This is a great basic guide to power supply picking, pretty straight forward. The only thing I would add is to look before buying (mostly if you are not very confident in your choice) is a PSU tier list, because many well known brands have both excellent products and really crapy ones in their lineup, so watching a realiable PSU tier list is always a good thing to do in order to have an idea about the quality of that little black box with cables that you're buying.
I needed a bigger badder computer for my new artworks.... I looked at my old computers and had a Seasonic nearly 20 years old! But I needed a LOT more power.... I came upon this video and it made me consider Seasonic again. I so lucked out, Amazon had a remanufactured 850W Titanium on sale! Yes, it's more than I EVER considered paying, but it is steady and reliable with a 12 year warranty so it may well be in another couple computers in the future! Yes, paying more for the best PSU might be good value.... the PSU is the part most likely to go from one build to another. Thanks for the good tips, I like your channel!
It got my dislike for the comment about "cheaping out on power supplies". Quality and cost are definitely related but there are some outstanding low cost power supplies on the market. Similarly I've spent hundreds of pounds on power supplies only to have them fail with a very loud bang after just six months. The most important thing for any power supply is keeping it free from dust, dirt and pet hair 😂
@@garrickstokes people have burned down their houses with bad PSU. Yes there are some good less expensive ones just make sure its a reputable brand. She explains this in her video.
Nice video ! I''ve been working in IT for over 2 decades now, and I use Seasonic PSUs for every build I'm involved with. 2:00 Other brands that are reputable IMMO are Thermaltake, SilverStone and Super Flower. 11:26 One thing worth mentioning is the difference in power delivery between a non 80Plus, cheap (potentially crappy) PSU and a good A-brand 80Plus Titanium PSU. A non 80Plus PSU can have an efficiency well below a net 80% even dropping to below 60% , while a reputable 80Plus Titanium PSU can get up to 96%. This means that for example an 80Plus Titanium would deliver up to 672W instead of 420W or less for a really inefficient PSU, while both would effectively be sold as 700W. So let's say your new system needs about 350W of power, you could either choose a cheap 700W PSU with 55% efficiency or a good 80Plus Titanium PSU of only 400W. So you you don't necessarily need to compare a cheap 700W PSU with an expensive 700W PSU directly because a good, efficient PSU might allow you to get a lower gross wattage which in terms of money would be much closer to the price of the crappy but higher wattage PSU. That being said, most PSUs nowadays have at least some form of 80Plus certification.
In terms of recommending PSUs by brands, it's good advice in general, but far from perfect - there are many instances where a company that's known for good PSUs such as EVGA, Corsair or even Seasonic had pretty mediocre models (to say the least) in their lineups. This happens most often in the lower budget tiers, and from experience most average people look at those, trying to save money wherever they can. I cannot stress this enough, check the reviews of the particular model that you want to buy, and not even a particular model, but an identical unit in terms of wattage as well. PSUs like Corsair TXM series have slightly different internal components in 550-650W versions and different ones in 750W and 850W versions. Great video overall, keep up the good work! Cheers from an LTT moderator ;)
Thank you! And I know every aspect is technically more complicated, and no single brand has been flawless, but I do want to keep it accessible and understandable for beginning builders too. I constantly say people should do their homework (ie check reviews), but knowing that most people won't bother, sticking to a reputable brand is still the best place to start.
When I built my first PC over a year ago the associate helping me at Micro Center recommended a 750W psu for a 3700x/5700 xt build. It was overkill but it was a good choice. What wasn't the best choice perhaps was buying their store brand psu, PowerSpec which was 80 gold rated but upon further inspection I couldn't find much info about who manufactured it. Two months later I went back and exchanged it for a Corsair RM 750x which is inaudible and the 750W rating was perfect for my current ROG Strix 6800 XT gpu. It only cost me 20 dollars more. Best to not cheap out.
Terra Nigma anything six core and below even with a 200-250w tdp gpu, you could run fine with 550w. But since sadly, 450-550w psus are hard to come by for a cheaper price, might as well go with a 650 watt. I pretty much just point to rm650x or rm750x as the de facto psu to get for first timers. Seasonic gx/px (non focus) if you can find one for reasonable prices. There’s also the evga g2 / p2 / t2, but those are limited stock and the g3 is actually inferior to g2 in voltage regulation and fan.
PSU OEM's: Delta, Seasonic, Superflower, Lite-on, Great Wall, Channel Well Technology, FSP, Chicony, Flextronics I might have forgotten a couple but I believe those are almost all of the source manufacturers for PSU's. Mine is a Kingwin LZP-1000 which is a Superflower rebranded PSU.
@@TechTesters Hmmm... that's surprising. I can't think of any other case manufacturer that makes their own PSU's. I've been putting off buying a new PSU for years because of JonnyGuru's "retirement". Igor's Lab put up a article recently anticipating/predicting 80plus certifications being pure marketing fluff in the near future.
Great video. I like EVGA power supplies. I used a corsair 450 bronze for low spec build and it looked great like the EVGA with the black wires if you don't use power extenders
EVGA has been my choice since they were the first ones to offer 10 year warranty since 10 years ago. Not a single one failed yet. Recently I switched to Corsair for my new build as they now offer 10 year warranty as well.
I got a Seasonic and I'm happy with it, they also sent a free RTX 3000 12pin power cable free of charge. The only downside of the PSU (gx-850) is that the fan makes some rattling noise (tough it doesn't spin unless under heavy load). The fan noise cannot be heard from the PC, unless you duck down to the ground and put your ear to it though.
I'd like to see a power supply with bare ended wires and connector kits for a cut-to-length solution. There is a significant difference in the higher efficiency ratings. 80+ gold is 90% @ 50% load and 80+ titanium is 95%. You may say that's only 5%, but that difference represents half the amount of heat put into the case by the 80+ titanium over the 80+ gold.
I think Semi Modular is the best to get. I got a EVGA 650 gold with just the 24 pin MB included and the rest is modular. I think it is perfect like that because you will always need that connected anyway.
I think non modular is good too, cause a good system will use nearly all the cables anyway, so it's only a matter of tucking 1 or 2 cables away. Thing is, the better PSU's tend to all be modular anyway, so you might have to get modular if you want a good PSU.
