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I think I need a new power supply for my Geforce 670 - but I don't know what to get

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  • Power Supplies
  • Games
  • Geforce
  • Graphics
Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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June 28, 2013 4:50:52 PM

I just upgraded my PC from a GeForce 9800 GTX+ top a GeForce 670. When playing games, My PC will suddenly shut off. From my understanding that's either overheating or a bad power supply. I ran heat tests while playing a game and they didn't budge so I don't think that's it. I have a 700 wat pwoer supply but from browsing I find that it may not matter if the 12v rail specs aren't up to par. I don't really know what that means, so here's the specs on my power supply:

AC input 115V/230V, 10.7A/6.2A, 50Hz/60Hz.
DC Output: +3.3V, +5V, +12V1, +12V2, 1-12V, +5VSB
Max Watt: 24A, 32A, 21A, 22A, 0.6A, 2.0A

PC specs:
Graphics Card: Geforce 670 FTW edition
Intel Duo Core Processor @ 3 GHz
4 GB RAM

If I do indeed a new power supply, what specs do I want it to have?

More about : power supply geforce 670

a b ) Power supply
June 28, 2013 4:54:36 PM

So you know your CPU is going to hold back your new video card.

What's the Brand/Model of your power supply? Does it actually have PCI-E power connectors or are you using adapters to connect it to the video card?

What's really important isn't total watts (in your case 700W). It's a matter of how many Watts & Amps the 12Volt Rail is capable of.

Also, you said you did heat tests. What temps are your CPU and GPU hitting max?
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a b ) Power supply
June 28, 2013 5:07:54 PM

Your psu is of an older design. It has 2 12V rails one of 21A and a 22A. Wattage on one rail is 252W and the other 264W. The gpu can only get current for one rail and both outputs is a little border line for a 770. New and better psu have only 1 rail. Look for a psu that has 40 to 50A on the +12V rail. Stay with well known brands like Antec, Corsair, Seasonic or XFX.










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a c 154 ) Power supply
June 28, 2013 5:10:02 PM

look at nVidia's system requirements page

http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gt...

says 500 watts

But I have seen 550 watt PSUs that can't output 240 watts....so what it says on the label is meaningless. As for what you want it to have, it should be a Corsair TX series, Antec HCP/HCG series, XFX Core Edition as a minimum

With two PCIE connectors, Id put one on each rail.

To be sure, run the OCCT GPU test and monitor voltages.....if they vary by more than 5%, that exceeds ATX spec. I look for 3% ...1% if looking for max OCs
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June 28, 2013 5:24:02 PM

jerreece said:
So you know your CPU is going to hold back your new video card.

What's the Brand/Model of your power supply? Does it actually have PCI-E power connectors or are you using adapters to connect it to the video card?

What's really important isn't total watts (in your case 700W). It's a matter of how many Watts & Amps the 12Volt Rail is capable of.

Also, you said you did heat tests. What temps are your CPU and GPU hitting max?


My GPU runs at 43 degrees C when not gaming, goes up to 53 while gaming, CPU heat is 52-46 steady. I have a Xion model XON700P12N. Not sure how it's connected, I orderd this custom built I only swapped card so far. Looks like it has adapaters to plug into the card itself.

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June 28, 2013 5:52:50 PM

I ran the OCCT GPU but I don't really know what I'm looking at. What parameters should I be seeing for 5%? Here's two screenshots of what it shows me:
JackNaylorPE said:
look at nVidia's system requirements page

http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gt...

says 500 watts

But I have seen 550 watt PSUs that can't output 240 watts....so what it says on the label is meaningless. As for what you want it to have, it should be a Corsair TX series, Antec HCP/HCG series, XFX Core Edition as a minimum

With two PCIE connectors, Id put one on each rail.

To be sure, run the OCCT GPU test and monitor voltages.....if they vary by more than 5%, that exceeds ATX spec. I look for 3% ...1% if looking for max OCs


I ran the OCCT GPU but I don't really know what I'm looking at. What parameters should I be seeing for 5%? Here's two screenshots of what it shows me:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=101529849316204...

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=101529849316254...
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a b ) Power supply
June 28, 2013 8:23:42 PM

xzero1134 said:
jerreece said:
So you know your CPU is going to hold back your new video card.

What's the Brand/Model of your power supply? Does it actually have PCI-E power connectors or are you using adapters to connect it to the video card?

What's really important isn't total watts (in your case 700W). It's a matter of how many Watts & Amps the 12Volt Rail is capable of.

Also, you said you did heat tests. What temps are your CPU and GPU hitting max?


My GPU runs at 43 degrees C when not gaming, goes up to 53 while gaming, CPU heat is 52-46 steady. I have a Xion model XON700P12N. Not sure how it's connected, I orderd this custom built I only swapped card so far. Looks like it has adapaters to plug into the card itself.



Very good temps. I'd focus on the Power Supply and let's see if we can rule that out or not. As Jack suggested power supply build quality is a big deal.
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a b ) Power supply
June 28, 2013 8:26:57 PM

I searched Google for the model number you gave above (the Xion one). I found this review from 2008.

Xion Real Power PowerReal 700W Review @ JohnnyGuru
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=...

The specs they list are for the 14N version (you noted you have 12N). All their text says their test unit is the 12N though.


It suggests it has four 12V rails each with a max 18 amps. That's 216Watts per 12V Rail. They also suggest a max of 600W across all four rails. According to AnandTech the GTX 670 has a TDP of 170Watts.

