What Power Supply Should I Get?

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Ben French

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Mar 26, 2013
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I am building myself a gaming rig and i need it to last me 3 years (running games on high-best graphics). I am not sure what power supply i should get. What do i need? Here is the specs i am planning on getting:

CPU: Ivy bridge i7 3770K

GPU: Sapphire HD7970 3GB Vapor-X Graphics Card X 2

RAM: G-Skill 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz RipjawsZ X79 Memory Kit CL9 1.5V

Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 Socket 1155 VGA DVI HDMI 7.1 Channel audio ATX Motherboard

HDD/SSD: WD 1TB Green Desktop Drive (and a 128 GB SSD, not sure what yet)

Optical drive: Not sure yet, not too fussed. 24X Write speed.

Case: Not decided but I am looking at the Thermaltake Chaser A71 if it is at a reasonable price. But the case should not matter too much, i want a full sized case.

Sound card: Again, not sure. This won't affect the Power supply too much i imagine but keep it in mind.

Cooling: No idea, but my friend is helping me put this all together but i need to find the parts i want.

So what PSU should i get? I want one that can handle what i have now and future-proof me a little bit (might want to add some ram down the line or upgrade some stuff.. i want some room to improve what i have basically. NOT UPGRADING GPU THOUGH).

My budget is £150 absolute max. I would prefer something at around £100.

Thanks in advance!
 
Solution
ko888


All three models that I've listed have a maximum combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of 70 Amps so the more expensive model doesn't give you more capacity than the other two models when overclocking.

If you're looking at overclocking the i7-3770K CPU to 5 GHz using voltage mods then you'll probably want a power supply with more than an 850 Watt rating since the CPU's current draw on the +12 Volt rail will be more than double that of when running the...
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aevm

aevm

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May 18, 2007
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Pick something around 750W or 850W, with 2 8-pin connectors and two 6-pin connectors. BTW, this might help you:
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/asus_radeon_hd_7970_crossfire_review,7.html

Some ideas:
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/850w-xfx-pro-black-edition-p1-850b-befx-full-modular-90-eff-80-plus-gold-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-quiet
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/750w-silverstonestrider-gold-sst-st75f-g-evolution-91-eff-80-plus-gold-eps-12v-quiet-fan-atx-v23-psu
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/750w-corsair-pro-series-gold-ax750-modular-90-eff-80-plus-gold-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-quiet-fan-atx-p
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/750w-corsair-enthusiast-series-tx750m-modular-85-eff-80-plus-bronze-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-quiet-fan-
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/750w-seasonic-x-series-modular-80-plus-gold-90-eff-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-fan-cooling

 
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raytseng

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May 15, 2012
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at least 700watts of whatever you get. budget 200w for each video card and 200w for cpu+mobo+everything else, then some headroom so you don't blow up.
i personally like seasonic, but I would be happy getting those other recommended ones also.

Other suggestions:
CPU: for gaming and general work; yes you can save some money if you go with i5 instead

RAM: this is less money on the table for savings, but if you want to futurproof, your plan should be to go with 2x8gb (which should be about the same price). If your budget is really tight, then 2x4gb as recommended by cheesy.

Cooler: if you are really tight, then you can just stick with stock cooler. But the next common choice is the coolermaster 212evo which gives you a lot of value and is not very expensive

soundcard: none necessary use the onboard one. unless you are creating/recording/editing music; you can save your money for something else. can add this later if you are unhappy

optical drive: whatever is cheapest

SSD: review the tomsguide on best SSD for the money, and pick using that.

 
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Ben French

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Mar 26, 2013
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drop down to a i5-3570k and get only 8gb of ram. 16gb or ram and an i7 is unneeded for gaming.
Click to expand...

Other suggestions:
for gaming and general work; yes you can save some money if you go with i5 instead
RAM: this is less money on the table for savings, but if you want to futurproof, your plan should be to go with 2x8gb (which should be about the same price). If your budget is really tight, then 2x4gb as recommended by cheesy.
Click to expand...

I want this computer to run games at full graphics, smoothly for the next 3 years if possible. It might also be used for professional music production (I use Logic on Macs for that but i might delve into some other software) So i will need 16G Ram for that if nothing else (some plugins recommend at least 8G so yeah..) As for the processor, i have no problem spending the extra cash for a little extra power and i just want to avoid all bottlenecks. I could have changed to 2 sticks of 8G ram but the RAM and Motherboard has already been purchased I'm afraid. Everything else is yet to be bought though so keep suggestions coming. PSU is the focus, however.

at least 700watts of whatever you get. budget 200w for each video card and 200w for cpu+mobo+everything else, then some headroom so you don't blow up.
Click to expand...

