Hardware Need a new modular PSU

[the_randomizer]

So, my brother recently gave me a GTX 970 that he wasn't using a couple of weeks ago, and given that I only have a GTX 660, I was elated at having a video card that was more than twice as good as the one I had. Well today, we had a chance to try to install it (he visits every now and then, plus he had molex connectors that I didn't have). Well we tried it, and my PSU apparently didn't like it as it was drawing too much power, and failed to boot up; suffice to say, I'm disappointed in the PSU I have right now, a Corsair 650 W PSU. I've had that since 2013 and I think it's high time I upgrade that sucker. It's a modular PSU and hasn't had any issues at all, no failures, no random resets or shutdowns, it's stable, just not powerful enough to run an MSI GTX 970 GPU. So as a result, I've been looking through Amazon for PSUs and came across a 750 W PSU that is also reasonably priced, preferably keeping it up 100 dollars if at all feasible.

Corsair CXM 750 Watt
http://tinyurl.com/hmnl2ec

eVGA SuperNOVA 750 Watt
http://tinyurl.com/hhhpcup

Zalman 750 Watt PSU
http://tinyurl.com/jns698z

I've had good experiences with eVGA and Corsair, so I might go with one of those two in the near-future, my current PC has the following hardware:

CPU: Core i5 3570 3.4 GHz (non K version)
GPU: eVGA NVidia GTX 660
RAM: 8 GB DDR3 SDRAM
HDD: Two 1 TB Western Digital 7200 RPM disks
OS: Windows 7 64-bit Pro

My system was built in 2013, and I don't exactly have the means for a complete overhaul, but given that I got a free, more powerful GPU, I need a PSU that ensures that this GPU will work. Would either of those suffice, or should I go with 800-850 watts? I go with modular because it's less of a hassle and has better cable management. Thank you for your time

 

[Armadillo]

None of them. The Zalman is a bad psu for the money. The CXM is Corsairs buget range and not great. The Supernova G1s are decent, but nothing special. I'd spend the $10 extra and get the G2

https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Supernova-220-G2-0750-XR-Modular-Supply/dp/B00IKDETOW/

You don't need 750W though. A 970 & i5 will happily run on 650W, even a quality 500W would happily power that. If you can't boot on a Corsair 650W, then something is wrong with the supply and I'd be setting up an rma with Corsair.

 

[G0R3Z]

I'd go with a 650w G2 as well. They're a fantastically well made PSU, well soldered and use all Japanese Nippon Chemi-con capacitors. They're also built like a tank.

Please - Don't buy any Corsair CX psus. They're okay, but they're easy to fail and use low quality components, such as cheap chinese capacitors.

 

[the_randomizer]

I'd go with a 650w G2 as well. They're a fantastically well made PSU, well soldered and use all Japanese Nippon Chemi-con capacitors. They're also built like a tank.

Please - Don't buy any Corsair CX psus. They're okay, but they're easy to fail and use low quality components, such as cheap chinese capacitors.

I already have a 650 W, it doesn't seem to want to run the GTX 970 as I stated in the OP. I need 750 to 800 or so watts at least.

None of them. The Zalman is a bad psu for the money. The CXM is Corsairs buget range and not great. The Supernova G1s are decent, but nothing special. I'd spend the $10 extra and get the G2

https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Supernova-220-G2-0750-XR-Modular-Supply/dp/B00IKDETOW/

You don't need 750W though. A 970 & i5 will happily run on 650W, even a quality 500W would happily power that. If you can't boot on a Corsair 650W, then something is wrong with the supply and I'd be setting up an rma with Corsair.

Well it doesn't run on my 650 W PSU, the computer refuses to boot up with the GTX 970 inside, so either way, my 650 watts isn't sufficient. unless someone can explain why it doesn't boot with that, but works fine for my GTX 660, then yeah. I have to have a new PSU. A little late for an RMA, four years late, actually, can't do it now. I need a new PSU either way.

I'll go with eVGA PSU since the others, well, yeah, I won't go with Corsair, I'll need to look around some more, because mine just isn't running the newer GPU at all, it's irritating.

 

[Armadillo]

A little late for an RMA, four years late, actually, can't do it now. I need a new PSU either way.

Might still be able to. Check what model it is. Corsair psu come with 3, 5, 7 or 10 years depending on model.

 

[the_randomizer]

Might still be able to. Check what model it is. Corsair psu come with 3, 5, 7 or 10 years depending on model.

Well, I did post a review, somewhat scathing but mature and levelheaded, Newegg states that it will take a bit to process and have it approved on the site.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139012

Seems to have a seven year warranty on it, but whether Corsair replies or not to the review is anyone's guess. I was looking at the eVGA ones, and they use Japanese parts as opposed to Chinese ones and you're right about the power requirements. The GTX 970 only needs at least a 500 W PSU and my GTX 660 needs 450 W, putting out 140-150 W max at full load. So something is definitely amiss, this PSU shouldn't flip out when I use the GTX 970, but it refused to even turn on with both molex connectors. I'm very disappointed in my current PSU, no, I was actually PO'd at the situation. So yeah, once the review processes, hopefully Corsair gets notified because as far as I'm concerned, I'm not going with their line of PSUs again.