Anyhow, according to this review when put to load the 12V rails do not sustain consistent 12V output. All in all the reviewer @ JohnnyGuru didn't care for the PSU's performance much. If this is the same power supply you have it could be your culprit potentially.

EDIT: BTW I looked @ EVGA.com at the specs for the EVGA GTX 670 FTW Edition. Here's what they say:
Quote:
Minimum of a 500 Watt power supply.
(Minimum recommended power supply with +12 Volt current rating of 30 Amps.)
Two available 6-pin PCI-E power dongles
Total Power Draw : 170 Watts
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June 29, 2013 4:32:23 AM

jerreece said:
xzero1134 said:
jerreece said:
So you know your CPU is going to hold back your new video card.

What's the Brand/Model of your power supply? Does it actually have PCI-E power connectors or are you using adapters to connect it to the video card?

What's really important isn't total watts (in your case 700W). It's a matter of how many Watts & Amps the 12Volt Rail is capable of.

Also, you said you did heat tests. What temps are your CPU and GPU hitting max?


My GPU runs at 43 degrees C when not gaming, goes up to 53 while gaming, CPU heat is 52-46 steady. I have a Xion model XON700P12N. Not sure how it's connected, I orderd this custom built I only swapped card so far. Looks like it has adapaters to plug into the card itself.



Very good temps. I'd focus on the Power Supply and let's see if we can rule that out or not. As Jack suggested power supply build quality is a big deal.


Well from my undestanding the PC shutting off only while playing games is either a power supply or heat and it doesn't seem to be heat. So I'm not really sure what I should be looking for, I just grabbed one of your suggestions, do I want something like this:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/ite....

If not, can you post a link to a good example of what I should get?

An another note, I'm aware that my CPU will slow down my graphics card, but I don't know how to replace it, is it a complicated process for someone who's just started messing around with his internal PC? I did some basic stuff like swap the graphics card isntall a fan, install a new Hard Drive.
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a b ) Power supply
July 1, 2013 11:54:37 AM

xzero1134 said:
jerreece said:
xzero1134 said:
jerreece said:
So you know your CPU is going to hold back your new video card.

What's the Brand/Model of your power supply? Does it actually have PCI-E power connectors or are you using adapters to connect it to the video card?

What's really important isn't total watts (in your case 700W). It's a matter of how many Watts & Amps the 12Volt Rail is capable of.

Also, you said you did heat tests. What temps are your CPU and GPU hitting max?


My GPU runs at 43 degrees C when not gaming, goes up to 53 while gaming, CPU heat is 52-46 steady. I have a Xion model XON700P12N. Not sure how it's connected, I orderd this custom built I only swapped card so far. Looks like it has adapaters to plug into the card itself.



Very good temps. I'd focus on the Power Supply and let's see if we can rule that out or not. As Jack suggested power supply build quality is a big deal.


Well from my undestanding the PC shutting off only while playing games is either a power supply or heat and it doesn't seem to be heat. So I'm not really sure what I should be looking for, I just grabbed one of your suggestions, do I want something like this:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/ite....

If not, can you post a link to a good example of what I should get?

An another note, I'm aware that my CPU will slow down my graphics card, but I don't know how to replace it, is it a complicated process for someone who's just started messing around with his internal PC? I did some basic stuff like swap the graphics card isntall a fan, install a new Hard Drive.


Sorry for the slow reply. Been out of town over the weekend. Updating a CPU is probably the most 'complicated' part of building a system in my opinion. Replacing fans, video cards, hard drives is a simple process. To upgrade your processor you need to be more sensitive, apply thermal paste, CPU fan, and potentially replace the actual motherboard. So in essence, you're entirely rebuilding the whole system (since you basically remove everything to replace the motherboard). Good chance you'd need to buy a CPU, Motherboard, and Memory sticks. But you could re-use the hard disks, fans, GPU. Depending on the level of system you want you could figure $100-$200 for a CPU, $80-200 for Motherboard, and $30-$60 for Memory. I give broad ranges because it all depends on how high grade a system you want.

I've done it many times so to me it's not difficult. Just takes time to go through the steps.

The Power Supply you linked to would be a great option as Corsair makes a solid product and the "TX" models are considered their "PC Gamer" series which has a 5 Year Warranty.

Other alternatives which are also good:

Antec High Current Gamer 750W $99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Corsair CX750M $89 (Similar to the TX but 3 Year Warranty and slightly cheaper. Modular Cable System)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Corsair TX750M ($114 - Modular version)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
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a b ) Power supply
July 1, 2013 12:12:35 PM

Just to give you an idea of cost to replace your CPU with a strong gaming setup:

Intel
Intel Core i5-3570K (very popular quad core for gaming) $220
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

GIGABYTE GA-Z77-DS3H Motherboard $95
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Corsair Vengeance 8GB DDR3-1600 $66
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Total: $380.00

Might wish to use an aftermarket cooler (would suggest such for gaming) and depending on what case your system is in hard to say whether you'd want to replace that. If you've got a store bought computer system their cases can be funky for upgrading.

Xigmatek LOKI CPU Cooler $25 (Fits LGA 1155 Sockets)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Intel CPUs usually range $190+ these days. You could theoretically build an AMD based system for less as their CPUs are cheaper (albeit not as fast). So it all depends on what a person's ultimate desire is: Gaming on a budget or Gaming No Matter What.
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