Pick something around 750W or 850W, with 2 8-pin connectors and two 6-pin connectors
Click to expand...

I was thinking a 850 PSU myself but there are a lot of them and the pin connector info is appreciated :) Thanks. I will check your links out too, 'aevm'.
 
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DarkSable

DarkSable

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Sep 27, 2012
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Just throwing out there, the reason people tell you to get the i5 is because for gaming, the i7 offers NO EXTRA POWER. The only difference between an i5-3570k and an i7-3770k is that the i7 has hyperthreading... which games don't use or can actually be slowed down by. If the audio editing is going to be serious (basically if it's for pay that'll make up spending $100 more to edit slightly faster), get the i7, but set up two overclock profiles - one with HT disabled to game with, and one with it enabled to edit with.

As for the power supply, you don't need 850w - 750 will be fine. I suggest a seasonic X750 - it's the best of the best.

Finally, I suggest getting only a single 7970 now, as it'll be plenty to max out games with for now, then adding a second one down the road when games come out that require it, when they're cheaper.
 
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Ben French

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Mar 26, 2013
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I will buy the i7. I do professional music production and i am an indie game developer(but i only do the idea, story, business and music sides of things). I might need it for music so i will buy it to be safe. Nothing more annoying than laggy audio software! Also, i am buying 1 card at the time... but i will be getting 2 all together ;). As for the power supply, are you positive that 750 is the max i will need? 2 powerful gpus and processor and sound card and all that ? if so, fine... i might do with what you are suggesting but i want to be safe.
 
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ko888

ko888

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Feb 18, 2009
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For a system using two Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition graphics cards in 2-way CrossFireX mode AMD specifies a minimum of an 850 Watt or greater system power supply. The power supply should also have a maximum combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of 60 Amps or greater and have at least two 6-pin and two 8-pin PCI Express supplementary power connectors.

Total Power Supply Wattage is NOT the crucial factor in power supply selection!!! Sufficient Total Combined Continuous Power/Current Available on the +12V Rail(s) rated at 45°C - 50°C ambient temperature, is the most critical factor.

Overclocking of the CPU and/or GPU(s) will require an additional increase to the maximum combined +12 Volt continuous current ratings, recommended above, to meet the increase in power required for the overclock. The additional amount required will depend on the magnitude of the overclock being attempted.

The XFX XXX 850W XXX Edition Semi-Modular (Silver) (P1-850B-UKB9), with its maximum combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of 70 Amps and with four (6+2)-pin PCI Express supplementary power connectors, is more than sufficient to power your system configuration with two Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition graphics cards in 2-way CrossFireX mode.

XFX 850W XXX Edition Semi-Modular (Silver) (P1-850B-UKB9) for £95.82 Inc VAT
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/850w-xfx-xxx-p1-850b-ukb9-88-eff-80-plus-silver-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-fan-atx-v22-psu

If that model is discontinued then consider the more expensive

850W Black Edition Full Modular (Gold) (P1-850B-BEFX) for £128.22 Inc VAT
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/850w-xfx-pro-black-edition-p1-850b-befx-full-modular-90-eff-80-plus-gold-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-quiet

or the cheaper

XFX 850W XXX Edition Semi Modular (Bronze) (P1-850X-XXB9) for £89.82 Inc VAT

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/850w-xfx-xxx-p1-850x-xxb9-hybrid-modular-85-eff-80-plus-bronze-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-quiet-fan-atx-v
 
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Ben French

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Mar 26, 2013
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Would the, "XFX 850W XXX Edition Semi-Modular (Silver) (P1-850B-UKB9)" support a lot of overclocking? or should i go for the more expensive option? I am not sure on how to overclock myself but my friend knows all about it and knowing him, he would insist on overclocking :p
 
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ko888

ko888

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Feb 18, 2009
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All three models that I've listed have a maximum combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of 70 Amps so the more expensive model doesn't give you more capacity than the other two models when overclocking.

If you're looking at overclocking the i7-3770K CPU to 5 GHz using voltage mods then you'll probably want a power supply with more than an 850 Watt rating since the CPU's current draw on the +12 Volt rail will be more than double that of when running the CPU at its stock 3.5 GHz speed. If you keep the overclock of your i7-3770K CPU under 4.7 GHz, without manually increasing the CPU's voltage, then the power supplies that I've listed will handle the extra power draw just fine.
 
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Ben French

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Mar 26, 2013
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Alright! thanks!
 
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