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sapphire dual-x r9 280x power supply

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  • Power Supplies
  • Dual
  • Sapphire
  • Graphics
Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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December 12, 2013 11:45:58 PM

Hi all,
Long time lurker first time poster :) . I'm looking at an upgrade from my Sapphire 6850, I'm currently thinking either a 270x or 280x, probably the dual-x from Sapphire. I'm in NZ and these seem to be the best value for performance, going by http:// (hope that linked right). Not sure if my power supply can handle the 280x, or if the 280x is overkill at 1080p. The PSU says 360 W over three 12 V lines (12, 22, 14 A), and I think it has two 6-pin pcie connections. Thanks for any advice you can offer.

Current Specs:
AcBel ATX-550CA-AB8FM 550 W PSU
AMD Athlon II X4 640
2 x 4 GB RAM
500 GB 7200.12 Seagate HD
Sapphire HD6850 GPU @ 850/1115
Asus M4N68T-M V2 MB

More about : sapphire dual 280x power supply

December 12, 2013 11:56:18 PM

550 is sufficient to power the 270x, I'd go a little higher for the 280x just to be on the safe side. Also, I would bet your CPU would bottleneck a 280x noticeably. It might even bottleneck the 270x at least a little bit...That being said, 280x is a great card to have for 1080p gaming. I run a 7970 which is the predecessor to the 280x and I play all my games at ultra in 1080p and average 60fps in most of them, and 45+fps in pretty much any super intensive game. The 270x is great for a budget, as it will get you decent 1080p gaming. You will be playing most games at high with solid frames, and less intensive games on ultra.
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December 13, 2013 12:09:34 AM

The 280x can indeed be seen as an overkill for 1080p and can crack way over 60fps on any game with max settings, and considering your cpu, you will run into a bottleneck with either cards 270x/280x.

Rather save the extra cash from the 280x and get the 270 and use it to upgrade your mobo and cpu to something decent like an fx 6300. No need for the x as it is just an overclocked version of the non x and performs slightly better, which can be achieved by overclocking the non x.

If you can find a 7870 cheaper then get it as the 270 is just a rebranded 7870 and offers similar performance
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a b ) Power supply
December 13, 2013 12:15:58 AM

550W is the minimum requirement so as long as your psu is fairly new and good quality, at least 80+bronze rated it should be fine. I run my 280x off a corsair 600W with no issues. I'd go with the 280x, once they come back in stock and prices come down they are insane value for the money. Don't worry about your cpu "bottlenecking" anything. We're talking single digit FPS difference between that and upgrading to a new cpu. If you're worried about it get a coolermaster hyper 212 evo cooler, about $30, and OC your cpu and gain back some ground there. If you go with a 270x then upgrade your system somewhat soon, then your gpu is going to be behind your system. Go with the 280x.
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December 13, 2013 12:48:57 AM

woltej1 said:
550W is the minimum requirement so as long as your psu is fairly new and good quality, at least 80+bronze rated it should be fine. I run my 280x off a corsair 600W with no issues. I'd go with the 280x, once they come back in stock and prices come down they are insane value for the money. Don't worry about your cpu "bottlenecking" anything. We're talking single digit FPS difference between that and upgrading to a new cpu. If you're worried about it get a coolermaster hyper 212 evo cooler, about $30, and OC your cpu and gain back some ground there. If you go with a 270x then upgrade your system somewhat soon, then your gpu is going to be behind your system. Go with the 280x.


I'd wager the bottleneck is much more severe than a few FPS with the 280x. You're over-estimating how dated and weak that CPU is. The 280x is a higher-end card right now.

