Would this PSU support my future rig?

[UnicornGasm]

I have a Corsair VS550 and I was wondering if it is able to support a FX8350 and a Radeon 280X because I am planning to upgrade my computer. If it doesn't can you guys please recommend alternative, decent and fairly budget-priced PSU's? Thanks in advance!

 

[Ubrales]

XFX 550 watts PSU.

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013

 

[Calvin3200]

A power supply is never something you should get the cheapest of.

If you ever want to upgrade in the future, add Crossfire (or SLI), you need appropriate wattage. Picking up a solid power supply with a little more power isn't much more expensive. I spent $150 (after rebate) on my EVGA 1300G2.

If you get a small one now, you'll have to replace it should you want to upgrade later, and that isn't worth it.

Do it right the first time, and get at least 750/800w.

 

[RedJaron]

Short answer: no, I wouldn't use that PSU for such a machine. While 450W is enough to run a 8350 + 280X ( just barely, ) the VS450 is actually made by Channel Well and uses inferior CapXon capacitors. If you're looking to upgrade your CPU and GPU, I'd look at a new PSU as well. While I never advocate skimping on a PSU, a 750W unit is overkill for the vast majority of people. I second the XFX unit Ubrales mentioned. If you want to keep reading, here are some things you can learn to help you choose your own PSU in the future.

Four main things to consider on a PSU: build quality, watt capacity, cables, and efficiency.

Build quality is fairly self-explanatory. Some manufacturers simply use better components and better assembly methods. I recommend PSUs made by FSP/Fortron, Seasonic, and Super Flower. This is a good link to find what manufacturers actually make the PSUs for other companies. The three companies above and Be Quiet!, PC Power & Cooling, and XFX are always safe choices. Some models of Antec, Corsair, and even Rosewill PSUs are made by Seasonic and are quite good as well.

My experience is that wattage is overestimated a lot of the time. Most mid-range builds will be quite happy with a 380W - 450W PSU and it's pretty hard to go over 550W without serious overclocking and multiple GPUs. Let's say you want to stay around 80% load on a PSU. On a 550W unit, that gives you 440W to work with. The 280X stays around 200W while gaming and tops out at 250W, but only during torture tests and heavy GPGPU computing. So you'd still have 190W - 240W leftover for the rest of the system. That's plenty to run a 8350 on a moderate overclock. If you want some extra piece of mind for really pushing some overclocks, and/or running really demanding software, get a 600W. Now, if you find a 650+W PSU on a great deal, feel free to nab one. Just don't feel like you have to spend extra on a big capacity unit that you don't need and won't utilize.

On cables, check the unit you're buying to make sure it has enough cable connectors for your system, particularly PCIe aux cables. These are usually listed as 6-pin and 8-pin / 6+2-pin. The 280X requires a 6- and 8-pin cable (though some versions require two 8-pin cables, ) so make sure you're covered there. I will say that it can be difficult finding 450W or smaller PSUs with two 8-pin PCIe leads since those PSUs usually aren't meant for top shelf cards that draw a lot of power.

Finally, efficiency is how well the PSU runs under load ( I know, duh. ) This isn't to say that a 550W PSU that's 90% efficient will only deliver 495W to the computer. It works the other way around. If it's delivering the full 550W, that means it's actually drawing 611W from the wall. You can choose from 80 Plus, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and other higher efficiency ratings. Obviously the more efficient PSUs cost more. If you plan to leave the computer on most of the day, a Gold efficiency may be worthwhile to you. Otherwise I'd just stick with Bronze and save some money.