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Xbox one power supply spec, and size comparison

The presence of a power brick is really a non issue for me. I don't move my system and I put the power supply behind everything. If having it externally will help with heating issues and keep my system quiet, great. To be honest, I would rather the PS4 have a brick as well if that meant it would benefit in the same areas. Obviously we don't know what the potential overheating/sound problems will be on either console, I'm just saying the brick isn't as bad as some of you make it out to be, to me at least.
 

Afrikan

Member
I bet Sony's system would be bigger and have a external power supply if it was meant to be always on and act like cable box of sorts.

my cousin has left his launch PS3 on for 98% of the time since launch till now. (all most 7 years now)

the only time he turned it off was when it froze or there was an update.

he doesn't play games that much if at all, it was mainly used as a BluRay player and youtube player/media player.... while I would use it to play games when I stayed there.

the thing still works till this day.
 

dofry

That's "Dr." dofry to you.
I don't like when comparisons are made without something everyone knows included in the photo as a reference. I have no idea how small or big a 360S powerbrick is. Anyone care to add some regular daily item to the pic?
 

strata8

Member
There's no external PSU for PS3.

Does it matter? The internal PSU is still rated for a certain output.

I don't like when comparisons are made without something everyone knows included in the photo as a reference. I have no idea how small or big a 360S powerbrick is. Anyone care to add some regular daily item to the pic?

tKJXsLD.jpg
 

PK_man

Banned
look at that xbone power supply...LOL

you would think that being the biggest console they would be able to have an internal psu....
 

Foghorn Leghorn

Unconfirmed Member
How many cable boxes double as a console with CPU, VGA, Ram, and Blu ray drive?

So you think the console is going to be running at a full load now while watching TV? Sony has already signed a deal with Viacom for IP TV so how are they doing it without a power brick?
 

S¡mon

Banned
I bet Sony's system would be bigger and have a external power supply if it was meant to be always on and act like cable box of sorts.
It actually is meant to be always online. That was one of the highlights when they first revealed the PS4 in February. Instant Resume, background downloads, etc.

Let's not forget Xbone also has HDMI IN, I wonder how much space that takes up internally.
 

strata8

Member
I'm also very curious how the hell Sony is cooling that thing. Their PSU is internal.

Like this?

PS3interior.jpg


The cooling requirements for the PS4 are higher than the PS3 but not unmanageably so. It's likely going to be louder than the XB1 though, which MS has said is almost completely silent at all times (part of the reason for the unnecessarily huge fan).
 

Jaded

Banned
With the number of power supply failures I've had on my PC over the years (and I pay a lot for reputable brands), I'd kind of like to have a power brick solution for my desktop...

Serious question, do you not clean your power supply? I have been pc gaming for many many years(decades?) and the only time i have ever had power supply issues was with Dell and this was before i learned to build computers for myself and i squarely blame Dell for those problems. Outside of that, i have had only one psu fail on me, outside of that the only time i replace them is when i need a higher watt psu or new pc build.
 

sono

Member
It doesnt appear to have the wattage rating explicitly stated however 12V * 17.9A = 214W, i.e can we assume xbox one is around a 200W system ?

Does it also power the Kinect or is that on a separate mains plug ?
 
I'm also very curious how the hell Sony is cooling that thing. Their PSU is internal.

Like how you cool every low profile device. Centrifugal fans. It's not new technology, refer to the type of heatsink found in every reference GPU in the past 3 years.

The question is if Sony chooses to invest in higher quality heatsinks then your typical aluminum fin arrangement, like vapour chambers. I can't find it too hard to believe that they've also invested in a high efficiency PSU too since they're basically everywhere these days.
 

strata8

Member
It doesnt appear to have the wattage rating explicitly stated however 12V * 17.9A = 214W, i.e can we assume xbox one is around a 200W system ?

Does it also power the Kinect or is that on a separate mains plug ?

It's 215W (12V) + 5W (5V), or 220W in total. Kinect draws its from the system AFAIK.

From this graph here for a 900W PSU (Timedog posted it before)

eff-comparison.png


You can see it's most efficient at 475-650W, or 50-70% load. So somewhere around 120-140W is most likely (including Kinect) considering the parts inside.
 

Sky78

Banned
In the hifi world external power supplies are seen as a positive, high end feature. Just on an intuitive level I would rather have the PSU outside the box. It's not like you ever have to see the thing once it's behind your entertainment centre.
 

DBT85

Member
With the number of power supply failures I've had on my PC over the years (and I pay a lot for reputable brands), I'd kind of like to have a power brick solution for my desktop...

What do you do to your machines? Honestly? And you do have a power brick solution, you just replace the power supply.
 