Another excellent video! Can't emphasis enough how important it is to get a good PSU. I've been using EVGA for a couple of my builds ( I carried it across from one build to my current one ). Fully modular which came in so handy when I switched from my Fractal Design case which had loads of room for cable management, to my Corsair Airflow build which was more restrictive .
yay, i can see my Seasonic FOCUS GX ❤ I own the 750wat version of PSU, and my PC takes about 350-400 wat at gaming, the hybrid button for the fan is harmony for me, it's not spinning.
Just recently I bought a Riotoro Enigma 850W G2 power supply which is a rebranded Seasonic FOCUS plus power supply. I paid 110€ for it and it's really a good value for money.
I can also recommend Xilence PSUs. I'm pretty sure they don't make their own PSUs but I don't know where the manufacturer they are using. In my current system I do have a Xilence PSU, it is currently 8 years old and still working. Well for the most part. The fan has started to rattle, but it's 8 years old. I don't think you can blame a PSU for a fan starting to fail after 8 years
Excellent review Nada/Techtesters 👍🥰💪. There are many reputable brands, and yes some come rebranded via a major manufacturer. Many good brands not mentioned include: Super Flower, EVGA, Thermaltake, Cougar, Phanteks (briefly mentioned) & Silverstone. I’ve personally often found good-excellent deals on higher rated (silver, gold, platinum & titanium rated) power supplies and often used platinum and titanium due to higher efficiency and noticeably longer term warranty’s which give reassurance for multiple builds rather then replacing them every couple or few years with an upgrade or new build. Thanks for the video, another Techtesters ‘fix’ which is great to watch and informative. Thanks Nada & Techtesters team. Cheers 🍻 🥂🇦🇺🤯😇
Great guide, clearly explained, no need for endless charts and numbers, I tried watching Gamers Nexus power supply video, what a mess of data, you end up more confused than helped.
Wow, this video helps a lot, giving the fact that I need to upgrade my PSU before I get myself a 3080 / 3080Ti. Thanks a lot and keep it up with videos like this! 😊
I have an Ultra power supply. Don’t know how good they are as a brand but my particular PSU has been going strong for 6 years, 3 builds, and 2 lightning strikes. It is the last remaining internal component (3 fans not counting) from my original build.
Nice video as always. I'm using FSP Group (Fortron) Hydro G 750W for around 3 years and it's awesome. Also about the efficiency certifacts: From that I know there are only for the percentage of the watts which can go through the 12 volts, but that doesn't mean it would be good at all. For instance, there are many psus that have 80+ gold, but they are not even fully modular. Some of them are weak on the low voltages and entirely cheap manufactured. The PSU is one of the PC parts which shouldn't be underestimated.
I've used EVGA, Rosewill, and just ordered the ASUS Thor...each going up in watts from 650, 1000, and my Thor will be 1200. I can't speak for ASUS yet, but I've never had any PSU issues.
Oh my there's no 1050Ti (which I own) in the chart :D Thanks a lot for the review - it is always nice to see that there is a new video from you (and with you) available. Merry Christmas to you and your family! (may I ask something completely unrelated? as I have bought some simple NAS server, I am still trying to decide which drives to buy - any hints, or, maybe, an idea for some future video?). And again, Nada, thank you so much. Your videos make days brighter!
Newegg had a Superflower 850 for $40 off on Cyber Monday and after finding out that's who made EVGA Super Nova PSUs and what sort of components they put in their PSUs, as well as a 10 year warranty I bought it. Waiting on a couple parts to come in Monday to build in a new case so we'll see!
My Corsair GS600 packed up due to cable theft last week after being in use every day since mid 2010. 10 years of service. Will definitely buy another Corsair.
Thanks for this and in particular for mentioning efficiency. The amount of times I've heard people say that a 550W PSU is more than enough for a high-end build is unhealthy. Apart from the power spikes, you really don't want to run a PSU constantly at 80% or more of its peak wattage continuously. As for whether the PRIME series is worth it compared to the FOCUS series: It is if your main aim is for your PSU to last a decade and to have great efficiency during this time. It doesn't have to be a TX model, but if you can find a decent deal for a PRIME PX model, it's worth its build quality and reliability down the road.
Good coverage on the subject. Never open a power supply box and touch the inner parts: their are capacitors in that box that could kill you(heart stop because of electric shock) even if it is unpluged.
Great video Nada. Very detailed presentation but not too much where the content could get a bit dull. I just recently purchased the Seasonic Prime TX-1000 PSU for my new build. Unfortunately, I'm a bit stuck since the new 30 series graphics cards are practically impossible to find as well as the new AMD 5000 series CPUs. Hopefully I'll be able to put it together in the new year. As always, keep up the great work! :)
I'm thinking of upgrading from my gaming laptop to a Game Pc since i've already got a sick monitor and don't move a lot anymore since Covid and lockdown shannanigans.... I never knew that much about power supplies (yes i know the graphics cards and like processors) this is very useful! thank you for uploading and thorough explaining!~wederom bedankt!
I think in many if not most cases, PRIME is worth it over FOCUS. The cost difference isn't that large considering how much higher quality and more fault tolerant they are. Really like your channel, it's a refreshing change to have a woman covering technical details of computer parts.
Subjectively I think so too, I hate cheaping out on a PSU. But remember most people nowadays are still buying trash PSUs, if they would move up to something better, preferably something a-tier like a Focus, it'll be a huge step already.
I recently purchased a Seasonic Prime GX-1000. Even though I am only running a Asus Rog Strix 3080 OC 12gb, I heard that it's better to added a little cusion for the voltage spikes? It would be awesome to see a review on the Seasonic PSU's and the issues the 3090's were having with the EVGA.
I would like to add; check the output on the +12v rail to make sure it can deliver enough amps to power your specific CPU / GPU combo. Some of the cheaper PSU's skimp in this area and can cause you all sorts of trouble. Personally I'm very happy with my Corsair RM650x. It's fully modular, has semi passive cooling and 10 years warranty. Bought for a R5 1600 and a GTX 1060, now powering my R5 3600 and RX 5700XT and still leaving me headroom to upgrade to a more power hungry GPU. A good PSU will last you several builds, so like Nada said; get a quality product!
But if they gave me a 1200w power supply, for a rtx 3080 gaming system, where I intend no overclocking, is it bad? Can it do harm because of too much power and voltage?
