Edit: thanks all for your input, I’ve taken all the input and tried to find a better proces 850W PSU, but given the current discount on the 1000W be quiet! there is just nothing else beating that deal, so I’ve gone with that.
My current setup is an i5-12400F + RTX 3060 Ti, 2x8GB 2666 MHz, 2x 2TB 3,5" HDD, 1x 1TB NVMe, 3 case fans, 1 air cooler, 0 RGB.
All PSU calculators tell me 650W is just enough and 750W is a comfortable headroom.
Right now I have an aging Seasonic S12 II 620W PSU that causes no issues as far as powering the system goes, I’ve had absolutely no problems with it whatsoever in the 5 years I’ve had it (started on an older, much less power hungry configuration). Except one thing. I’m pushing it close to its limits and the fan is going, it’s LOUD. I can’t stand hearing it over the gameplay.
So I’ve decided to upgrade and get something that will be suitable for my inevitable cpu+gpu upgrade a few years down the road.
My choices come down to two PSUs:
- be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 1000W 80 Plus Gold ATX 3.0
- Corsair RM850x 850W 80 Plus Gold
There’s a sale right now and they are priced almost the same at around 135€. The sale does not apply to an 850W variant of the Pure Power 12 M, making it and the 1000W the same price at this moment.
At first glance it looks like I should go for the 1000W be quiet, more headroom for the same price, but idk, Corsair might be more… reliable? Both have 10 year warranties. Both are overpowered for what my components require, and that’s exactly the point. I want this shit to be silent even if I’m pushing it.
Is there a better choice I should consider? Also, if the price on sale isn’t as attractive as you’d expect, we get crap deals all around in my country so that’s that.
I have a hard time believing that the PSU fan is the one you hear the most when pushing the system. They usually have pretty big fans in them so they can move a lot of air without crazy high RPM, similar to case fans. But your CPU and GPU on the other hand… usually smaller fans which means a lot more RPM to get the CFM needed to cool. Especially if you are using an Intel stock cooler… Stock CPU coolers SUCK.
That said, to answer your PSU question… You generally want to live around or under 80% of the rating of the PSU, as it is most efficient. Which typically is easy to do: based on quick calculations and making generous assumptions for your system, the PSU you have is likely enough (estimated true power draw of all your components mentioned is around 500w, likely just under. And that is assuming you are pegging every single component all at once, which is unlikely to happen through normal use. 500 / 0.8 = 625 or 620*0.8=496W).
My advice is filter down to brands you trust, and then look at modular units, and then buy the most wattage with a good 80+ rating that you can afford within the budget of the system you are trying to build.
It truly is the fan in the PSU. I may not be pulling all 500W at once, but that fan is struggling. I swapped my fans to sub-30 db fans thinking that was the culprit. It’s not. It’s not the HDD either. I literally took the side panel off and stuck my ear near every potential noise source. Believe me, it’s the PSU.
It’s a low end model, it’s old, it could simply be a dying bearing. Whatever the case may be, it’s dying, and I’m not about to disassemble a PSU to swap a fan and kill myself in the process lmao.
I’d be interested to hear that. It seems significantly more likely that fan noise you are hearing under load is coming from the CPU and/or GPU fans, and will still be there after swapping the PSU.
If they are the same price you’d be insane not to go for the be quiet! one! ATX 3.0 and 1000W will set you up for a long time.
850W is absolutely enough for anything you throw at it (even a 4090), but the Corsair one doesn’t have a 16 pin GPU cable.
Go with be quiet!, it’s an awesome brand :)
Gigabyte may have some on sale.
The 1000W one based solely on it being ATX3.0 which is much better if you plan to stick with it.
I’m using a 650W PSU from be quiet (the straight power series) and I’m using more power consuming compoments than you are (R7 3800X + 3070) and I don’t hear my PSU. I know you said you want to overspec but honestly save yourself the money, get a good be quiet one and that’s it
If you’re underusing your PSU, that’s also not good since its efficiency will be worse. But if that’s no concern for you then feel free to go for the overspec
Thanks for pointing out underusing the PSU. I actually went ahead and checked clearesult’s test report, and assuming I’d be pulling 200W most of the time (pulling this out of my ass), efficiency for that load is 91.05%. Pulling 500W in a long, demanding gaming session with this PSU means efficiency of 91.2%, a negligible difference.
A 650W variant costs 111€. 750W is 125€. 850W is 135€, the same as 1000W with current discount.
I’d be happy to go for a cheaper 850W PSU, but this is kinda the best deal right now for me.
To be clear. I’m not hell-bent on that 1000W PSU. I’m happy with a different option, but price to wattage ratio leans me to that choice.
