Need suggestion for PSU

Bruno Batista

Hey all

Following advice from the great people at this forum, I bought a Radeon HD7870.

Unfortunately, only it came in did I realise that my PSU is too weak for it (have a 300w).

a) what would you recommend as a good new PSU that would do the trick

b) is it easy enough to replace it? Never built my own system so I have no idea!

Cheers!

YanisSprunks

Yes it is very easy to replace the PSU it will cost you about 20euro to buy a new 450-500w one all you have to do is open your desktop check where the leads from PSU go to your motherboard and other hardware , take the old one out and switch it. it is very simple.

Also if you go google pcpartpicker and throw your own PC hardware in the search it shows you how much power you need. but i think 450-500w shud do it.

oflahero

20 euro? Where? And what kind of guarantee would I be getting with that?

If I'd bought a new Radeon, I think I'd consider spending a few more pennies on the contraption that has the power to fry all my components at any time...

YanisSprunks

oflahero wrote: »

20 euro? Where? And what kind of guarantee would I be getting with that?

If I'd bought a new Radeon, I think I'd consider spending a few more pennies on the contraption that has the power to fry all my components at any time...

There you go

http://www.dabs.ie/category/components-and-storage,cases--cooling-and-power,power-supply-units/11259

oflahero

YanisSprunks wrote: »

There you go

http://www.dabs.ie/category/components-and-storage,cases--cooling-and-power,power-supply-units/11259

Hmmm...

Deano12345

A good 400W PSU will do you fine with a 7870 and any combination. I've used the CX430 in a friends build with an i5 750 and GTX460 and was very happy with it. Solid power supply for not a massive amount of money !

http://www.dabs.ie/products/corsair-430w-builder-series-cx-80--bronze-atx-power-supply-8BV9.html?refs=55420000&src=2

YanisSprunks

oflahero wrote: »

Hmmm...

Just look for the ones with good reviews not all of them are bad but i see your point.

uncle_sam_ie

YanisSprunks wrote: »

Just look for the ones with good reviews not all of them are bad but i see your point.

JonnyGuru is the only reviewer I'd trust when it comes to PSU's, http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Review_Cat&recatnum=13

Serephucus

YanisSprunks wrote: »

Yes it is very easy to replace the PSU it will cost you about 20euro to buy a new 450-500w one all you have to do is open your desktop check where the leads from PSU go to your motherboard and other hardware , take the old one out and switch it. it is very simple.

Also if you go google pcpartpicker and throw your own PC hardware in the search it shows you how much power you need. but i think 450-500w shud do it.

Given that you also have a thread looking for very similar PSU advice, I'm not sure I'd be giving others advice were I in your shoes. Telling someone who doesn't know much about computers to only spend €20 on a PSU is asking for it to blow up in their face.

It's generally a very bad idea to spend anything under €40 for any sort of PSU. A handy rule of thumb for what you should spend on a PSU is €(0.1xWattage). So for a ~400W unit, about €40, which would be the CX430 from Corsair, most-likely.

Bruno Batista

From what (little) I know, PSUs are something you don't go cheap on. Thinking of getting this:
http://lb.hardwareversand.de/700+-+800+Watts/50973/be+quiet%21+PURE+POWER+CM+BQT+L8-CM-730W.article

Any opinions?

marco_polo

Bruno Batista wrote: »

From what (little) I know, PSUs are something you don't go cheap on. Thinking of getting this:
http://lb.hardwareversand.de/700+-+800+Watts/50973/be+quiet%21+PURE+POWER+CM+BQT+L8-CM-730W.article

Any opinions?

No need to spend in anywhere near that much, even if you were thinking of two 7870 this 550W would be loads (Even the 450W would manage two HD7870 and would be abssolutely ideal for a single GPU setup).

Bruno Batista

marco_polo wrote: »

No need to spend in anywhere near that much, even if you were thinking of two 7870 this 550W would be loads (Even the 450W would manage two HD7870 and would be abssolutely ideal for a single GPU setup).