No no. A power supply doesn't "push" power, your system takes what it needs. So "too much power" isn't an issue. Since psus are the most efficient near 50%, and fairly inefficient at super low load, a 1200w psu might be a bit less efficient when your system is doing nothing. But that really isn't a big concern or a problem. The only real downside is that you might have overspent on the psu. I just hope it's a good brand and model!
No. The system only draws as much power as it needs. So in other words, the power supply doesn‘t push more power into your system. As she quickly mentioned, in your case it could be even better since your effency is probably super high. Meaning less electricity is turning into useless heat but rather gets used for your system, giving you theoretically a lower electricity bill. But as she also mentioned, the effect is very low, so you will probably not safe enough electricity than you paid in the first place more, to buy that bigger and more efficient powersupply. So you are more than good and have the luxury to easy upgrade to almost anything you want. Edit: when i wrote this, the comment of her was not here yet, so me mentioning her was regarding the things she said in the video, not in her comment. True, it might be less efficient while in idle, but depending of your monster rig, since you have such a powersupply, i can imagine that you draw 600w while pushing fps :) but yeah maybe you don‘t have that kind of monster tier pc.
@@DarkPlatin is 1300w an overkill for i9300 with rtx 3060?..will i have more electricity bills? I want a 1000w to future proof but the price difference is small btw 1000w and 1300w.what to buy?please suggest.
@@abdulrabb1616 while it might be considered overkill for this setup, it will for sure future proof it to some extend, specially if you know that you will upgrade in the future with new more powerfull graphic cards etc. No your electricity bill will not be higher, because the system only draws that much energy that it needs. With good powersupply it is actually even more efficient. So if you really want it then go for it. If your money would be limited and you would know you will not upgrade in the next 4-5 years to bigger components, then you could say it would be for sure a over kill and „wasted“ money. But I always say if it is what you want and that you can sleep good at night with your decision then go for it! There are always people hating and nagging on every little part of the set up (what could have been better or optomized…blabla). As long as it is perfect for you and you could really afford it, then it is a win. Tip: take a good brand of powersupply!
Awesome video Nadia!! :D I just wanna add brand alone ain't enough ALWAYS read reviews of the specific model and wattage output.. ain't all the same ^^. I had EVGA G2 650 (aka superflower) with Vega56+Ryzen 2600 was amazing. Then gifted and bought Seasonic Focus GX 550w with Vega nitro 64+ (UV/OC) Ryzen 3600.. and that little fella can hold even with OC everything LoL rly impressed!! Now I want an 3080 so today I ordered the Seasonic focus PX 750w for 120e deal!! I know that my 550W can hold.. cause I will undervolt.. but I want to be inside the efficiency curve @90% and OC for fun as well without worries ^^. A good quality PSU offers "clean energy" making yr pc more stable too. A junk can be explode and take yr hardware with it.. (happen 2 me before..).
what i do is pick the wattage of your cpu: 65 do it x1,5 65x1,5=97,5 and pick the wattage of your gpu:230 and do it x1,5 230x1,5=345 now multiply this numers 97,5+345=442,5 now do one last time this number x1,5 442,5x1,5=663,75 so you need a 700 watt power supply in this situation sorry for my bad english
Don't use price and brand as criteria; refer to actual failure rates published by system builders like Puget Systems. I have replaced a Corsair CX650 (which lasted approximately 90 days) with an $8 generic PSU that is now in its 4th year of daily operation. I also tried power supplies from DeepCool, be quiet!, and Apexgaming with generally positive reviews online. Use PSU calculators from be quiet! or newegg before purchasing. Know that several manufacturers make PSUs for other brands like Seasonic. Know the origin of the capacitors and obviously, read reviews on amazon.
They don't answer my emails so, I don't know 😉 Seriously though, EVGA isn't a big PSU vendor here in the Netherlands (or even the EU afaik), so I don't think I've ever used or even seen one. From what I hear from US folks though is that most of their (especially upper range) stuff should be good.
My current power supply is Seasonic Focus + Gold 650. Top notch product very reliable and never had an issue with it. I suggest to anyone who will setup a new rig to checkout OuterVision Power Supply Calculator and see what your actual power requirements based on your PC specs.
Even name brand quality power supplies can fail. I had a EVGA 850 GA Gold 80 power supply fail with a big POP! a few weeks ago. EVGA replaced their unit through their RMA process. I plan for such events by keeping a spare power supply in my parts closet just in case. Good argument for always buying modular power supplies. I was able to swap in my backup power supply and plug in the cables and be up and running in minutes. A non-modular power supply would have involved a lot of messing with cables and cable management.
Super Flower is another noteworthy OEM who make PSUs for other companies like Seasonic does, they also have their own line of branded PSUs. crmaris is a pretty good source if you want to do another video on this topic. He is a greek guy who has a particular interest in PSUs, and is a big part in Cybenetics who are setting a new certification for PSUs that has more meaning than the 80 plus one. He has a channel on RUclips, and has been an active reviewer of PSUs, among other things for a long time.
This video was a really smart idea. There would be many people out there, such as myself, who are going to need a PSU upgrade to match their new 30 series card (if I can ever find one in stock!).
The Seasonic PSU's I was looking at went from "overdue since April 2020" to "expected March 2021" So I went for a Corsair. Opted for 1000W because it was barely any more than the 850W and I might end up with multiple gpu's at some point in the future (for rendering, not gaming, obviously.) Hopefully it'll arrive on 22nd of December, then I just need to get the hard parts cpu & gpu (but CPU's are constantly getting restocked, I'm just waiting for 5900x or a price drop on the 5800x.)
From what I hear demand is crazy everywhere. That's why I also didn't really include any specific buy advice, it just really depends on availability right now :-/
One of the most important parameter you need to check in a Power Supply is the +12V rail. GPU, CPU and motherboard needs a good +12V rail. The question is how many Amperes (A) the power supply can deliver in the +12V rail mantaining his +12V (Volts) value. If you see your +12V rail it's not in the +/- 5% value margin, your PSU can't handle your PC build and you need to change it (PSU). You can check the power supply parameters in BIOS (idle consumption), software in windows like HWinfo64 or the best method with a multimeter using your PC while you playing a game.
Of course, but this is meant to help people who aren't that tech savvy, so it's important to chop up all the really "complicated" PSU aspects, and make it into something that most people do understand. The good thing about sticking to a reliable brand, plus the capacities I'm talking about per example system, is that is you don't really need to worry about how much it can do on each rail anymore.