The model is HX series HX650

 

[Joe88]

Are you sure its the psu and not the card?
I had a defective card that wouldn't let the system boot when installed.

 

[the_randomizer]

Are you sure its the psu and not the card?

It's the PSU, after we came to a conclusion, as the GTX 970 only needs a 500 W PSU according to NVidia's site, and the GTX 660 requires only slightly less than the 970, so yeah, it only took me four years to figure out
something was amiss with the PSU Not much I can do now short of getting eVGA brand (Japanese vs Chinese parts), same wattage, maybe a bit higher, modular and not Corsair. I'll wait for the review to show up on Newegg,
will see if any reps reply to my scathing review. I can always post one on Amazon as well if need be. Suffice to say, I'm actually pissed off, disappointed, because I wanted a better GPU, my brother came down here and tried to install
it, I felt bad because I feel like I wasted his time

 

[Armadillo]

Well, I did post a review, somewhat scathing but mature and levelheaded, Newegg states that it will take a bit to process and have it approved on the site.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139012

Seems to have a seven year warranty on it, but whether Corsair replies or not to the review is anyone's guess. I was looking at the eVGA ones, and they use Japanese parts as opposed to Chinese ones and you're right about the power requirements. The GTX 970 only needs at least a 500 W PSU and my GTX 660 needs 450 W, putting out 140-150 W max at full load. So something is definitely amiss, this PSU shouldn't flip out when I use the GTX 970, but it refused to even turn on with both molex connectors. I'm very disappointed in my current PSU, no, I was actually PO'd at the situation. So yeah, once the review processes, hopefully Corsair gets notified because as far as I'm concerned, I'm not going with their line of PSUs again.

The model is HX series HX650

Corsair have a direct rma through them. Just need proof of purchase.

HX650 is either Seasonic (V1) or the later HX650 is CWT iirc. Suprised to see a bad Seasonic unit, not so suprised if it's cwt.

 

[the_randomizer]

Corsair have a direct rma through them. Just need proof of purchase.

HX650 is either Seasonic (V1) or the later HX650 is CWT iirc. Suprised to see a bad Seasonic unit, not so suprised if it's cwt.

I actually don't know which variant it is, but I definitely have enough power, but as to why it refused to even boot up tells me that the GPU is fine, but the PSU hates it for some reason. I don't know how to contact or prove that I purchased it, as the original packaging is long gone. I have proof that I got it on Newegg, but that's all I can prove, and it's freaking annoying that I can't even run this much better GPU, damn you, Corsair... >.>

 

[Armadillo]

I actually don't know which variant it is, but I definitely have enough power, but as to why it refused to even boot up tells me that the GPU is fine, but the PSU hates it for some reason. I don't know how to contact or prove that I purchased it, as the original packaging is long gone. I have proof that I got it on Newegg, but that's all I can prove, and it's freaking annoying that I can't even run this much better GPU, damn you, Corsair... >.>

Don't need original package. Just proof of purchase.

An invoice will do. You can't log into newegg and print an invoice for it? (never used newegg) failing that, a screenshot of the order details page will do, as long as it's dated and has the same name that you open the ticket with. I had to do that when I needed to get something under warranty from Corsair. Amazon don't give an invoice, but Corsair were happy to accept a screenshot of the order details page from Amazon.

I would really try to go through Corsair first. Their CS is generally good and you might get a free upgrade. HX is not made any more, when I had to rma a hx unit, they bumped me up to an hxi for free.

 

[Joe88]

It's the PSU, after we came to a conclusion, as the GTX 970 only needs a 500 W PSU according to NVidia's site, and the GTX 660 requires only slightly less than the 970, so yeah, it only took me four years to figure out
something was amiss with the PSU Not much I can do now short of getting eVGA brand (Japanese vs Chinese parts), same wattage, maybe a bit higher, modular and not Corsair. I'll wait for the review to show up on Newegg,
will see if any reps reply to my scathing review. I can always post one on Amazon as well if need be. Suffice to say, I'm actually pissed off, disappointed, because I wanted a better GPU, my brother came down here and tried to install
it, I felt bad because I feel like I wasted his time

I actually don't know which variant it is, but I definitely have enough power, but as to why it refused to even boot up tells me that the GPU is fine, but the PSU hates it for some reason. I don't know how to contact or prove that I purchased it, as the original packaging is long gone. I have proof that I got it on Newegg, but that's all I can prove, and it's freaking annoying that I can't even run this much better GPU, damn you, Corsair... >.>

It doesnt need anywhere near 500w, that is just general recommended for total system power requirement, you could get away with a 400w psu and still be fine
The card (by its self) only consumes about 150w (more or less the exact same as your gtx 660)

thats why I think the card is the problem, the system not booting doesnt tell you the psu is the problem but the card is the problem since I had the same exact problem
Do you have another system to test it on?

