When do you buy a new PSU? Poll 2

[Whiternoise]

Better connections and being quiet are the main factors for me

[Pob255]

I bought my last psu over spec'd ready for future garphic card upgrades (although it should cope with any major system upgrades as well)

[Karl|Neo]

I normally only buy a new one when I don't think my old one will cut it, so when I massively upgrade all my components.

[crocodolljr]

I upgraded mine for bunch of reasons,my current one died, but when i went shopping I wanted to get a one with more juice to power a future sli setup, have a quiet rig at the same time and not kill me with the power bill.

[chrestomanci]

Other reason:

I upgraded my PSU because my old one would not physically fit in my new case.

The old PSU was 175mm long, I needed one that was less than 150mm long. The Old PSU I took out was better in most respects (connectors, rating, efficiency) than the new one, but it would not fit, so it had to go.

Edit: It would be really helpful if the length of ATX PSUs appeared on the spec, and web shops included it in comparison tables, as that way I would not have to search forums & loads of manufacturer websites to find out the length.

[slypie]

I upgraded due to my old PSU not having the correct connectors and I wanted a quieter PSU. I also spent a lot on the one I've got so it would last me hopefully 2-3 PC's down the line.

[R3MF]

I upgraded my PSU because I upgraded a combination of motherboard, graphics card and CPU

[Stormsinger]

I've bought new psu's because I've been building/replacing old stuff, but I still want a good brand, and one that's quieter/more efficient/reliable, as they're all still important factors even if they're not the main reason for the purchase.

[Tobeman]

As per the other thread, when upgrading. Be it to cope with higher power consumption, or even just the right connectors!

[Saracen]

It may seem obvious, but I buy a new PSU when I need one. But why I might need one varies. A major system overhaul might well require more power, especially to meet graphics card demands. Or it may be that I need a particularly quiet one for a project. I've always got two or three spares laying around, but what I have might not have the right connectors, or be powerful enough or, like an old Delta I have, just be too noisy. I buy one if I need one.

[aur0ra]

I hate it when graphics cards manufacturers don't pay enough attention to the power consumption of their products.But that's to be expected - I mean the differences between the professional workstation sollutions and the high-end consumer ones are becoming lesser by the generation and with that comes the inevitably bigger electricity bill
As you can see I'm concerned about the efficiency of my rig so my next PSU should be as quiet and effective as possible but it should also have a PCI-Express AUX power cable...sigh...

[da_ging]

just curious what's happening with the prize draws? have they happened already?

[krille]

My last PSU purchase was definitely to reduce system noise. It was a Seasonic S12 600W and I'm very happy with it. For my new builds, though, I'm probably getting Corsairs.

[aur0ra]

@krille, you do know that the same OEM manufacturer (Channel Well Tech) is responsible for both company's products?They don't even change the design, but simply slap their srickers on.Only difference is that the Corsairs are slightly underpowered but are certified for higher wattage

P.S. Did anyone win?

[krille]

I thought Seasonic made Seasonic's and Corsair's HX line?

I'm not getting HX'es though for my new builds. I'm getting one VX and one TX (essentially because I was told @ Abit boards that single-railed PSUs are preferred).

edit: Bah, it says over at SPCR that they're all made by Seasoinc.

[Yellowbeard]

We use both CWT and Seasonic as our manufacturers. And, all of our PSUs are based upon their stock designs but we have made improvements to them.

CWT makes:
VX 550
TX 750
HX 1000

Seasonic makes:
VX 450
TX 650
HX 520
HX 620