What GPU with this power supply(gigabyte superb 720)?

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raionheart

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Sep 22, 2013
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Greetings, I would like to seek advice on what GPU can my power supply support? I bought this PSU (Gigabyte Superb 720) 4 years ago and it seems that Gigabyte isn't one of the brands that make PSUs. Currently, my pc is running a Sapphire HD5850 graphic card and although this card is decent, I feel I should be getting an upgrade to keep up with the current games.

Also, I'm listing down my specs to see if there's any need to upgrade other components.
Intel i7 860
Unsure on the mother board should be P55 equivalent since this rig is over 3 years old
Windows-7 32 bit
4gb ddr3 1333 mhz
Sapphire HD5850
Gigabyte Superb 720w
Gaming at 1920x1080 resolutions on a 23 incher

On a side note, I can only fork up $450 for an upgrade and I'm just hoping to get the best upgrades with that amount. I was thinking of getting the recent nvidia 700 series cards but wasn't sure if my PSU can support them. E.g 770gtx if possible.

Thanks again
 
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InvalidError

The main reason for the 600W recommendation is simply because all GPU manufacturers grossly exaggerate their rating to account for the vast number of sub-par PSUs in the wild. You need a massively overclocked CPU and GPU to break 400W output power unless you do SLI/CFX or have tons of other stuff (or an FX-9xxx 200+W CPU) in your PC.
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nukemaster

nukemaster

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Nov 23, 2004
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Your psu has 42 amps on its 12 volt rails.

It is much closer to a 550 watt unit than anything else and the 720 is a PEAK rating.

You are dead on the recommended +12 volt amperage for a GTX 770. If the system is not overly heavy on power I would guess a 780 would work as well(but way out of budget.).

For an idea of actual power consumption. I can keep a GTX 650ti + i5 750(this IS undervolted and on an itx board for lower power) under 180 watts at the wall under very high load(GW2 + Prime95). This is all with a card that calls for 450 watts.

That 32-bit version of Windows may hold you back.
 
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InvalidError

InvalidError

Titan
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May 18, 2007
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AFAIK, there are no single-GPU setups that use more than ~400W so the 720W PSU you currently have should be able to handle just about anything currently on the market assuming it is of half-decent quality.

Also, the HD5850 was a relatively high-power card. If your PSU can handle the HD5850 fine, it should have no problem with any similar-class modern GPUs, many of which actually use less power.
 
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R

raionheart

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Sep 22, 2013
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10,510
Actually HD5850 takes up 2x6 pins connectors while the 770 gtx depending on model, uses 1x6pins + 1x8 pins or 2x8pins. I've gone to the shop and the 770gtx box says minimum 600w power supply (prolly taking into account the power wattage consumption of other components).

I was apprehensive to get a 770gtx since my PSU is kinda old and the brand isn't that good for PSUs. As nukermaster has pointed out, this PSU may produce 550w continuous at best, which is kinda on the edge. You guys reckon it will be a problem?

I read that underpowered PSUs can damage your hardwares and certainly don't want that to happen on a 770gtx. Then again, I can't fork up extra to get a new PSU bummer...
 
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InvalidError

InvalidError

Titan
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May 18, 2007
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The main reason for the 600W recommendation is simply because all GPU manufacturers grossly exaggerate their rating to account for the vast number of sub-par PSUs in the wild. You need a massively overclocked CPU and GPU to break 400W output power unless you do SLI/CFX or have tons of other stuff (or an FX-9xxx 200+W CPU) in your PC.
 
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nukemaster

nukemaster

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Nov 23, 2004
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If it makes you feel better, the system I have listed above with the gtx 650 ti + i5 750 runs fine on a 300 watt power supply even with the 450 watt recommendation.

I am almost sure none of my systems get past 350 watts(at the wall, so the dc load is lower) under heavy load(mid level overclock and all).

You are right about the quality of the power supply making all the difference. I have never been a fan of listing a power supplies PEAK and not continuous power rating(but they do show it on the sticker).
 
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nukemaster

nukemaster

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Nov 23, 2004
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I do not see any listing, but by default the extra power saving states are OFF on the boards that support those cpus, so even without a "Haswell Compatible" power supply, your system will run fine. You may not be able to use the extra low power states, but it will still be very efficient.
 
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