@@TechTesters I know the video you made is for Beginners Friendly. And i think you did an excellent job. Sometimes the manufacturers "tricks" consumer making them buy a Power Supply that don't need. For example: Adevertising a Power Supply as an 850 Watts +80 plus platinum certified and when you check the +12V rail only delivers 750 Watts that's misinforming the consumer (btw im not saying Seasonic do that). That's why i made my comment in your video.
That happens a lot with cheaper models especially. 300W PSU's with 150W 12V ratings and such. I Cringe. Don't think I've seen that happen on any of the "good" models in years though, at least not to the point where it really matters. Maybe it needs a second part, purely technical, 60 minutes of theoretical PSU rambling. 😂 I think 95% of people would give up, but a few PSU fanatics would go nuts.
Surprisingly, out of the builds I made over the years (20 years or so), the brands that failed most were Corsair. Usually not within three years though. Service has been pretty good though, and even a PSU out of warranty was replaced without any questions asked. Seasonic so far, never failed, and I previously only used those in the more demanding builds. For logical reasons I ended up only using Seasonic since 2019.
evga and seasonic are my first chioses. Corsair are good too but why risk it when you can get a seasonic 550w in gold or platinum depending on your budget.
eVGA T2 / P2 / G2 psus are great too (superflower platform). Superflower now sell their psus directly too these days. Only bad thing with superflower is that their stock psu cables are stupidly stiff.
At the 7 min area you forgot to mention upgrades using more power then what was used. When I upgraded my Desktop the most importnt thing to me was if the PSU could handle it. A good standard many use is twice the base need.
Thermaltake Toughpower iRGB PLUS 1200W modular Platinum however had it only six months and the system would randomly completely shut down only a few seconds into boot - this occurred in the BIOS and windows. 7 hours of testing confirmed no other components were the cause - RAM no issues - GPU - no issues - CPU no issues. After getting the system checked it was confirmed the PSU was faulty and due to its safety features was shutting off when system tried to boot under load. Sent the PSU back to Thermaltake Australia and the fault was confirmed - replacement has been sent by Thermaltake already and should arrive tomorrow. I had to send back all the cables as well just in case the cables had an issue. This psu cost me AU$460. Frustrated it had an issue only six months in, however cannot complain about their service.
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12:53 Best part of the video :D
Absolutely ;)
Well, congratz there, its not even subtle xD haha
@@Jelpronir Yea it a lot bigger than I thought it would be thb.
true
@@HorstJt That's what she said. LMAO
Scared that I was going to get a 90% ad for seasonic. Glad that it was only like 10%. Good work.
This is a great basic guide to power supply picking, pretty straight forward. The only thing I would add is to look before buying (mostly if you are not very confident in your choice) is a PSU tier list, because many well known brands have both excellent products and really crapy ones in their lineup, so watching a realiable PSU tier list is always a good thing to do in order to have an idea about the quality of that little black box with cables that you're buying.
As the precursor to RGB, ketchup & mustard cables increase FPS, but only when the power supply is placed "upside down."
This is the best power supply video on youtube rn, really well done!
Thanks!
Thank you! 😊
I needed a bigger badder computer for my new artworks....
I looked at my old computers and had a Seasonic nearly 20 years old!
But I needed a LOT more power.... I came upon this video and it made me consider Seasonic again.
I so lucked out, Amazon had a remanufactured 850W Titanium on sale!
Yes, it's more than I EVER considered paying, but it is steady and reliable with a 12 year warranty so it may well be in another couple computers in the future!
Yes, paying more for the best PSU might be good value.... the PSU is the part most likely to go from one build to another.
Thanks for the good tips, I like your channel!
I have the tx-850. Absolutely amazing PSU. Doesn't even get warm with an i7-12700k, essence STX II sound card, and an rtx 3080 TUF.
some people had disliked this? really?
this is one of the most informative videos about PSU
Thank you!
It got my dislike for the comment about "cheaping out on power supplies".
Quality and cost are definitely related but there are some outstanding low cost power supplies on the market.
Similarly I've spent hundreds of pounds on power supplies only to have them fail with a very loud bang after just six months.
The most important thing for any power supply is keeping it free from dust, dirt and pet hair 😂
@@garrickstokes people have burned down their houses with bad PSU. Yes there are some good less expensive ones just make sure its a reputable brand. She explains this in her video.
@@zionic3483 Well starting with low price = bad made me click off. It's just not true.
@@garrickstokes sure buddy, which ones are you selling on aliexpress?
I really like this host, she does a great job breaking things down to so that everybody can understand. Great PSU video... thank you!
She is hot but her hand gestures drive me crazy though
Excellent roundup of Psu’s, and what to look for 👍🏻
Another great video. This PSU hunt is wild. Thanks for breaking it all down. Thanks.
Nice video !
I''ve been working in IT for over 2 decades now, and I use Seasonic PSUs for every build I'm involved with.
2:00 Other brands that are reputable IMMO are Thermaltake, SilverStone and Super Flower.
11:26 One thing worth mentioning is the difference in power delivery between a non 80Plus, cheap (potentially crappy) PSU and a good A-brand 80Plus Titanium PSU. A non 80Plus PSU can have an efficiency well below a net 80% even dropping to below 60% , while a reputable 80Plus Titanium PSU can get up to 96%. This means that for example an 80Plus Titanium would deliver up to 672W instead of 420W or less for a really inefficient PSU, while both would effectively be sold as 700W.
So let's say your new system needs about 350W of power, you could either choose a cheap 700W PSU with 55% efficiency or a good 80Plus Titanium PSU of only 400W. So you you don't necessarily need to compare a cheap 700W PSU with an expensive 700W PSU directly because a good, efficient PSU might allow you to get a lower gross wattage which in terms of money would be much closer to the price of the crappy but higher wattage PSU. That being said, most PSUs nowadays have at least some form of 80Plus certification.
What titanium brand w will you recommend for a 3090 rtx 5950 ryzen dark hero motherboard and 64gs of ram???
Is seasonic core gold gc500 enough for i5 12400 and rx 6600?
Best PSU recommendations imo
-450w: Corsair CV or EVGA BR ($30-40)
550w: Corsair CX ($50-70)
650w: Corsair CXF or MSI A-GF ($90-100)
750w: Corsair RM, MSI A-GF, SeaSonic Focus Gold, NZXT C ($100-120)
850w: Same as the 750w recommendations ($120-150)
Thanks for the video. A basic guide which indeed helped me clearing some doubts about power supply.
