-B350 Gaming3
RAM - Gskill 16GB (2x8gb) 3200mhz or 3000mhz
SSD - Samsung 850 Evo 250GB
HDD - Seagate 2TB 6gbps
Case - NZXT S340
GPU - Will use my old Nvidia GT9600 512mb card for now.

Well that looks really nice. I'd suggest purchasing a quiet CPU cooler. I don't know what's available at your location but Arctic's 92mm and 120mm tower coolers tend to be both low noise and low cost.

Do note however that Photoshop doesn't use more than 6 threads effectively, and even the benefit of more than 4 cores is very limited since most functions are 1-2 threaded. See Adobe Photoshop CC Multi Core Performance (PugetSystems, 2015).

Similarly, 3DSMax is mostly single threaded. But, apparently final rendering can be extremely well threaded. See AutoDesk 3ds Max 2017 CPU Performance (PugetSystems):

"Most 3D design software is single threaded (where the 28 physical cores from this dual Xeon setup is largely useless), but if you often render using Mental Ray, Keyshot, V-ray, or any other CPU-based rendering engine the higher core count can net you tremendous gains in performance."

If you want to strike the best balance between cost and performance, I'd suggest Ryzen 5 1600X. You get 6 cores and 12 threads, which means awesome multi threaded performance. You also get slightly higher clock speed compared to Ryzen 7 1700, which helps in the much more common <6 threaded tasks.

I am not fixed with Vega. I read Polaris based gpus are also expected (Please correct me if I am wrong). So I am waiting for some good gpu with better performance / price.

RX 400 series cards are Polaris based - the upcoming RX 500 series is likely to be a minor update.

For OpenCL acceleration in Photoshop, you don't need a fast card, see Recommended Systems for Adobe Photoshop (PugetSystems):

"[T]he current demand on the video card is actually relatively light. Even an entry video card will be able to provide a huge boost in performance for GPU accelerated effects and there is a sharp drop in performance benefit by using anything more than a mid-range video card. There is still a performance benefit to using a high-end card like the GTX 1080, but beyond a GTX 1060 you are only going to see 2-3% faster performance by upgrading to a more expensive card."

GTX 1060 ~ RX 480, so if you want AMD, I'd recommend the RX 480 at most. Most likely you would not notice any difference if you got RX 470 4GB instead. And the absolute best value for money for Photoshop would be a used graphics card, GTX 950/960 or R9 280/380 or similar.

Finally, 3ds Max GPU acceleration: Recommended Systems for Autodesk 3ds Max (PugetSystems). Consumer-grade AMD GPU's don't appear in PugetSystems' recommendations. It seems you best bet is to go with NVIDIA. The differences between GeForce cards are quite small, so all you need is a mid range GTX 1050 Ti or GTX 1060.

 

[viknesh]

Thank you very much for you detailed reply.

Well that looks really nice. I'd suggest purchasing a quiet CPU cooler. I don't know what's available at your location but Arctic's 92mm and 120mm tower coolers tend to be both low noise and low cost.

Yes, these are available in Amazon.in I hope it will available with local vendors too. What about 140mm? I thought of buying extra fans if the stock fans couldn't handle the heat. I am not going to overclock much until the bios issues are over.

Do note however that Photoshop doesn't use more than 6 threads effectively, and even the benefit of more than 4 cores is very limited since most functions are 1-2 threaded. See Adobe Photoshop CC Multi Core Performance (PugetSystems, 2015).

Similarly, 3DSMax is mostly single threaded. But, apparently final rendering can be extremely well threaded. See AutoDesk 3ds Max 2017 CPU Performance (PugetSystems):

"Most 3D design software is single threaded (where the 28 physical cores from this dual Xeon setup is largely useless), but if you often render using Mental Ray, Keyshot, V-ray, or any other CPU-based rendering engine the higher core count can net you tremendous gains in performance."

If you want to strike the best balance between cost and performance, I'd suggest Ryzen 5 1600X. You get 6 cores and 12 threads, which means awesome multi threaded performance. You also get slightly higher clock speed compared to Ryzen 7 1700, which helps in the much more common <6 threaded tasks.

I wish I can wait for 1600. But I have a 3ds Max work coming next week so I have to go with 1700. I am fine with slower single thread performance if it will help render faster. I also want to use this build for quite a long so it will also be future proof.

RX 400 series cards are Polaris based - the upcoming RX 500 series is likely to be a minor update.

For OpenCL acceleration in Photoshop, you don't need a fast card, see Recommended Systems for Adobe Photoshop (PugetSystems):

"[T]he current demand on the video card is actually relatively light. Even an entry video card will be able to provide a huge boost in performance for GPU accelerated effects and there is a sharp drop in performance benefit by using anything more than a mid-range video card. There is still a performance benefit to using a high-end card like the GTX 1080, but beyond a GTX 1060 you are only going to see 2-3% faster performance by upgrading to a more expensive card."