My power brick is hiding somewhere behind my entertainment cabinet so I haven't seen it in years. With the external power brick I also got another couple inches on the cord which is pretty much required to make it to an empty slot on one of the power bars.
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
I'm not that annoyed by the externality of the PSU on the 360, but I am annoyed at the use of proprietary cables. On the PS3, if my power cable doesn't reach because of where I want to place the console, I can just buy a longer one. With 360 my positioning options are limited by the PSU
 

Septimius

Junior Member
why does it need to be so big? does anyone here have an electrical engineering background who can explain that to me?

I'm sure this has been covered, but essentially, you're getting two voltages out of the thing. It probably means you have a two-stage conversion with two paths at the end. So first you covert it down to a common denominator (or maybe not, if it's not 100-240V input rating), then you convert it to 5V and 12V. Then you need heat-sinking for it all, and shielding from each other.

It shouldn't have to be huge, but just like everything about MS' hardware design, it's not IKEA-packed like Sony's, but rather just all components thrown in a box and calling it a day. It's easier to design, manufacture and repair. And we're talking industry-leading hardware design, so it's not like you can hire a guy off the streets and have him design it.



The PSU isn't really a deal-breaker with me. It's just ridiculous. If I was set on getting an Xbone, I wouldn't care. The Wii's have one, heck even the SNES has one. I'm still upset that MS tries to bullshit its customers like always, saying it's easier to replace, when PSU failure is probably one of the rarest faults. Especially with a PSU design for specified hardware, and not just a PC PSU, where you don't know what peak and average load is. I remember when I got my 360, and I was setting it up. My dad asked what the huge brick was, and when I said the PSU he just laughed.
 

Alx

Member
Like this?

PS3interior.jpg


The cooling requirements for the PS4 are higher than the PS3 but not unmanageably so. It's likely going to be louder than the XB1 though, which MS has said is almost completely silent at all times (part of the reason for the unnecessarily huge fan).

It's not unnecessary if it helps make the console quiet. It's a design choice.
 

NoPiece

Member
Another Xbox thread.
Another thread full of haters.

As if the brick is such a huge cause for concern. My 360 has a brick. I haven't seen it since I bought the thing.

You are right, it isn't a huge concern, but it is annoying. I had to slide my media console out about 3 inches to fit the 360 power brick behind it. So I haven't seen the brick in years either, but every day I look at my TV and wish I could push it closer to the wall. Cable management with multiple consoles, DVR, receiver, ethernet cables, and a blu-ray player is already enough of a hassle without a big fat power brick (original 360 size). It doesn't affect my buying decision, but it does have a small effect on my satisfaction.
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
With the number of power supply failures I've had on my PC over the years (and I pay a lot for reputable brands), I'd kind of like to have a power brick solution for my desktop...

I'd like an external power option for PC just so we could get even smaller gaming PC builds. When you go SFF the PSU starts to become the biggest thing in the box


It's not unnecessary if it helps make the console quiet. It's a design choice.

My ps3 superslim is really quiet when idling
 

strata8

Member
I'm not that annoyed by the externality of the PSU on the 360, but I am annoyed at the use of proprietary cables. On the PS3, if my power cable doesn't reach because of where I want to place the console, I can just buy a longer one. With 360 my positioning options are limited by the PSU
The AC power cord for the PSU is the same type they use for PCs. It's the DC cabling from the PSU to the console that's proprietary.
 

Septimius

Junior Member
In the hifi world external power supplies are seen as a positive, high end feature. Just on an intuitive level I would rather have the PSU outside the box. It's not like you ever have to see the thing once it's behind your entertainment centre.

In the HiFi world there exists special bricks you're to put on top of your audio-source to clear up the audio. It's not really a scientific world It's a world filled with voodoo that's proven not to matter. If there was component or composite out on any of these two boxes, you'd have the grounds to present the argument. Since these boxes only serve digital audio with HDMI and optical, shielding is a non-concern. It simply doesn't have a chance to matter in a digital box. The audio will not be analogue until it's inside your TV or receiver.
 

NoPiece

Member
What do you do to your machines? Honestly? And you do have a power brick solution, you just replace the power supply.

Nothing really - just play games. Maybe it's dust affecting cooling, but I feel like it is just shoddy components. I'm on my 5th PSU since 2009. 3 new, plus 2 RMAs. Last one to fail was a 750w OCZ, then a Zalman, and an Antec before that.

It's a pain to disconnect everything; I have to take the fan off my CPU in order to slide the PSU out. I'd rather just have it outside the case at this point.
 

Sky78

Banned
In the HiFi world there exists special bricks you're to put on top of your audio-source to clear up the audio. It's not really a scientific world It's a world filled with voodoo that's proven not to matter. If there was component or composite out on any of these two boxes, you'd have the grounds to present the argument. Since these boxes only serve digital audio with HDMI and optical, shielding is a non-concern. It simply doesn't have a chance to matter in a digital box. The audio will not be analogue until it's inside your TV or receiver.

