What size and type power supply?

[kmkiadoc]

The is my first build and not sure about power supplies;

Intel Core i5-3550 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo)

ASRock Z77 Extreme4

Intel 520 Series Cherryville SSD 120GB S

G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop
(may go to 16GB)

Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

LITE-ON Black Internal 12x BD Combo SATA Model iHES212-08 LightScribe Support
This drive reads blu-ray disc and writes DVD and CDs

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit

I am looking at a SeaSonic M12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply would this work for be or do you have any other suggestions?

[synack]

re: What size and type power supply?

This is a very fine power supply for what you have described. It is well reviewed.
The wattage is low if you are considering adding in any high end video cards.

Syn

[kmkiadoc]

re: What size and type power supply?

Thanks, I noted the you mentioned if I want to add a video card I should have more power. Would a 650 work or how much more should I be looking at?

[profJim]

re: What size and type power supply?

Check out the link to the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator in http://forums.tweaktown.com/gigabyte...tml#post441512, post #18.
My psu recommendations start in post #14 and continue to the end of the thread.

Seasonic made power supplies are my primary recommendation, followed closely by power supplies made by SuperFlower.
You want to consider what your psu needs will be for the next 4 or 5 years.
If you think that you might eventually go with a dual video card setup in the future, I would go with an 80Plus gold rated 750 watt psu.
With the current holiday sale pricing, you should be able to buy a top tier 750 watt psu for about $100.

[parsec]

re: What size and type power supply?

The Seasonic PS you mentioned is a good unit, I use three Seasonic PS's, and they have been flawless for me.

If you are not a gamer, that PS will be fine. If you are a big time gamer, you may want to go for more power. High performance video cards now use more power than anything else in a PC.

Your Ivy Bridge based PC is very power efficient. Your CPU is not a 'K' version, so you can't OC it much. To OC needs more power, but that is not an issue for you. Actually, a current trend is that most PC builders don't need as much power as they think they do. While it is better to not stress a PS, I tend to agree with this idea.

Newegg currently has the Seasonic 520 for $70, and the 620W version for $80.

They also have the X650 on sale for $90, and the X750 for $100! That is similar to the X-series Seasonic's that I use. One thing I love about them is at low power draw, their fan does not run at all. Actually, on my X660 and X760, the fans never run 90% of the time. They do not run warm without the fan running. If you like quiet PCs, this helps.

[- wardog -]

re: What size and type power supply?

Two thumbs up for the SeaSonic X750 and no fan noise!

NewEgg Seasonic Sale, valid through 11/25/2012 11:59pm:
Newegg.com - Master of Efficiency

[kmkiadoc]

re: What size and type power supply?

Thank for the help I am going with the SeaSonic X750

[profJim]

re: What size and type power supply?

Glad to help out and welcome to the Seasonic quiet fan club.

[parsec]

Re: What size and type power supply?

Well said, Prof. Jim!

When I first used my X660, it worried me because its fan never came on. I'm not a PC gamer (gasp!) so I don't really stress the PS much at all. I also use a bottom mount PS case, so the PS is in a cool location, and is not used as an extra case exhaust. I was worried the X660's fan was not working, so I taped a thin piece of paper across the exhaust vent, so I could see it moving if the fan started.

To this day, about a year later, that piece of paper has never moved. I measured the PS case temperature with the PC on with one of those laser thermometer gadgets (great for checking temps of chipsets, etc inside a PC.) These Seasonic models have the 12V voltage regulators on the bottom of the circuit board, contacting the bottom of the PS case with thermal pads. When mounted in a bottom mount PS case, the PS "bottom" faces up. That surface measured in the low 80's F.

So in effect, we have "fanless" power supplies, that have fans waiting to start if necessary. I see Seasonic has added a switch on some models, that allows you to switch the fan on all the time, or stay in semi-fanless mode. What more could you ask for?

[profJim]

Re: What size and type power supply?

When I first used my X660, it worried me because its fan never came on.

RTFI!!
I remember the first psu reviews for the Seasonic X series power supplies where everyone reported that the fan would not start spinning until the psu reached approximately 20 - 25% of rated output.
From the Seasonic web site:

fanless mode, silent mode, and cooling mode. The X automatically adjusts fan mode and speed according to the ambient temperature level. This brand new design not only optimizes heat dissipation, but also prolongs lifespan of the system by reducing unnecessary fan rotation. To make the X Series even more robust and exciting, Seasonic offers Sanyo Denki San Ace Silent Fan on X, the best fan there is in the industry.

Followed by this graph:


The 2009 user manual lists fanless mode in the English section and probably includes the same information in the other 5 languages.
Don't feet too bad, at least you have excellent taste in choosing high class power supplies.
Consider yourself beaten, shamed and humiliated with a wet noodle.

[parsec]

Re: What size and type power supply?

Oh I certainly knew that PS did not run the fan until a certain power level was reached, I was just surprised I never reached that power usage level. I guess I gave you that impression in my previous post, but the semi-fanless mode is the reason I bought that PS. I was just surprised that the fan never runs!

The reviews I read all showed that above ~25% power usage, the fans started. For a 660Watt PC, that is ~165Watts. I don't use that much power, ever, apparently. Even in summer, the fan does not run.

A lesson in that, SB and IB CPUs and boards don't use much power, even when OC'd. Plus I had no more than one HDD in the PC, the rest SSDs. Add to that a video card with no more than one power connector, and not gaming/stressing the video card, and all the fuss over not enough power is much ado about nothing. Also, IMO, PS load testers do not simulate the real world load PCs put on a PS at all.

Yet another example is my "old" X58 board and i7-930 CPU, with a X760, and GT240 video card. That PC's PS fan never starts too. Five case fans in that PC, two 200MM fans, plus CPU cooler fan, that PS is room temperature. Another bottom mount PS style case, I won't use anything else.

I don't feel bad at all, except that I now know I bought way more PS than I need. After fixing my friend's son's PC, with $400 video card, I confirmed what I suspected, high end video cards are power hogs! But why buy the Seasonic 400Watt fanless PS (basically a X650 with no fan), when I can get a 660Watt PS with a part time (HA!) fan.