GTX 1060 ~ RX 480, so if you want AMD, I'd recommend the RX 480 at most. Most likely you would not notice any difference if you got RX 470 4GB instead. And the absolute best value for money for Photoshop would be a used graphics card, GTX 950/960 or R9 280/380 or similar.

Finally, 3ds Max GPU acceleration: Recommended Systems for Autodesk 3ds Max (PugetSystems). Consumer-grade AMD GPU's don't appear in PugetSystems' recommendations. It seems you best bet is to go with NVIDIA. The differences between GeForce cards are quite small, so all you need is a mid range GTX 1050 Ti or GTX 1060.

I seriously have no idea about the GPU. I am waiting for a sub $250 to 300 dollar GPU from any brand. I thought Nvidia might reduce the price of 10xx series once AMD releases their GPUs'. As I am not sure about AMD's performance too I am waiting for its release.

 

[lehtv]

Yes, these are available in Amazon.in I hope it will available with local vendors too. What about 140mm? I thought of buying extra fans if the stock fans couldn't handle the heat. I am not going to overclock much until the bios issues are over.

Sure, if you can find True Spirit 140 Direct or HR-02 Macho (Rev. B or Direct). Thermalright is probably not going to be good value in India, it mostly a European brand with some small foothold in NA.

But a 120mm tower cooler allows for a moderate OC as well.

Scythe is another you might consider. The 92mm Byakko and Katana 4 are on par with many 120mm towers, while the new Mugen 5 performs very nicely for a 120mm tower while being very quiet and cheaper than Noctua.

I wish I can wait for 1600. But I have a 3ds Max work coming next week so I have to go with 1700. I am fine with slower single thread performance if it will help render faster. I also want to use this build for quite a long so it will also be future proof.

To be precise, the 1600 has lower single thread performance than the 1700. It's the 1600X that is higher clocked. But it doesn't matter if you're going to overclock a bit anyway.

I seriously have no idea about the GPU. I am waiting for a sub $250 to 300 dollar GPU from any brand. I thought Nvidia might reduce the price of 10xx series once AMD releases their GPUs'. As I am not sure about AMD's performance too I am waiting for its release.

Since you're using 3ds Max, just go with NVIDIA. No need to wait either: GTX 1060 is already in your price range. E.g. MSI GTX 1060 Gaming X 6GB $291 @ amazon.in. Gaming X happens to be run extremely cool and quiet, but if you want to save $20 or so, EVGA

 

[viknesh]

Sure, if you can find True Spirit 140 Direct or HR-02 Macho (Rev. B or Direct). Thermalright is probably not going to be good value in India, it mostly a European brand with some small foothold in NA.

But a 120mm tower cooler allows for a moderate OC as well.

Scythe is another you might consider. The 92mm Byakko and Katana 4 are on par with many 120mm towers, while the new Mugen 5 performs very nicely for a 120mm tower while being very quiet and cheaper than Noctua.



To be precise, the 1600 has lower single thread performance than the 1700. It's the 1600X that is higher clocked. But it doesn't matter if you're going to overclock a bit anyway.



Since you're using 3ds Max, just go with NVIDIA. No need to wait either: GTX 1060 is already in your price range. E.g. MSI GTX 1060 Gaming X 6GB $291 @ amazon.in. Gaming X happens to be run extremely cool and quiet, but if you want to save $20 or so, EVGA

Thanks. I will buy 1050ti or 1060. One shop gave me a choice between Antec Earthwatts Gold Pro 550w 80+ Gold (EA550G Pro) and the Seasonic S12G 550w 80+ Gold. Your suggestion?

 

[lehtv]

@viknesh Seasonic.

S12G uses only Japanese 105C rated electrolytic capacitors and a ball bearing fan. Electrolytic caps and the fan are components that typically fail first in a power supply, so you want them to be high quality.

Antec EA550G I can't vouch for since it hasn't been reviewed and the warranty is only 3 years (realhardtechx). But it's made by FSP so it's probably at least good enough.

 

[viknesh]

@viknesh Seasonic.

S12G uses only Japanese 105C rated electrolytic capacitors and a ball bearing fan. Electrolytic caps and the fan are components that typically fail first in a power supply, so you want them to be high quality.

Antec EA550G I can't vouch for since it hasn't been reviewed and the warranty is only 3 years (realhardtechx). But it's made by FSP so it's probably at least good enough.

Ok, then I will go with S12G. Thank you very much for the help.

 

[lehtv]

@viknesh No problem! Let me know if you have more questions