Hum, I've seen the Super Flowers being highly recommended alright.
Think I'll go with the 550w if you say that's more than enough!

(I assume this will come with all the necessary cables, like a 6 pin to attach the 7870?)

marco_polo

Bruno Batista wrote: »

Hum, I've seen the Super Flowers being highly recommended alright.
Think I'll go with the 550w if you say that's more than enough!

(I assume this will come with all the necessary cables, like a 6 pin to attach the 7870?)

Yep it has 1 x 6 pin and 1 x 8(6+2) pin PCI Express power connectors. You'd need molex->PICe adapters for a second card but it could power them no bother.

Bruno Batista

marco_polo wrote: »

Yep it has 1 x 6 pin and 1 x 8(6+2) pin PCI Express power connectors. You'd need molex->PICe adapters for a second card but it could power them no bother.

That should sort me out alright. They charge 20 euro for posting, isn't it?
That would make this around the same price, and from an Irish supplier
http://komplett.ie/Komplett/product/power_supplies/80009603/corsair_cx600m_power_supply_(_internal_)_/details.aspx

Any difference in quality?

challengemaster

Bruno Batista wrote: »

That should sort me out alright. They charge 20 euro for posting, isn't it?
That would make this around the same price, and from an Irish supplier
http://komplett.ie/Komplett/product/power_supplies/80009603/corsair_cx600m_power_supply_(_internal_)_/details.aspx

Any difference in quality?

Not really an Irish supplier, if we're being honest. They ship everything from a warehouse in Eindhoven.

Serephucus

Overclockers tend to have a much better PSU selection than most, though they're slightly more expensive.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-018-SS

A bit more than Komplett's one, but far superior. Seasonic is arguably the leading name in the PSU market, and the above is much more efficient (therefore quieter, and easier on your ESB) than the Corsair, or the Super-Flower, for that matter.

Monotype

There's a Seasonic S12II 430W on amazon for £57 delivered. ~€70.

There's also the 550W OCZ ZS which isn't bad for €58 + delivery.
http://www.dabs.ie/products/ocz-technology-zs-series-550w-80--bronze-power-supply-7H49.html

uncle_sam_ie

challengemaster wrote: »

Not really an Irish supplier, if we're being honest. They ship everything from a warehouse in Eindhoven.

True but, the warehouse in Eindhoven send it to a Dublin office and they hand it off to An post. If you need help they have an Irish support team in Dublin (also here on Board.ie in the Biz section). The only problem with Komplett.ie is their selection isn't great. The stuff they do sell is good though.

YanisSprunks

Serephucus wrote: »

Given that you also have a thread looking for very similar PSU advice, I'm not sure I'd be giving others advice were I in your shoes. Telling someone who doesn't know much about computers to only spend €20 on a PSU is asking for it to blow up in their face.

It's generally a very bad idea to spend anything under €40 for any sort of PSU. A handy rule of thumb for what you should spend on a PSU is €(0.1xWattage). So for a ~400W unit, about €40, which would be the CX430 from Corsair, most-likely.

I asked for advice regarding a build i haven't built yet for comparability.
But the website is good also that's why i didn't suggest a particular PSU just a place to buy it and told the guy how to set it up which i also know.

challengemaster

YanisSprunks wrote: »

I asked for advice regarding a build i haven't built yet for comparability.
But the website is good also that's why i didn't suggest a particular PSU just a place to buy it and told the guy how to set it up which i also know.

But you said to only spend around €20 on the PSU, which is the problem in your post - nothing else. That's very bad advice to someone who's may not know better.

You can put every high end component into a PC you like, if the PSU is dodgy you're asking for it to all blow up in your face, and destroy all those nice components along with it. The PSU is the most important thing you put into a computer - never, ever skimp on it.

Bruno Batista

In the end decided to go overboard and get the Seasonic from overclockers recommended by Serephucus upthread. Thanks to all!