 

[the_randomizer]

Don't need original package. Just proof of purchase.

An invoice will do. You can't log into newegg and print an invoice for it? (never used newegg) failing that, a screenshot of the order details page will do, as long as it's dated and has the same name that you open the ticket with. I had to do that when I needed to get something under warranty from Corsair. Amazon don't give an invoice, but Corsair were happy to accept a screenshot of the order details page from Amazon.

I would really try to go through Corsair first. Their CS is generally good and you might get a free upgrade. HX is not made any more, when I had to rma a hx unit, they bumped me up to an hxi for free.

Yup, there's a way to save the order page as a PDF, with the invoice number and everything, created an account with Corsair, gonna see what i need to do.

It doesnt need anywhere near 500w, that is just general recommended for total system power requirement, you could get away with a 400w psu and still be fine
The card (by its self) only consumes about 150w (more or less the exact same as your gtx 660)

thats why I think the card is the problem, the system not booting doesnt tell you the psu is the problem but the card is the problem since I had the same exact problem
Do you have another system to test it on?

No idea, but my brother knows that it works, he only gave it to me because he has a 1080 GTX GPU and decided to pass it down. No other machines to test test it on, I'm afraid, so I can't answer that. I highly doubt my brother would intentionally give me a card that was a dud. I can't say for sure what the issue is, but again, he's into IT and does a lot of tech support for computers, call centers, phones for deaf users, he's way more versed into tech support than I can dream of, I trust his judgment. He wouldn't give me a POS card like that *shrug*.

 

[Armadillo]

No idea, but my brother knows that it works, he only gave it to me because he has a 1080 GTX GPU and decided to pass it down. No other machines to test test it on, I'm afraid, so I can't answer that. I highly doubt my brother would intentionally give me a card that was a dud. I can't say for sure what the issue is, but again, he's into IT and does a lot of tech support for computers, call centers, phones for deaf users, he's way more versed into tech support than I can dream of, I trust his judgment. He wouldn't give me a POS card like that *shrug*.

When you say it doesn't start, what do you actually mean?

Do you mean it doesn't power up at all? doesn't post (no beeps at all), posts fine, but black screen?

It could well be the motherboard needs a bios update. It does it happen (search gpu black screen, bios update etc, you'll see it's quite common).

 

[the_randomizer]

When you say it doesn't start, what do you actually mean?

Do you mean it doesn't power up at all? doesn't post (no beeps at all), posts fine, but black screen?

It could well be the motherboard needs a bios update. It does it happen (search gpu black screen, bios update etc, you'll see it's quite common).

There is indeed power to the motherboard, as the flea power LED lights up just fine, but there is no POST, no boot sound from the internal speaker, no CPU, etc fans spin up. Either the PSU doesn't like it, the molex connectors are in need of swapping, or like you said, flashing the BIOS, which I'm not entirely confident at doing. I don't even know if this motherboard has a newer firmware version to use, and I don't want to uh, fry anything if I botch it. I'm going to ask my bro tomorrow (as it's late here), but I do trust him, there's no way he would give me a dud GPU, he only gave it to me because he wanted a newer GPU, he actually makes bank at his job.

No way to test it on another/spare PC, no way to do that at the moment =/

 

[Armadillo]

If that's how it's behaving, then i doubt it needs a bios update. Generally if boards are in need of a bios update for a GPU, it's just a black screen or VGA error beep code, everything else (fans etc) are still running.

 

[the_randomizer]

If that's how it's behaving, then i doubt it needs a bios update. Generally if boards are in need of a bios update for a GPU, it's just a black screen or VGA error beep code, everything else (fans etc) are still running.

I'm honestly baffled, it could be the molex cables that came with the GTX 970, I don't know, but they are really cheap to replace and test. I want to eliminate one variable at a time, and rule out the GPU, as I'm convinced that it's not entirely at fault here. The PSU isn't top of the line, no, only a Corsair. The power it's drawing isn't the issue either, ugh, this is baffling.

 

[Joe88]

The hx series was a fairly high end psu sitting right below the ax series.

And why are you using molex converters instead of the pcie connectors on the psu?

 

[the_randomizer]

The hx series was a fairly high end psu sitting right below the ax series.

And why are you using molex converters instead of the pcie connectors on the psu?

I don't know if they are molex, but the GPU has two molex ports on them (six pin), that need to be plugged in, the GPU I have now only requires one. Either way, it didn't work, gonna have to find out.

 

[Originality]

Molex is always 4 pin in a line. You're talking about 6-pin PCIe connectors, and your 650W PSU should definitely come with at least two 6/8 pin PCIe connectors (usually shaped with 6 pins with an extra 2 hanging off in case the graphics card needs 8 pins.

For reference, the maximum power draw an overclocked 970 can take is 250W under stress tests , but the reference design takes 145W on load.

On the left is what molex looks like, on the right is what PCIe 6-pin looks like. You should be using two modular 8-pin to 6+2-pin cable directly from the PSU, not using an adaptor like this one pictured. Based on the newegg pictures, the PSU end should be blue.