In terms of recommending PSUs by brands, it's good advice in general, but far from perfect - there are many instances where a company that's known for good PSUs such as EVGA, Corsair or even Seasonic had pretty mediocre models (to say the least) in their lineups. This happens most often in the lower budget tiers, and from experience most average people look at those, trying to save money wherever they can. I cannot stress this enough, check the reviews of the particular model that you want to buy, and not even a particular model, but an identical unit in terms of wattage as well. PSUs like Corsair TXM series have slightly different internal components in 550-650W versions and different ones in 750W and 850W versions.
Great video overall, keep up the good work! Cheers from an LTT moderator ;)
Thank you! And I know every aspect is technically more complicated, and no single brand has been flawless, but I do want to keep it accessible and understandable for beginning builders too. I constantly say people should do their homework (ie check reviews), but knowing that most people won't bother, sticking to a reputable brand is still the best place to start.
Remember, an overkill power supply is peace of mind.
That's definitely why a lot of people buy o ne xD
@@TechTesters Considering my Dual Core PC (my first ever PC) was fried by a generic PSU, I'd say there's a perfectly rational truth in that.
True, but that doesn't mean the average users need 1000W PSUs.
When I built my first PC over a year ago the associate helping me at Micro Center recommended a 750W psu for a 3700x/5700 xt build. It was overkill but it was a good choice. What wasn't the best choice perhaps was buying their store brand psu, PowerSpec which was 80 gold rated but upon further inspection I couldn't find much info about who manufactured it. Two months later I went back and exchanged it for a Corsair RM 750x which is inaudible and the 750W rating was perfect for my current ROG Strix 6800 XT gpu. It only cost me 20 dollars more. Best to not cheap out.
Terra Nigma anything six core and below even with a 200-250w tdp gpu, you could run fine with 550w. But since sadly, 450-550w psus are hard to come by for a cheaper price, might as well go with a 650 watt. I pretty much just point to rm650x or rm750x as the de facto psu to get for first timers. Seasonic gx/px (non focus) if you can find one for reasonable prices. There’s also the evga g2 / p2 / t2, but those are limited stock and the g3 is actually inferior to g2 in voltage regulation and fan.
Super helpful! God knows I needed to know this when making my first build LOL
Glad you think so! :D
PSU OEM's:
Delta, Seasonic, Superflower, Lite-on, Great Wall, Channel Well Technology, FSP, Chicony, Flextronics
I might have forgotten a couple but I believe those are almost all of the source manufacturers for PSU's.
Mine is a Kingwin LZP-1000 which is a Superflower rebranded PSU.
In win makes their own as well right?
@@TechTesters Hmmm... that's surprising. I can't think of any other case manufacturer that makes their own PSU's.
I've been putting off buying a new PSU for years because of JonnyGuru's "retirement".
Igor's Lab put up a article recently anticipating/predicting 80plus certifications being pure marketing fluff in the near future.
@@Starscreamious HEC, FSP, Enchance Electronics, Sirtec....
Great video. I like EVGA power supplies. I used a corsair 450 bronze for low spec build and it looked great like the EVGA with the black wires if you don't use power extenders
GPUs will draw more than the TDP listed in the graphs especially if you overclock. 3090 strix can spike to over 500w.
Thanks for the great information and all the testing/research you do for the community. Appreciate it 😊
My pleasure :D
Excellent video, you answered most of the question I had regarding PSU, thanks for doing this video
Glad it was helpful!
EVGA has been my choice since they were the first ones to offer 10 year warranty since 10 years ago. Not a single one failed yet. Recently I switched to Corsair for my new build as they now offer 10 year warranty as well.
I got a Seasonic and I'm happy with it, they also sent a free RTX 3000 12pin power cable free of charge.
The only downside of the PSU (gx-850) is that the fan makes some rattling noise (tough it doesn't spin unless under heavy load).
The fan noise cannot be heard from the PC, unless you duck down to the ground and put your ear to it though.
I'd like to see a power supply with bare ended wires and connector kits for a cut-to-length solution.
There is a significant difference in the higher efficiency ratings. 80+ gold is 90% @ 50% load and 80+ titanium is 95%. You may say that's only 5%, but that difference represents half the amount of heat put into the case by the 80+ titanium over the 80+ gold.
i'm using enermax for decades now, happy with it
I’m glad to see this I have a build on the way with an Enermax 850 for a 3080 and 10700k I’m hoping it turns out okay
I'm having a hard time finding folks who have used the Marblebron series.🤔
this was a really really good video, thank you
I think Semi Modular is the best to get. I got a EVGA 650 gold with just the 24 pin MB included and the rest is modular. I think it is perfect like that because you will always need that connected anyway.
I think non modular is good too, cause a good system will use nearly all the cables anyway, so it's only a matter of tucking 1 or 2 cables away.
Thing is, the better PSU's tend to all be modular anyway, so you might have to get modular if you want a good PSU.
Another excellent video! Can't emphasis enough how important it is to get a good PSU. I've been using EVGA for a couple of my builds ( I carried it across from one build to my current one ). Fully modular which came in so handy when I switched from my Fractal Design case which had loads of room for cable management, to my Corsair Airflow build which was more restrictive .
yay, i can see my Seasonic FOCUS GX ❤ I own the 750wat version of PSU, and my PC takes about 350-400 wat at gaming, the hybrid button for the fan is harmony for me, it's not spinning.
Just recently I bought a Riotoro Enigma 850W G2 power supply which is a rebranded Seasonic FOCUS plus power supply. I paid 110€ for it and it's really a good value for money.
I can also recommend Xilence PSUs.
I'm pretty sure they don't make their own PSUs but I don't know where the manufacturer they are using.