Yes, absolutely I understand that as the audio out is digital on consoles a PSU can have no bearing on audio, which is why I said "intuitively". Power suppleys can interfere with electronics and introduce noise in audio (and I don't believe that is an audio voodoo myth) and while there is no reason for me to believe that it could interfere with the smooth running of a console - it gives me peace of mind on an intuitive level that the PSU is outside of the box.

There are real world good reasons to do it that way though - less internal heat means less noise required to cool, and any component being easily user replaceable is a safeguard against needing to send a console off for repair or replacement.

Since it has no actual draw backs in most people's entertainment set ups, and there are absolutely positives - it just seems like a good idea to me to go with an external unit.
 

Septimius

Junior Member
Yes, absolutely I understand that as the audio out is digital on consoles a PSU can have no bearing on audio, which is why I said "intuitively". Power suppleys can interfere with electronics and introduce noise in audio (and I don't believe that is an audio voodoo myth) and while there is no reason for me to believe that it could interfere with the smooth running of a console - it gives me peace of mind on an intuitive level that the PSU is outside of the box.

There are real world good reasons to do it that way though - less internal heat means less noise required to cool, and any component being easily user replaceable is a safeguard against needing to send a console off for repair or replacement.

Since it has no actual draw backs in most people's entertainment set ups, and there are absolutely positives - it just seems like a good idea to me to go with an external unit.

Yup, you're right. The magnetic field created from converting voltage can definitely interfere. But that would be in a bad setup. Most audio-equipment doesn't need much juice, so there's not much of a field created, anyway. There's a lot of noise associated with on-board audio and having your sound-card inside your computer (I'm definitely never going to have my sound interface inside of my computer again), but that's not from the PSU, it's from the other components doing their thing. Poor shielding and otherwise tons of cross-talk noise from the circuitry on a motherboard is the cause of this, and can be mended. But it requires proper engineering, as these components have to be close.

As such, MS lack of experience in hardware is a bigger concern when it comes to noise than PSU, as all magnetic fields fall off with the inverse square law. Which means very quickly. So unless you convert your audio to analogue inside the PSU, it wouldn't be a concern in a console.

So yes, you're absolutely right. It can interfere with analogue audio. But you'd have to design the hardware in a poor way. And in this digital machine, it can't interfere with anything, outside of actually messing up the entire running of the console. The PSU being user-replaceable is obviously an excuse given after the fact, when the HDD isn't user-replaceable within the same console. The PSU is very unlikely to fail, and might actually be more prone to failure once it's external, so it's not that clear-cut.
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
Not the same hardware, not the same features, not the same design, ... so what's your point exactly ?

My point is that Sony is capable of making quiet hardware with an internal PSU. Several people seem to be implying that PS4 won't be quiet because it is smaller and has an internal PSU. I'm just providing a counter point to the speculation
 
Nothing really - just play games. Maybe it's dust affecting cooling, but I feel like it is just shoddy components. I'm on my 5th PSU since 2009. 3 new, plus 2 RMAs. Last one to fail was a 750w OCZ, then a Zalman, and an Antec before that.

It's a pain to disconnect everything; I have to take the fan off my CPU in order to slide the PSU out. I'd rather just have it outside the case at this point.

what do you have connected? sounds like you either have high ambient and lots of dust or are overloading it somehow - maybe just one of the rails
 

DBT85

Member
Nothing really - just play games. Maybe it's dust affecting cooling, but I feel like it is just shoddy components. I'm on my 5th PSU since 2009. 3 new, plus 2 RMAs. Last one to fail was a 750w OCZ, then a Zalman, and an Antec before that.

It's a pain to disconnect everything; I have to take the fan off my CPU in order to slide the PSU out. I'd rather just have it outside the case at this point.

Buy a Seasonic.

Also, what rating are you buying for what components?
 

Sky78

Banned
Yup, you're right. The magnetic field created from converting voltage can definitely interfere. But that would be in a bad setup. Most audio-equipment doesn't need much juice, so there's not much of a field created, anyway. There's a lot of noise associated with on-board audio and having your sound-card inside your computer (I'm definitely never going to have my sound interface inside of my computer again), but that's not from the PSU, it's from the other components doing their thing. Poor shielding and otherwise tons of cross-talk noise from the circuitry on a motherboard is the cause of this, and can be mended. But it requires proper engineering, as these components have to be close.

As such, MS lack of experience in hardware is a bigger concern when it comes to noise than PSU, as all magnetic fields fall off with the inverse square law. Which means very quickly. So unless you convert your audio to analogue inside the PSU, it wouldn't be a concern in a console.

