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Thread: Is it worth going semi or full modular?

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    Re: Is it worth going semi or full modular?

    A good quality PSU can last years and I see no problem paying 10% of a system value for reliability and peace of mind.
    Semi-Modular/Modular is not as important, especially for budget builds.

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    Re: Is it worth going semi or full modular?

    Quote Originally Posted by Spreadie View Post
    I'd agree that, if you have the space to tidy away the unused cables, a captive cable PSU is absolutely a sensible option, but arguing that fully modular PSUs are lower quality than captive cable models? You got any evidence back that up, because it sounds like a load of bobbins.
    Well, what I said is that since modular carries a premium in terms of parts needed by the manufacturer (just from the cost of parts - totally ignoring that a manufacturer may be able to increase their margins by offering modular), then for a given budget I would rather they spend that budget on the innards.

    In real live for premium brands my example A, B, and C would probably have the same arbiraty 'quality' but the price would just increase. So let's give something a 80 quality rating, with the prices at 100 for totally fixed, 120 for semi moduarl and 140 for fully modular.

    Point being that 100/120/140 (pounds, dollars, fictional currency it doesn't matter), is not the same budget but if you could find a supply from the same manufacturer fixed/semi/fully for price of 100 then the quality will go down.

    Most likely you'd have something like this:
    Brand's Gold rated fixed supply, price 100
    Brand's Silver rated semi supply, price 100
    Brand's Bronze rated fully modular supply, price 100.

    In that case the fully modular would be lower quality at the same price.

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    Re: Is it worth going semi or full modular?

    Quote Originally Posted by Spreadie View Post
    I'd agree that, if you have the space to tidy away the unused cables, a captive cable PSU is absolutely a sensible option, but arguing that fully modular PSUs are lower quality than captive cable models? You got any evidence back that up, because it sounds like a load of bobbins.
    As stated in the post above, yes, to compare a non-modular psu with a fully modular psu at the same wattage and at the same rrrp, of course the non-modular psu will use better quality components, barring other economic effects.

    At the consumer end of the market, though, you tend to get the two together, i.e. a higher quality of components with a higher likelihood of that model being modular.

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    Re: Is it worth going semi or full modular?

    Quote Originally Posted by wazzickle View Post
    As stated in the post above, yes, to compare a non-modular psu with a fully modular psu at the same wattage and at the same rrrp, of course the non-modular psu will use better quality components, barring other economic effects.

    At the consumer end of the market, though, you tend to get the two together, i.e. a higher quality of components with a higher likelihood of that model being modular.
    will it? why? Price <> component quality. The cost of a gold/silver/bronze is not only the component quality persay but also the circuitry required to get the variance/efficiencies down/up to the required standards. Based on review breakdowns it sounds like a platinum/titanium spec requires a lot more effort than churning out a bronze of anything, which are relatively inefficient and shouldn't IMO be being used anymore. Components in those do not need as high tolerance, and are easier to bulk-buy at lower rates, going by wholesaler prices for stuff I use in guitar amps.

    Economies of scale also come into play. It's difficult to know how much of a given line get made, but I would be surprised if the company makes equal quantities of plat/ti vs gold vs silver vs bronze. I imagine the lower tiers, being aimed at cheaper builds, are produced in greater numbers further reducing the costs.

    I would be surprised if the cost of adding modular connectors is equivalent to the cost of going up a tier to silver or gold. It would be interesting to see some actual figures from a manufacturer, but I don't think it will be nearly as linear as the post above implies.

    If it were me I'd work out how much power I needed (aiming for 40-60% load for max efficiency, and not over-speccing to ensure that low load usage doesn't tip off into the inefficeint <10% area) I would then work out what I was prepared to pay for a supply and find the best grade of modular supply that fit that budget from a decent manufacturer.

    I went titanium(?) in my latest build I think because weirdly it worked out cheaper getting 750W titanium than 850W gold or platinum, and only £10 more than 750W gold of a lesser range (same brand), and with the gold option having worse connectivity in terms of cables supplied. The one I got also had much better load-noise curve across the load range. I'm kicking myself for not buying a 2nd one when they went on offer in March 2020. You can't get them now it seems.

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    Re: Is it worth going semi or full modular?

    The axiom of 'you get what you pay for' is broadly true, so in general price and component quality are at least correlated, but there are always exceptions. I don't know the ins and outs of psu manufacturing, but yes, I'm liable to agree with everything you said, and suggest that that's what I meant by 'other economic effects'. I also wouldn't go with bronze and tend to filter out everything that isn't gold or platinum.

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    Re: Is it worth going semi or full modular?

    Personally I would always have at least semi modular, but then I like to use more compact cases. If you have a huge case and don't care, then why not get something with all the cables.. but then, most higher quality PSUs are some sort of modular

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    Re: Is it worth going semi or full modular?

    For £500, I would say no. My opinion is to get a higher rated PSU even if not modular. Bear in mind that a good PSU, modular, can last you a long, long time and be used across builds if you ever upgrade.

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    Re: Is it worth going semi or full modular?

    The better PSUs are generally modular anyway or semi modular. I personally find semi modular the same as modular as my motherboard power cables don't need to be removed anyway so its a bit tidier. I'm running an rm650x

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    Re: Is it worth going semi or full modular?

    I am yet to use a standard case where I can't stash the extra cables...I buy whatever PSU is on offer that's a good make...seasonic are my favourite normally good quality low price for what you get...if you want also look at braided extension cables then it doesn't matter what your PSU cables look like....I wouldn't worry to much about whether it's modular or not...look at quality of the PSU first

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