In my current system I do have a Xilence PSU, it is currently 8 years old and still working. Well for the most part. The fan has started to rattle, but it's 8 years old. I don't think you can blame a PSU for a fan starting to fail after 8 years
Love your reviews, Nada! I just bought the Seasonic Focus PX 850w Platinum last week! :D
Thank you 😁 and nice! Hope you found a nice new gpu to go with it too 🤐
@@TechTesters Yes, I already bought the RTX 3080! That’s the reason why I changed my old PSU. 😄
Excellent review Nada/Techtesters 👍🥰💪. There are many reputable brands, and yes some come rebranded via a major manufacturer. Many good brands not mentioned include: Super Flower, EVGA, Thermaltake, Cougar, Phanteks (briefly mentioned) & Silverstone. I’ve personally often found good-excellent deals on higher rated (silver, gold, platinum & titanium rated) power supplies and often used platinum and titanium due to higher efficiency and noticeably longer term warranty’s which give reassurance for multiple builds rather then replacing them every couple or few years with an upgrade or new build. Thanks for the video, another Techtesters ‘fix’ which is great to watch and informative. Thanks Nada & Techtesters team. Cheers 🍻 🥂🇦🇺🤯😇
Seasonic makes the best reliable PSUs EVER!!! Never had a problem with them!!!
Hello! I’ve been deciding which one to get.
Seasonic core gold focus gm650
Cooler master mee v2 650
Corsair cx650
Which one you can recommend?
Great guide, clearly explained, no need for endless charts and numbers, I tried watching Gamers Nexus power supply video, what a mess of data, you end up more confused than helped.
I picked a Seasonic 650W Gold for my 5600x+3070 build :)
Is it going well?? I’m not sure what psu to go with a 3060 ti and 3600
@@alexisaxel777 Overkill for 3060ti and 3600. 650W can go with 3080 actually, though it is not recommended
Nada will always make a first-timer feel less awkward.
The best reviewer I've ever seen.❤️
Wow, this video helps a lot, giving the fact that I need to upgrade my PSU before I get myself a 3080 / 3080Ti. Thanks a lot and keep it up with videos like this! 😊
Finally someone is explaining how to choose a PSU!! Thank you!! 🌹🌹🌹
Happy to help!
I have an Ultra power supply. Don’t know how good they are as a brand but my particular PSU has been going strong for 6 years, 3 builds, and 2 lightning strikes. It is the last remaining internal component (3 fans not counting) from my original build.
I've been running with an EVGA that has been great so far.
Primarily recc mainly the g2/g3, p2, and t2 lines. Their new psus are no longer superflower based.
I have EVGA G3 and it's so loud and noisy
@@FIIZEEX ya know, now that you'd at that, mine is kinda noisy too.
Daniel Riley best noise wise for the price I’d say is the Corsair gold RMx series.
Nice video as always. I'm using FSP Group (Fortron) Hydro G 750W for around 3 years and it's awesome. Also about the efficiency certifacts: From that I know there are only for the percentage of the watts which can go through the 12 volts, but that doesn't mean it would be good at all. For instance, there are many psus that have 80+ gold, but they are not even fully modular. Some of them are weak on the low voltages and entirely cheap manufactured. The PSU is one of the PC parts which shouldn't be underestimated.
I would add EVGA and SilverStone
So happy that the ryzen 5 3600 or 5600x is the most efficient cpu another reason to go for them. Even with a 3060ti, a 500w psu will be fine.
I've used EVGA, Rosewill, and just ordered the ASUS Thor...each going up in watts from 650, 1000, and my Thor will be 1200. I can't speak for ASUS yet, but I've never had any PSU issues.
Power supply is a heart of the pc 😀
Oh my there's no 1050Ti (which I own) in the chart :D
Thanks a lot for the review - it is always nice to see that there is a new video from you (and with you) available. Merry Christmas to you and your family!
(may I ask something completely unrelated? as I have bought some simple NAS server, I am still trying to decide which drives to buy - any hints, or, maybe, an idea for some future video?).
And again, Nada, thank you so much. Your videos make days brighter!
Newegg had a Superflower 850 for $40 off on Cyber Monday and after finding out that's who made EVGA Super Nova PSUs and what sort of components they put in their PSUs, as well as a 10 year warranty I bought it. Waiting on a couple parts to come in Monday to build in a new case so we'll see!
My Corsair GS600 packed up due to cable theft last week after being in use every day since mid 2010. 10 years of service. Will definitely buy another Corsair.
I've heard of people stealing copper cables from substations. But from PSUs?!
@@fallinginthed33p Haha no from our residential area. It caused a surge in my house resulting in a very dead PC.
Thanks for this and in particular for mentioning efficiency. The amount of times I've heard people say that a 550W PSU is more than enough for a high-end build is unhealthy. Apart from the power spikes, you really don't want to run a PSU constantly at 80% or more of its peak wattage continuously.
As for whether the PRIME series is worth it compared to the FOCUS series: It is if your main aim is for your PSU to last a decade and to have great efficiency during this time. It doesn't have to be a TX model, but if you can find a decent deal for a PRIME PX model, it's worth its build quality and reliability down the road.
Good coverage on the subject. Never open a power supply box and touch the inner parts: their are capacitors in that box that could kill you(heart stop because of electric shock) even if it is unpluged.
loved this! super informative and helpful, great work!! :)
Great video Nada. Very detailed presentation but not too much where the content could get a bit dull. I just recently purchased the Seasonic Prime TX-1000 PSU for my new build. Unfortunately, I'm a bit stuck since the new 30 series graphics cards are practically impossible to find as well as the new AMD 5000 series CPUs. Hopefully I'll be able to put it together in the new year. As always, keep up the great work! :)
Glad you think so! 😁 As for gpus, I don't know what to say. Putting a holiday build together right now, can barely get any gpu, anywhere 😕
I'm thinking of upgrading from my gaming laptop to a Game Pc since i've already got a sick monitor and don't move a lot anymore since Covid and lockdown shannanigans.... I never knew that much about power supplies (yes i know the graphics cards and like processors) this is very useful! thank you for uploading and thorough explaining!~wederom bedankt!
Happy to help, and thank you! :)
I think in many if not most cases, PRIME is worth it over FOCUS. The cost difference isn't that large considering how much higher quality and more fault tolerant they are. Really like your channel, it's a refreshing change to have a woman covering technical details of computer parts.
Subjectively I think so too, I hate cheaping out on a PSU. But remember most people nowadays are still buying trash PSUs, if they would move up to something better, preferably something a-tier like a Focus, it'll be a huge step already.
Thanks!I ordered the Aresgame 750w unit on Amazon. Great price features and reviews.