OP should watch this video to get a better understanding of bottlenecking. I know its older but it gets the point across.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGdo75gasaQ

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December 13, 2013 1:03:08 AM

The bottleneck his cpu will add will be a lot less than the performance difference of a 280x and a 270x. 270x might be fine for 1080p gaming now, but in a year or 2 it will struggle while the 280x will serve him well. Go with the 280x and update the rest of your rig when you get the cash.
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December 13, 2013 1:06:52 AM

woltej1 said:
The bottleneck his cpu will add will be a lot less than the performance difference of a 280x and a 270x. 270x might be fine for 1080p gaming now, but in a year or 2 it will struggle while the 280x will serve him well. Go with the 280x and update the rest of your rig when you get the cash.


Oh I'm not saying the 280x isn't good or worth it. I completely agree with you there. I'm just saying RIGHT NOW with his CPU, he would most likely get a decent bottleneck and not be able to enjoy the 280x to the fullest. I would also opt for the 280x if you can afford it now, and upgrade your CPU ASAP.

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December 13, 2013 2:05:32 AM

If you want a better idea of what bottlenecking is and how severe it can be, take a look at these benchmarks performed with a gtx 680 so that you can see for yourself. They have the exact same cpu as you do compared with other high powered ones
http://

As you can see almost more than half of the framerate is lost due to the cpu, when compared to the highest i7 3960x. That's like more than a 50% performance drop

Splinter Cell Blacklist is even worse, not even playable
http://

Note that this can vary between games as some games are more gpu dependent than cpu, so you might not see such a large drop, but still a substantial amount lost. eg, tomb raider
http://

If you are going to play multiplayer like bf4/bf3, you will be at a huge disadvantage with your Athlon.

It would be a waste of money to get a 280x paired with that cpu, unless you can get it at a really good price. I mean, even a 270x paired with a capable cpu like an fx 6300 would get more fps than a 280x paired with your Athlon
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December 13, 2013 2:23:23 AM

Scremin34Egl said:
If you want a better idea of what bottlenecking is and how severe it can be, take a look at these benchmarks performed with a gtx 680 so that you can see for yourself. They have the exact same cpu as you do compared with other high powered ones
http://

As you can see almost more than half of the framerate is lost due to the cpu, when compared to the highest i7 3960x. That's like more than a 50% performance drop

Splinter Cell Blacklist is even worse, not even playable
http://

Note that this can vary between games as some games are more gpu dependent than cpu, so you might not see such a large drop, but still a substantial amount lost. eg, tomb raider
http://

If you are going to play multiplayer like bf4/bf3, you will be at a huge disadvantage with your Athlon.

It would be a waste of money to get a 280x paired with that cpu, unless you can get it at a really good price. I mean, even a 270x paired with a capable cpu like an fx 6300 would get more fps than a 280x paired with your Athlon


+1 for the backup.
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December 13, 2013 3:19:04 AM

Cheers for the links.
I play a bit of BF4, as well as games like modded Skyrim, Fallout: NV, Metro, Bioshock infinite, Starcraft 2, Dirt 3, The Witcher 2 etc, pretty much a bit of everything. I'm also thinking about getting an Oculus Rift when they release the consumer version.
I've thought about upgrading my CPU, but the hierarchy chart http:// and some benches http:// seem to suggest theres not much point? I could get a FX-6300 and a 270x for ~280x, but would the GPU then be bottlenecking the FX-6300/would I get better performance in most games? If my PSU could handle the 280x, I think I'd buy that first, then upgrade my CPU in a few months; are the FX-series the same socket as my Athlon?
Thanks for all the replies
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December 13, 2013 3:42:54 AM

MikeNZ said:
Cheers for the links.
I play a bit of BF4, as well as games like modded Skyrim, Fallout: NV, Metro, Bioshock infinite, Starcraft 2, Dirt 3, The Witcher 2 etc, pretty much a bit of everything. I'm also thinking about getting an Oculus Rift when they release the consumer version.
I've thought about upgrading my CPU, but the hierarchy chart http:// and some benches http:// seem to suggest theres not much point? I could get a FX-6300 and a 270x for ~280x, but would the GPU then be bottlenecking the FX-6300/would I get better performance in most games? If my PSU could handle the 280x, I think I'd buy that first, then upgrade my CPU in a few months; are the FX-series the same socket as my Athlon?
Thanks for all the replies


