Help choosing a new PSU

Hardware PSU
1

Hi,

my ~10 years old Antec EA-380D PSU died recently and I’m looking for a replacement.

It was powering my NAS which is based on a Sempron CPU attached to a motherboard with intergrated GPU. Inside the case there are about 5 HDDs. No other noteworthy components, so the whole thing is normally drawing less than 100W.

This year I will hopefully move to Ryzen, but even if I choose a CPU with 95W TDP, I still don’t see the server drawing more than 300W, since there’ll be no discrete GPU in it.

My understanding is that today there are 800W PSUs that are quite efficient even with (very) low loads, but somehow it feels weird to get such a PSU and keep it at 15% load. I don’t have a budget set, but could I find something reliable around €60 (or less)? Seasonic’s Core GC line (link removed as I’m not allowed to include links) looks attractive, but I’m completely out of the loop when it comes to recent hardware, so I appreciate any advice/opinion.

2

For warranty and reliability, I would suggest Corsair or Seasonic PSU’s. I’ve had 2 Corsair 450’s for over 8 yrs without issue.

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PC Power and Cooling is also good again. They were never bad but did have a couple snafus when owned by OCZ. i am still using an original PC Power and Cooling PSU that is nearing 20 years old.

4

There are only two things that matter for this consideration:

  1. can the PSU deliver enough power to all components?
  2. what efficiency does the PSU has at normal operation power draw? And does the gain in efficiency justify the cost?

My server is ~100Wattish and I got a 500W PSU not because I will ever need 500W, but because the efficiency at 20% (100W normal operation) is listed as 93%. And PSUs with 250W or 350W I checked actually draw more power at 100W because of less efficiency.

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5

This list is still one of the best places to start: PSU Tier List rev. 14.8 - Power Supplies - Linus Tech Tips
Though you still need to check recent reviews for batches of lemons or special “corona-blend” compenents

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Definitely don’t get the Gigabyte 750GM or 850GM series, they tend to turn into heaters … literally.

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EVGA / Seasonic / Corsair have strong reputations and long warranty support
Most PSUs would depict an efficiency curve projection(s), on operation against load

Do assess the contained cable runs, in any of the PSU options you’re looking at
[between cable count needed and connection slack]

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Thanks to all that replied. I got the Seasonic Core GC-500. After unpacking it, I wanted to first do the paper clip test before installing it and I got a bit worried since all wires on the 24 pin connector are black, but Seasonic included a power supply tester, so it all worked out fine.

The PSU only has 4 SATA power ports, so I’ll need to get some molex to SATA adapters.

Haven’t measured the load, but can’t be more than 150W. Still, the fan is spinning. I thought it would stay still on low loads. I can’t really hear it, though.

Overall, for just under €60, I’m really happy with the acquisition.

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