I recently purchased a Seasonic Prime GX-1000. Even though I am only running a Asus Rog Strix 3080 OC 12gb, I heard that it's better to added a little cusion for the voltage spikes? It would be awesome to see a review on the Seasonic PSU's and the issues the 3090's were having with the EVGA.
Thank you Lady .Very informative .😉👍
I would like to add; check the output on the +12v rail to make sure it can deliver enough amps to power your specific CPU / GPU combo. Some of the cheaper PSU's skimp in this area and can cause you all sorts of trouble. Personally I'm very happy with my Corsair RM650x. It's fully modular, has semi passive cooling and 10 years warranty. Bought for a R5 1600 and a GTX 1060, now powering my R5 3600 and RX 5700XT and still leaving me headroom to upgrade to a more power hungry GPU. A good PSU will last you several builds, so like Nada said; get a quality product!
I recently got a 850 watts Focus. I'm really happy with it!
Happy to hear 😁
Found this video quite informative and cleared all of my queries regarding the PSUs😀😀
Glad you think so :D
Maan once again, more powersupplys in this video than my hole country :D
If I buy a 1650 super and i3, do I need a 1200W or just a power bank? I'm confused 🤔
Any good quality 400W+ PSU is a good start :)
@@TechTesters haha I was just kidding. Still rocking my bulldozer CPU. Will upgrade in 2021 hopefully
But if they gave me a 1200w power supply, for a rtx 3080 gaming system, where I intend no overclocking, is it bad? Can it do harm because of too much power and voltage?
No no. A power supply doesn't "push" power, your system takes what it needs. So "too much power" isn't an issue.
Since psus are the most efficient near 50%, and fairly inefficient at super low load, a 1200w psu might be a bit less efficient when your system is doing nothing. But that really isn't a big concern or a problem. The only real downside is that you might have overspent on the psu.
I just hope it's a good brand and model!
No. The system only draws as much power as it needs. So in other words, the power supply doesn‘t push more power into your system.
As she quickly mentioned, in your case it could be even better since your effency is probably super high. Meaning less electricity is turning into useless heat but rather gets used for your system, giving you theoretically a lower electricity bill. But as she also mentioned, the effect is very low, so you will probably not safe enough electricity than you paid in the first place more, to buy that bigger and more efficient powersupply.
So you are more than good and have the luxury to easy upgrade to almost anything you want.
Edit: when i wrote this, the comment of her was not here yet, so me mentioning her was regarding the things she said in the video, not in her comment. True, it might be less efficient while in idle, but depending of your monster rig, since you have such a powersupply, i can imagine that you draw 600w while pushing fps :) but yeah maybe you don‘t have that kind of monster tier pc.
No man, your build will consume as much as it needs. You will be fine for years if it is a good one.
@@DarkPlatin is 1300w an overkill for i9300 with rtx 3060?..will i have more electricity bills? I want a 1000w to future proof but the price difference is small btw 1000w and 1300w.what to buy?please suggest.
@@abdulrabb1616 while it might be considered overkill for this setup, it will for sure future proof it to some extend, specially if you know that you will upgrade in the future with new more powerfull graphic cards etc.
No your electricity bill will not be higher, because the system only draws that much energy that it needs. With good powersupply it is actually even more efficient.
So if you really want it then go for it. If your money would be limited and you would know you will not upgrade in the next 4-5 years to bigger components, then you could say it would be for sure a over kill and „wasted“ money. But I always say if it is what you want and that you can sleep good at night with your decision then go for it! There are always people hating and nagging on every little part of the set up (what could have been better or optomized…blabla). As long as it is perfect for you and you could really afford it, then it is a win.
Tip: take a good brand of powersupply!
EVGA are good as well had my 1000w G3 supernova for a while even running my power hungry 3080
Got the 750w little brother of that. Have heard nothing but good things!
thats because that particular model is a rebranded SuperFlower PSU. EVGA dont make any PSUs themselves as far as I know.
My EVGA 850P2 has been rock-solid through multiple high-end builds.
Nox1212 you can buy directLy now from superflower. It’s the leadex III gold.
@@CknSalad from the ones in the UK that are available they look terrible in comparison to the blacked-out EVGA ones
I was looking for something like this for a while. Your video covered all the main parts I needed to know! Kudos 😊
Awesome video Nadia!! :D I just wanna add brand alone ain't enough ALWAYS read reviews of the specific model and wattage output.. ain't all the same ^^.
I had EVGA G2 650 (aka superflower) with Vega56+Ryzen 2600 was amazing. Then gifted and bought Seasonic Focus GX 550w with Vega nitro 64+ (UV/OC) Ryzen 3600.. and that little fella can hold even with OC everything LoL rly impressed!! Now I want an 3080 so today I ordered the Seasonic focus PX 750w for 120e deal!! I know that my 550W can hold.. cause I will undervolt.. but I want to be inside the efficiency curve @90% and OC for fun as well without worries ^^.
A good quality PSU offers "clean energy" making yr pc more stable too. A junk can be explode and take yr hardware with it.. (happen 2 me before..).
what i do is pick the wattage of your cpu: 65 do it x1,5
65x1,5=97,5
and pick the wattage of your gpu:230 and do it x1,5
230x1,5=345
now multiply this numers
97,5+345=442,5
now do one last time this number x1,5
442,5x1,5=663,75 so you need a 700 watt power supply in this situation
sorry for my bad english
Don't use price and brand as criteria; refer to actual failure rates published by system builders like Puget Systems.
I have replaced a Corsair CX650 (which lasted approximately 90 days) with an $8 generic PSU that is now in its 4th year of daily operation.
I also tried power supplies from DeepCool, be quiet!, and Apexgaming with generally positive reviews online.
Use PSU calculators from be quiet! or newegg before purchasing.
Know that several manufacturers make PSUs for other brands like Seasonic. Know the origin of the capacitors and obviously, read reviews on amazon.
EVGA is reliable right?
Yes
They don't answer my emails so, I don't know 😉
Seriously though, EVGA isn't a big PSU vendor here in the Netherlands (or even the EU afaik), so I don't think I've ever used or even seen one. From what I hear from US folks though is that most of their (especially upper range) stuff should be good.
Yes, but I don't think they have a strong presence in Europe, so perhaps they don't have experience using them.
If people need to build now, there’s always the superflower leadex III gold psu line.
im using a "thermaltake toughpower grand rgb 650w 80plusgold" last 3years. No problems!