The FX-6300 is superior to your athlon for sure. However it does require an am3+ socket. So check to see if your mobo is compatible. I'd pay a bit extra for the Fx-8320 if you can. Sometimes it goes on sale for as low as $130. The Fx-6300 should be good enough for a 270x, but it might bottleneck the 280x a bit, emphasis on the "might." You can always OC either FX series CPU if it even bottlenecks at all. If you run the 8320 with a 280x, you're gonna want 650w for some OC room if you choose. The 6300 with the 270x would be around the 550w mark. Its always good to have a little extra then not enough.

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a b ) Power supply
December 13, 2013 6:14:49 AM

MikeNZ said:
Cheers for the links.
I play a bit of BF4, as well as games like modded Skyrim, Fallout: NV, Metro, Bioshock infinite, Starcraft 2, Dirt 3, The Witcher 2 etc, pretty much a bit of everything. I'm also thinking about getting an Oculus Rift when they release the consumer version.
I've thought about upgrading my CPU, but the hierarchy chart http:// and some benches http:// seem to suggest theres not much point? I could get a FX-6300 and a 270x for ~280x, but would the GPU then be bottlenecking the FX-6300/would I get better performance in most games? If my PSU could handle the 280x, I think I'd buy that first, then upgrade my CPU in a few months; are the FX-series the same socket as my Athlon?
Thanks for all the replies


If you get the fx 6300 with the 270, you will need a motherboard upgrade, as it does not support the fx chips. You should save the extra cash and get a 270 because the 270x is just an overclocked version of the 270, which can be easily achieved with a 270. BF4 singleplayer is more gpu dependent, but the multiplayer is the total opposite and your Athlon will suffer their. The 270x would not bottleneck the fx 6300 and you would get better performance than the 280x paired with your Athlon.

If you are going the 280x route, I suggest upgrading your cpu/mobo ASAP, as you say in a few months time. Things are only going to get worse next year for your cpu, as with the next gen consoles having 8 cores, games are going to be more optimized for more cores/threads. You will also need another psu. Get a good 600W branded psu with an 80+ certification. Some good brands are seasonic,xfx,corsair,antec,rosewill
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December 16, 2013 10:43:28 PM

Thanks for the answers people, I've decided to go the 280x route. Did some benches running BF4 multiplayer (probably the most CPU intensive game I play), and with lowered graphics settings I was happy with the FPS, so I figure the 280x should get me good FPS on ultra even with my Athlon. Will do the MB and CPU upgrade earlyish next year, so if I got the 270(x) I think that'd end up holding back the system in alot of games, and I'd end up wanting another GPU soon anyway.
I'll be getting a new PSU (probably http:// ), what would happen if a PSU can't supply enough power for the GPU? Likely to cause damage or crashing?
Thanks again for the help
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December 16, 2013 11:08:40 PM

MikeNZ said:
Thanks for the answers people, I've decided to go the 280x route. Did some benches running BF4 multiplayer (probably the most CPU intensive game I play), and with lowered graphics settings I was happy with the FPS, so I figure the 280x should get me good FPS on ultra even with my Athlon. Will do the MB and CPU upgrade earlyish next year, so if I got the 270(x) I think that'd end up holding back the system in alot of games, and I'd end up wanting another GPU soon anyway.
I'll be getting a new PSU (probably http:// ), what would happen if a PSU can't supply enough power for the GPU? Likely to cause damage or crashing?
Thanks again for the help


You will not need to worry about that. That's a solid psu that you are choosing, and yes, if you under power your card you can risk damaging it and it will lead to system instability, bsod's. I think you made the right call to get the more powerful card and then upgrade your cpu early next year, as long as you are happy
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