So yes, you're absolutely right. It can interfere with analogue audio. But you'd have to design the hardware in a poor way. And in this digital machine, it can't interfere with anything, outside of actually messing up the entire running of the console. The PSU being user-replaceable is obviously an excuse given after the fact, when the HDD isn't user-replaceable within the same console. The PSU is very unlikely to fail, and might actually be more prone to failure once it's external, so it's not that clear-cut.

True, I have never had a PSU fail on me with a console or other device, but it does offer a peace of mind.

I agree the HDD should be user replaceable too, as it would offer an equal level of comfort from a consumer point of view. I'm surprised they didn't go that way really and I do wonder why.

At least from a capacity point of view you can upgrade to an unlimited extent by external HDD but I would rather have both features.
 
Nothing really - just play games. Maybe it's dust affecting cooling, but I feel like it is just shoddy components. I'm on my 5th PSU since 2009. 3 new, plus 2 RMAs. Last one to fail was a 750w OCZ, then a Zalman, and an Antec before that.

It's a pain to disconnect everything; I have to take the fan off my CPU in order to slide the PSU out. I'd rather just have it outside the case at this point.

Power supplies are all about which OEM and what internal parts are used. OCZ, Zalman, and Antec all get their designs from OEMs like CWT and Seasonic and put out re-branded models with a few modifications. The brand name of the PSU means nothing - don't just buy a Corsair PSU because its a Corsair product as their cheaper models are awful.

I don't know what PSUs you bought but a good PSU shouldn't fail within the first 5 years. I know none of my Seasonics have failed and a few of them run 24/7 powering my home server.
 

kartu

Banned
why does it need to be so big? does anyone here have an electrical engineering background who can explain that to me?

Well, 18 Amper on 12 Volt is 216 Watt. That's A LOT. Typical Laptop PSUs are less than half of that.
Typical PSU'\s effectiveness is somewhere between 70-90% (also depends on consumption).

That leaves you with about 20-30+ Watts of energy to dissipate (will depend on actual power consumption of Xbone and PSU effectiveness), hence using bigger box makes sense.

The cooling requirements for the PS4 are higher than the PS3 but not unmanageably so. It's likely going to be louder than the XB1 though, which MS has said is almost completely silent at all times (part of the reason for the unnecessarily huge fan).
I believe it is "almost inaudible... while not gaming" but can't find the link... =/
 

coolasj19

Why are you reading my tag instead of the title of my post?
Like this?



The cooling requirements for the PS4 are higher than the PS3 but not unmanageably so. It's likely going to be louder than the XB1 though, which MS has said is almost completely silent at all times (part of the reason for the unnecessarily huge fan).

Wow. Playstation innards have always had a certain beauty to them. I really can't wait for the PS4 teardown.
 
Dev kit power supplies for 360 are higher wattage than retail units. I wouldn't take too much from this regarding size and wattage.
 

Durante

Member
Nothing really - just play games. Maybe it's dust affecting cooling, but I feel like it is just shoddy components. I'm on my 5th PSU since 2009. 3 new, plus 2 RMAs. Last one to fail was a 750w OCZ, then a Zalman, and an Antec before that.

It's a pain to disconnect everything; I have to take the fan off my CPU in order to slide the PSU out. I'd rather just have it outside the case at this point.
You must either be incredibly unlucky or have a really bad (fluctuating) power line. In 20 years of PCs I can remember I only had a single PSU break, and that was directly related to lightning striking the house it was running in!
 

NoPiece

Member
Buy a Seasonic.

Also, what rating are you buying for what components?

what do you have connected? sounds like you either have high ambient and lots of dust or are overloading it somehow - maybe just one of the rails

I have a Gigabyte GA-P55-UD3R MB with a i7 860 in an Antec Sonata 3 case that seems to have pretty good airflow. The only card I had plugged in was an Nvidia GTX 260. I upgraded about a year ago to a GTX 870 a year ago. All the failures were while I had the 260. No overclocking, though the 260 did come factory overclocked. I think i started with a 500w power supply, then 700w, and currently I have a 750w.
 

IN&OUT

Banned
anyone ever have a power supply fail on them on their launch or other PS3s? I haven't, but that dev note makes it seems like it is a common thing with internal power supplies failing...and you having to replace the whole thing.

My question to MS?

What will happen if X1 HDD fails?

So yeah....
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
The AC power cord for the PSU is the same type they use for PCs. It's the DC cabling from the PSU to the console that's proprietary.

for me, that is a pain. My ideal spot for my 360 was quite high up on a shelf, and I ended up balancing the power brick on an old stool behind the AV cupboard because the cable wouldn't reach the floor
 

Seanspeed

Banned
While a couple of those justifications are valid, its still hard to be impressed when the PS4 is as small and compact as it is.
 
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