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CX Series CX750M 750 Watt, good enough?

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  • Intel i5
  • Components
  • Thermaltake
Last response: in Components
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December 4, 2013 3:51:37 PM

http://www.microcenter.com/product/406089/CX_Series_CX7...

I know that 750w is overkill but I am wondering if this psu is enough for the next 2 years including crossfire. My pc includes i5 4670k, z87-a, and 7950 gpu.
Originally i was going to use my Thermaltake 600 watt (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/thermaltake-power-supply-w...) but i found out this is an old model.


edit - Notice there is a similar thread under.
Is the cx750m best bang for my buck right now? $59.99 after rebate. Or should i go with a different psu that is a newer model and more efficient.

More about : series cx750m 750 watt good

December 4, 2013 4:03:00 PM

The CX 750M is perfect for your build.
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December 4, 2013 4:04:36 PM

I would go ahead and use your 600w psu. It should be sufficient.

If you eventually want more graphics power, change out the 7950 for whatever is newer and stronger.
Your 600w psu should be able to handle even a GTX780.
Next year, there will be Maxwell and amd 8xxx series. Do your psu upgrade then if you need to.

Here is my canned rant on planning for dual cards:
-----------------------------Start of rant----------------------------------------------------
Dual graphics cards vs. a good single card.

a) How good do you really need to be?
A single GTX650/ti or 7770 can give you good performance at 1920 x 1200 in most games.

A single GTX660 or 7850 will give you excellent performance at 1920 x 1200 in most games.
Even 2560 x 1600 will be good with lowered detail.
A single gtx690,7990, GTX780ti or R9-290X is about as good as it gets for a single card.

Only if you are looking at triple monitor gaming, or a 4k monitor, might sli/cf will be needed.
Even that is now changing with triple monitor support on top end cards and stronger single card solutions.

b) The costs for a single card are lower.
You require a less expensive motherboard; no need for sli/cf or multiple pci-e slots.
Even a ITX motherboard will do.

Your psu costs are less.
A GTX660 needs a 430w psu, even a GTX780 only needs a 575w psu.
When you add another card to the mix, plan on adding 200w to your psu requirements.

Even the most power hungry GTX690 only needs 620w, or a 7990 needs 700w.

Case cooling becomes more of an issue with dual cards.
That means a more expensive case with more and stronger fans.
You will also look at more noise.

c) Dual gpu's do not always render their half of the display in sync, causing microstuttering. It is an annoying effect.
The benefit of higher benchmark fps can be offset, particularly with lower tier cards.
Read this: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-geforce-stut...

d) dual gpu support is dependent on the driver. Not all games can benefit from dual cards.

e) dual cards up front reduces your option to get another card for an upgrade. Not that I suggest you plan for that.
It will often be the case that replacing your current card with a newer gen card will offer a better upgrade path.
The Maxwell and amd 8000 or 9000 series are due next year.
-------------------------------End of rant-----------------------------------------------------------

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December 4, 2013 4:11:39 PM

Great answer geofelt, didn't know my psu could handle a 780!. Well since my psu is alright should i purchase the CX-750w for a good price or should i upgrade my z87-a instead? I heard the z87-a is great for people who are beginners and a alright overclocker. I only went with the z87-a because i was on a budget but i might go with the maximus hero which is $50 more after rebate deal. I've heard the ROG boards are great for o/c but is there really a different from the z87-a? Is the difference minimal?
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Best solution

December 4, 2013 4:24:47 PM

Any Z87 based motherboard will OC a 4670K to conservative levels. How high you can go is determined mostly by the capabilities of your particular chip, and it varies quite a bit. You could get lucky, or not.
I would keep the Z87-a. If budget is no object, buy anything. If budget matters, the difference can be spent more effectively elsewhere.
All the motherboard reviews I have seen show negligible differences in performance.

Regardless, 4.0 is almost certain with a decent air cooler, and 4.2-4.4 is likely. How much more might you need than that/
Not much, I think.
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