Not sure how much wattage my computer is actually using.

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nightsbane1337

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My first post so i apologize if i messed something up by posting in the wrong place, I'll add as much information as i can so you can understand what i mean.

How my computer is running at the moment there's no problems but I'm planning to get another graphics card so i can crossfire (Read more about that further down)

I'm having trouble with finding how much my computer is actually using, the graphics card i have uses around 150W according to benchmarking websites but I'm assuming that's at max load, while other sites such as PCpartpicker thinks its around ~80W. The graphics card I'm using is a http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-7770-Radeon-Graphics-Card/dp/B0081LDXW2 The information from that i gathered from two of the sites says I'm using around 330W~ but i need to make sure i need some clarification on how much my actual graphics card is using.

Ive added all my PC parts to the closest i can get so you can get the rough idea of what I'm using. PCPartPicker estimates that I'm using around 323~ Watts with my current system specs. http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Nightsbane1337/saved/3n2U

I used another site called http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp from a suggestion in another thread and the results were 341W~.
http://imgur.com/0l6Oetx

So if anyone could run some checks to make sure that those numbers seem realistic and maybe look into the current graphics card I'm using and give me some numbers that'd be great.
The purpose of this post is because soon i will be most likely purchasing a 2nd one so i can crossfire them both but i want to avoid going out and buying a bigger PSU to keep up with the power needs.

The games i play are DayZ, World of Warcraft, Arma2, League of Legends etc etc and my frame rates are perfectly fine playing them with no problems, i just want an upgrade so i can max the games like DayZ and not worry about frame rate drops.

Any reply to my questions would be greatly appreciated and any suggestions / Advice on what is should do would be awesome.

My Specs:
PC Tower
Thermaltake Chaser A31 Snow edition
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz
4.00GB Patriot Dual-Channel DDR3 @ x2
Motherboard MSI 970A-G46 (MS-7693)
2GB ATI AMD Radeon HD 7700 Series
XFX ProSeries 550W Core Edition Power Supply - 80 PLUS Bronze Certified

Quick Edit; I don't overclock. Thought i should mention it.
 
Solution
Jaxem


It can handle it, but the 970 chipset doesn't give enough lanes to both slots. The first card will get 16 lanes, but the second will only get 4. I'm not sure if or how much this will hinder a lower end card like a 7770, but it would hugely bottleneck a mid to high range crossfire.
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Jaxem

Jaxem

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You should be just fine to crossfire with your XFX 550 watt. Your motherboard isn't ideal to crossfire with, so i'd almost suggest selling your 7770 and using that with your second card budget to get a single better card. Just my $0.02.
 
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JackNaylorPE

JackNaylorPE

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The outervision site is the accurate one.

If ya wanna know exactly what it pulls in use....

But it's very simple to see what you "should" be using ..... unless you have water cooling pumps, 10 HDs or some other weird config, just look at the system req'ts on the manufacturer's web site

http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/7000/7770/Pages/radeon-7770.aspx#3

500W (or greater) power supply with one 75W 6-pin PCI Express power connector recommended7
600W power supply (or greater) with two 75W 6-pin PCI Express power connectors recommended for AMD CrossFire™ technology.
Click to expand...

Guru3D also is a great source based upon actual testing

Here is Guru3D's power supply recommendation:

Radeon HD 7770 - On your average system the card requires you to have a 450 Watt power supply unit.
Radeon HD 7770 Crossfire - On your average system the cards require you to have a 550 Watt power supply unit as minimum.

If you are going to overclock the GPU or processor, then we do recommend you purchase something with some more stamina.
Click to expand...


In short..... running stock, a solid (i.e. XFX) 550 w PSU will be fine,if OC'ing I'd go with a 650

According to newegg, MoBo has "PCI Express 2.0 x16 =
2 (x16, x8)" so you shud be fine ....
 
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nightsbane1337

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I'm not really a brainiac when it comes to Motherboards but what makes the one i have not so ideal? Does it not give the best performance it could? Cant handle it ?
 
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Jaxem

Jaxem

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It can handle it, but the 970 chipset doesn't give enough lanes to both slots. The first card will get 16 lanes, but the second will only get 4. I'm not sure if or how much this will hinder a lower end card like a 7770, but it would hugely bottleneck a mid to high range crossfire.
 
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nightsbane1337

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Jan 10, 2014
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Radeon HD 7770 Crossfire - On your average system the cards require you to have a 550 Watt power supply unit as minimum.
Click to expand...

Seeing as it says "Minimum" that wont limit me greatly to how "graphically intensive" i run my games right? Might sound a bit of a stupid question but since people are seeing the post i might aswell just ask?
 
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nightsbane1337

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Alright. thanks.
 
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giantbucket

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it actually surprisingly easy to find out EXACTLY how much power YOUR computer is using under load, PRECISELY. all you need is a small amp-clamp multimeter and a special AC line separator. you connect the stuff properly, run your machine idle and under load, and read the current. times 120 for the wattage. or times 12 if you use the 10x loop on the separator.

do a google search.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YToaq9lcgCE
 
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Jaxem

Jaxem

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The suggested minimums are usually a bit higher than they need to be, it helps cover their bases when people use low quality power supplies that are low on amperage that would kill a GPU, your PSU is top notch though, it shouldn't have a problem.
 
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nightsbane1337

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Alright, Thanks so much for the awesome responses! :p
 
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JackNaylorPE

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It can handle it, but the 970 chipset doesn't give enough lanes to both slots. The first card will get 16 lanes, but the second will only get 4. I'm not sure if or how much this will hinder a lower end card like a 7770, but it would hugely bottleneck a mid to high range crossfire.
Click to expand...

It was my understanding that was true for the G43 but not the G46
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=msi+970&N=-1&isNodeId=1

MSI 970A-G43 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
Number of Memory Slots: 4×240pin
Memory Standard: DDR3 1066/1333/1600/1866/2133* (OC)
PCI Express 2.0 x16: 2 (1 at x16,1 at x4)


MSI 970A-G46 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
Number of Memory Slots: 4×240pin
Memory Standard: DDR3 800/1066/1333/1600/1866/2133* (OC)
PCI Express 2.0 x16: 2 (x16, x8)
 
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nightsbane1337

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Oh, so from my Limited knowledge of Chipsets for Motherboards, I get x16 for one of my cards and the other slot will have x8 for my future card? not x4 like you previously said?
 
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Jaxem

Jaxem

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Jul 22, 2013
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Jack may well be right, i did my quick bit of reading on the chipset, not the specific motherboard, and what i said of the 970 chipset is the rule...it sounds like your board may be an exception to the rule however...i wish things could just stay standardized so knowledge would go further...oh well.
 
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