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Thread: Setting up a new computer, which power supply should I use?

  1. #1
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    Setting up a new computer, which power supply should I use?

    CPU : AMD FX-8120

    GPU : AMD Radeon HD 7850 2GB DDR5 *1

    RAM : 8GB DDR3 BUS 1866 *1

    SSD : 120GB *1

    1 DVD drive

    I planed to buy 750 W. OCZ ZS Series as a power supply. Is it enought? Is this brand(OCZ) good in your opinion? Thanks.

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    Re: Setting up a new computer, which power supply should I use?

    Personally, I think 750W should be enough for that setup (people may disagree and think you need a nuclear power plant, though). Based on what you've listed, though, I think it should fit well within the capable range of that PSU. You could go a little higher if you choose, though.

    As to what kind, it really all depends on your budget. I would recommend spending the extra money for at least Bronze + certified or better as this is more energy efficient and will save money in the long run. I don't know much about the OCZ power supplies (although in the back of my head, I'm sort of thinking I've not heard good things). Seasonic are among the best, and I don' think they're priced too much over others. I just put a 750W Seasonic modular PSU in to a computer that I put together, and it's really nice. Despite having a much more power hungry setup that I had before, I'm also not noticing any significant increase in the electric bill

  3. #3
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    Re: Setting up a new computer, which power supply should I use?

    That graphics card is certainly your gate for the power supply requirement. Read AMD's requirements for it here:

    http://www.amd.com/us/products/deskt...on-7850.aspx#2

    So, if your card will use Crossfire technology, go with at least a 600W. Otherwise, you can probably get away with a 500W. Just make sure the PSU you buy has the PCI-E connections you need for the graphics card (two for the Crossfire requirement if that applies).

    It's wasteful to get a power supply that's more than you need. Even if you get an 80+ efficient power supply (highly recommended), 80% of 600 watts is more power than 80% of 500 watts used.

    I don't game so my systems are always sub-100 watt builds. I could easily get away with a 250 watt PSU on my latest Sandy Bridge build (using built-in graphics) but could not find a cheap 80+ PSU that small. My system idles at about 20 watts according to my Kill-o-Watt meter, so 250 watts would be fine for me.

    You can calculate the cost to operate a computer fairly easily. But you have to know the average power consumption of the box, how long it is on, and what the cost per kWh is where you live. If for example your box draws 300 watts (0.3 kW) average, is on for eight hours a day, and you pay 15 cents per kWh, then the cost to operate it per day is 0.3 kW * 0.15 $ per kWh * 8 hr = 36 cents a day...or $131 per year. My system that probably averages 30 watts would cost only $13.10 per year.

    I'd have no problem with an OCZ power supply - I've used a few. I'd probably opt for an Intel SSD though.

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    Re: Setting up a new computer, which power supply should I use?

    Quote Originally Posted by ahallubuntu View Post
    It's wasteful to get a power supply that's more than you need. Even if you get an 80+ efficient power supply (highly recommended), 80% of 600 watts is more power than 80% of 500 watts used.
    Not true at all.

    Modern PSU's are most efficient when supplying around 50% load.
    If your system actually draws 300W then a 600W power supply is likely to use less energy than a 500W supply in the same situation.
    Cheesemill

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    Re: Setting up a new computer, which power supply should I use?

    Quote Originally Posted by Cheesemill View Post
    Not true at all.

    Modern PSU's are most efficient when supplying around 50% load.
    If your system actually draws 300W then a 600W power supply is likely to use less energy than a 500W supply in the same situation.
    You can believe what you want. I'll go with what I've actually measured comparing various PSUs.

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    Re: Setting up a new computer, which power supply should I use?

    Quote Originally Posted by ahallubuntu View Post
    You can believe what you want. I'll go with what I've actually measured comparing various PSUs.
    I'm going to go with you on that. People seem to think anymore that you need 750-900W for a basic quad core setup. Check out some servers. Their PSU's are pretty small compared to what people use in their desktops, and they have much more power. I understand that most people have a dedicated video card, but most people go overkill on that too...

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    Re: Setting up a new computer, which power supply should I use?

    Quote Originally Posted by ahallubuntu View Post
    You can believe what you want. I'll go with what I've actually measured comparing various PSUs.
    Take a look at the 250+ PSU tests here and try and find me one where the PSU efficiency doesn't peak at around the 50% load mark.

    All I'm saying is that you should calculate your power usage and the double that number to tell you what capacity of PSU you should be purchasing if efficiency is your top priority.
    If you take purchase price into consideration as well then it may be more worth your while spending less on a lower powered PSU as the running cost savings may be negligible.
    Cheesemill

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    Re: Setting up a new computer, which power supply should I use?

    Quote Originally Posted by Cheesemill View Post
    If you take purchase price into consideration as well then it may be more worth your while spending less on a lower powered PSU as the running cost savings may be negligible.
    So what is the point of buying a higher wattage psu? If you buy one that is quality, it will run fairly cool anyways. And if the savings is negligible, doesn't that make the argument moot?

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    Re: Setting up a new computer, which power supply should I use?

    This is completely off-topic, but is there a reason you've planned on such a small internal hard drive? 120GB runs out awful fast, especially if you're using it for gaming.

  10. #10
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    Re: Setting up a new computer, which power supply should I use?

    If I had to get a new PSU for that system, I would get: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151095

    You really don't need 620W, but the difference in price (at least on newegg) just makes the 620W model a good bargain. Anything over 450-500W is actually superfluous unless you plan to go Crossfire (probably not a good idea with Linux).

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