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Whats thew Difference: Modular vs Normal?

Quantos

Senior member
Dec 23, 2011
386
0
76
As far as I know, there is a slightly increased resistance caused by the extra connections, but it's not enough to outweigh the advantages of a modular PSU. There are other things to consider with modular PSU, such as an increased change of failure, and safety concerns if the connections aren't made properly or safely.

Overall though, I'd buy a modular anytime of a normal PSU. There is a slight loss of efficiency, but it's nothing major (of course, assuming it's a well built PSU).
 

sandorski

No Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
70,785
6,345
126
Modular has less clutter. Have one, it's nice to choose which Cables I need rather than having a bunch of unused cables taking up space. I'm hoping to get a fully Modular PS next time, if Cost permits.
 

janas19

Platinum Member
Nov 10, 2011
2,313
1
0
Modular has less clutter. Have one, it's nice to choose which Cables I need rather than having a bunch of unused cables taking up space. I'm hoping to get a fully Modular PS next time, if Cost permits.

I wasn't aware there was such a thing as "modular" and "fully modular" in factory PSUs. I thought they were either modular or not.
 

sandorski

No Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
70,785
6,345
126
I wasn't aware there was such a thing as "modular" and "fully modular" in factory PSUs. I thought they were either modular or not.

Most Modular PSs have the 20/24 ATX and 8 Pin cables hard wired. Only the SATA/IDE/6,8 pin cables are usually Modular. A few PSs have no hard wired cables.
 

Charlie98

Diamond Member
Nov 6, 2011
6,298
64
91
I cheaped out and got the TX750v2 on Black Friday, instead of getting a modular unit... and I really wish I would have just paid the man. Not that the TX750 is a bad unit, mind you, but I have bundles of wires tied up, doing nothing.
 

BFG10K

Lifer
Aug 14, 2000
22,709
3,003
126
Any electrical overhead from modular would be absolutely trivial, assuming of course there’s no implementation problem with it. In fact I saw one review where the modular unit was posting slightly higher efficiency than the same non-modular unit (I think it was one of Enermax’s units).

I’d always go with fully modular; it’s much easier to install/remove a PSU with no cables attached to it.
 

BrightCandle

Diamond Member
Mar 15, 2007
4,762
0
76
The extra cost of modular is non trivial. I wish they were closer in price so it was a simple choice to get modular every time but they tend to be quite a bit more expensive.

Once you go crossfire, get a Xonar sound card and get a bundle of hard drives I can assure you in the end you have very few cables left over tied up, but you still have a few.
 

tomoyo

Senior member
Oct 5, 2005
418
0
0
Once you go modular it's hard to go back. That's one thing I noticed. The magic of not having extra cables cluttering your computer is amazing. Beyond extra cost, modular has no disadvantages over non-modular. The only issue is poorly designed connectors and you don't see that on any high quality unit from like seasonic/delta/cwt/etc.
 

Magic Carpet

Diamond Member
Oct 2, 2011
3,477
234
106
Whats the difference between modular and Normal apart from options provided by Modular PSU's.

I have read on the web that Normal PSU's are more efficient and better.
Premium price for the detachable cables. The additional cost is purely artificial. Waste of money, IMO.

I have read on the web that Normal PSU's are more efficient and better.
Link?

Manufacturers,

How about length adjustment instead? ;-p A perfect PSU has to have proper length (not to short not to long). Then you charge the premium, deal? For this reason alone, many cheaper / smaller non-modular PSUs are better.
 
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sandorski

No Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
70,785
6,345
126
Once you go modular it's hard to go back. That's one thing I noticed. The magic of not having extra cables cluttering your computer is amazing. Beyond extra cost, modular has no disadvantages over non-modular. The only issue is poorly designed connectors and you don't see that on any high quality unit from like seasonic/delta/cwt/etc.

I would also add in the lack of Standardized Connectors. It would be nice to swap different Makes/Models without having to change Cables as well. That's just me being hella lazy though. :D
 

Zap

Elite Member
Oct 13, 1999
22,377
7
81
The magic of not having extra cables cluttering your computer is amazing. Beyond extra cost, modular has no disadvantages over non-modular.

One thing I hate about modular PSUs is that the cabling doesn't come out of the PSU in one coherent bunch. IMO a non-modular PSU that is sized properly (enough wattage for system, but not way too much wattage) with a couple cable ties and some effort makes for a much cleaner system than any modular PSU.

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I would also add in the lack of Standardized Connectors. It would be nice to swap different Makes/Models without having to change Cables as well. That's just me being hella lazy though. :D

That would be brilliant! Almost as great an idea as cell phones all using the same chargers. :hmm: