850 watts enough for xfire 290s?

lindseyhunt1090

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Jul 15, 2010
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hey guys, I just sold my xfire 6970s and bought an r9 290 ( non x ) what a beast, buts the 6970s to shame and overclocks great, now I want another one to crossfire, I've read around trying to figure out if I need a bigger power supply and can get a straight answer. right now I have a cooler master silent pro M 850w psu bronze cert. im running this with an overclocked 3570k. will this psu be enough to run 2 290s or do I need to go bigger, if so whats the reason. some people say an 850 is good enough depending on the quality. also if I need a bigger psu ill just go huge and get a 3rd 290 in the future. what are your thoughts for a psu for 2 cards and or 3 290s,
 
Solution
yes, it is enough for two cards and OCed CPU. this PSU has +12V@66A available and you will not go higher than 60A (21+21+~15)
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Cooler-Master-Silent-Pro-M-850-W-Power-Supply-Review/810/10
keep this one for now. if you decide on the third card in the future, upgrade the PSU.

UPDATE: if your electricity bill can pose a serious bank-breaking issue, then i suggest upgrading the PSU now, since the efficiency of the PSU is higher at the mid-range of the PSU (i.e. when the load on the PSU is around 50% of the total PSU wattage)

Anas Bashar

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yes, it is enough for two cards and OCed CPU. this PSU has +12V@66A available and you will not go higher than 60A (21+21+~15)
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Cooler-Master-Silent-Pro-M-850-W-Power-Supply-Review/810/10
keep this one for now. if you decide on the third card in the future, upgrade the PSU.

UPDATE: if your electricity bill can pose a serious bank-breaking issue, then i suggest upgrading the PSU now, since the efficiency of the PSU is higher at the mid-range of the PSU (i.e. when the load on the PSU is around 50% of the total PSU wattage)
 
Solution