My current power supply is Seasonic Focus + Gold 650. Top notch product very reliable and never had an issue with it. I suggest to anyone who will setup a new rig to checkout OuterVision Power Supply Calculator and see what your actual power requirements based on your PC specs.
Even name brand quality power supplies can fail. I had a EVGA 850 GA Gold 80 power supply fail with a big POP! a few weeks ago. EVGA replaced their unit through their RMA process. I plan for such events by keeping a spare power supply in my parts closet just in case. Good argument for always buying modular power supplies. I was able to swap in my backup power supply and plug in the cables and be up and running in minutes. A non-modular power supply would have involved a lot of messing with cables and cable management.
Super Flower is another noteworthy OEM who make PSUs for other companies like Seasonic does, they also have their own line of branded PSUs.
crmaris is a pretty good source if you want to do another video on this topic. He is a greek guy who has a particular interest in PSUs, and is a big part in Cybenetics who are setting a new certification for PSUs that has more meaning than the 80 plus one. He has a channel on RUclips, and has been an active reviewer of PSUs, among other things for a long time.
This video was a really smart idea. There would be many people out there, such as myself, who are going to need a PSU upgrade to match their new 30 series card (if I can ever find one in stock!).
Hah yeah, I thought it'd be good timing after all the big gpu and cpu launches. That stock though 😕
The Seasonic PSU's I was looking at went from "overdue since April 2020" to "expected March 2021" So I went for a Corsair. Opted for 1000W because it was barely any more than the 850W and I might end up with multiple gpu's at some point in the future (for rendering, not gaming, obviously.) Hopefully it'll arrive on 22nd of December, then I just need to get the hard parts cpu & gpu (but CPU's are constantly getting restocked, I'm just waiting for 5900x or a price drop on the 5800x.)
From what I hear demand is crazy everywhere. That's why I also didn't really include any specific buy advice, it just really depends on availability right now :-/
One of the most important parameter you need to check in a Power Supply is the +12V rail. GPU, CPU and motherboard needs a good +12V rail. The question is how many Amperes (A) the power supply can deliver in the +12V rail mantaining his +12V (Volts) value. If you see your +12V rail it's not in the +/- 5% value margin, your PSU can't handle your PC build and you need to change it (PSU). You can check the power supply parameters in BIOS (idle consumption), software in windows like HWinfo64 or the best method with a multimeter using your PC while you playing a game.
Of course, but this is meant to help people who aren't that tech savvy, so it's important to chop up all the really "complicated" PSU aspects, and make it into something that most people do understand. The good thing about sticking to a reliable brand, plus the capacities I'm talking about per example system, is that is you don't really need to worry about how much it can do on each rail anymore.
@@TechTesters I know the video you made is for Beginners Friendly. And i think you did an excellent job. Sometimes the manufacturers "tricks" consumer making them buy a Power Supply that don't need. For example: Adevertising a Power Supply as an 850 Watts +80 plus platinum certified and when you check the +12V rail only delivers 750 Watts that's misinforming the consumer (btw im not saying Seasonic do that). That's why i made my comment in your video.
That happens a lot with cheaper models especially. 300W PSU's with 150W 12V ratings and such. I Cringe. Don't think I've seen that happen on any of the "good" models in years though, at least not to the point where it really matters.
Maybe it needs a second part, purely technical, 60 minutes of theoretical PSU rambling. 😂 I think 95% of people would give up, but a few PSU fanatics would go nuts.
Super handy video👌 rocking the evga g5 850w
Great to hear!
how about inwin ? Inwin Classic 750W Aluminium - Full Modular 80Plus Platinum
Honestly no idea. Youd have to look for a review from a reliable source.
@@TechTesters its look like only 1 vid talk about it and its about the sound not the performence itself lol
Before going to bed atleast I watched something worth ❤️❤️ Good Night 🌃
Ayyyyy
Surprisingly, out of the builds I made over the years (20 years or so), the brands that failed most were Corsair. Usually not within three years though. Service has been pretty good though, and even a PSU out of warranty was replaced without any questions asked.
Seasonic so far, never failed, and I previously only used those in the more demanding builds. For logical reasons I ended up only using Seasonic since 2019.
I've mostly had good experiences with both brands tbh, I guess it all depends on the model too.
6:20 can I use a 750 seasonic gold semi modular instead?
Before my Corsair, I was using Thermaltake - pretty good too.
Good info. I wanted to ask if you've done a video on the PC behind you as it looks awesome and I'm curious about the hardware.
I talk about it a bit in the 135k giveaway one (the ga is over). Dont have a dedicated video on it.
evga and seasonic are my first chioses. Corsair are good too but why risk it when you can get a seasonic 550w in gold or platinum depending on your budget.
Is rmx650w (2018) good enough for Sapphire rx5700xt nitro + and ryzen 5 3600 ?
Easily. That cpu is super efficient on power. Heck, it can run a 2080 ti and 12 core amd / 8 core Intel on it.
eVGA T2 / P2 / G2 psus are great too (superflower platform). Superflower now sell their psus directly too these days. Only bad thing with superflower is that their stock psu cables are stupidly stiff.
Good and helpful video , Good components they are looking like a beast...
Thanks!
Ketchup & mustard cables :D
At the 7 min area you forgot to mention upgrades using more power then what was used.
When I upgraded my Desktop the most importnt thing to me was if the PSU could handle it.
A good standard many use is twice the base need.
Thermaltake Toughpower iRGB PLUS 1200W modular Platinum however had it only six months and the system would randomly completely shut down only a few seconds into boot - this occurred in the BIOS and windows. 7 hours of testing confirmed no other components were the cause - RAM no issues - GPU - no issues - CPU no issues. After getting the system checked it was confirmed the PSU was faulty and due to its safety features was shutting off when system tried to boot under load.
Sent the PSU back to Thermaltake Australia and the fault was confirmed - replacement has been sent by Thermaltake already and should arrive tomorrow. I had to send back all the cables as well just in case the cables had an issue. This psu cost me AU$460. Frustrated it had an issue only six months in, however cannot complain about their service.
Do another video for when selecting a case and a processor fan .
Maybe! 😁
silverstone brand is good?
thanks
i got a focus sea sonic 850 platinum on sale during cyber monday for my new build
Can't go wrong with those :D
I have the Evga g3 850w has been a champ for the pass year.