Start off by saying that this is google translated. All cred goes to the swedish author. I didnt have the energy to translate this. Did some small corrections where it was impossible to understand though.
This is a power guide that explains why it is harder to OC the CPU with dual graphics. Talks about wattages and the limlits on different motherboards. really useful info for a system builder.
PSU vs. Graphics Card:
When to buying the power supply to the PC, many people are looking at the reviews and decide that one needs X watts to operate a specific system. Even though this is true, only in the systems tested and only under the circumstances it was tested .
1, a test system is very clean , it runs with minimal additional equipment
2; measuring overall on standard clocked components
3; depending on processor clocking and the effectiveness of the tested motherboard power consumption can vary
4 , a test rig has zero age wear
5: when measuring a test rig measured external power , which is not simply to convert to internal power (which is what the PSU is designed for )
Also, you dont want to put the new PSU @ 100% load, as it gets hot, loud and reduces the life of the power supply. Moreover, it can cause problems when the components of the PSU slot which can kill other associated components such as motherboards , processors, and especially hard drives.
The vast majority are right versed in what is required in the dimension of the PSU depending on what graphics card you 're driving, but I repeat , the most common recommendation list :
GTX 450 / HD 6850 : 300 + W
GTX 460 / HD 6870 : 350 + W
HD 6950 : 400W
GTX 470/570 / HD 6970 : 450 + W
GTX 480/580 : 500 + W
GTX 460 SLI / HD 6870 CF : 600 - 750W
GTX 470/570 SLI / 6950/70 CF : 750 - 850W
GTX 480/580 SLI : 850 -1000W
Then you can of course also watch so that the PSU has so many PCI-E connectors you need, which is typically 4 for SLI / CF.
One can of course lie at the bottom of this recommendation , but then you can not expect the system to overclock very well. The stronger power supply , the better margins for overclocking and the better stability you get . If you have a lot of peripherals type hard drives , burners , fans , etc. also need a stronger power supply .
You also want a balanced power supply that will be as efficient as possible when your system is working , and it is those at 70 ~ 80 % load. A system that draws about 500W ( 2x460 = ~ 350W , 1xCPU ~ 150W ) should therefore have a PSU which is located at 500/ 0, 75 = ~ 650W .
That the PSU will be more effective, the smaller the load, is a pure lie , it requires a specific load to the components of the egg will work correctly and get low disturbance and the load is right around 75% of maximum load . During the ~ 70 % drop in PSU efficiency, and ~ 50% decreases dramatically when the egg must " chop " incoming voltage too much. Similarly, the efficiency drops if you go over ~ 80 % load.
BUT ... there is something else at play as well, namely the path of the current to the graphics card (s) and what the components can handle, I'm talking specifically about the motherboard.
Graphics card and power consumption:
All tend to ask " how much power does my graphics card take? "
While it is a good question in itself forgets all the more important question ;
" How much power does my video card draw from the motherboard ? "
Then you come in here and complain that the system clocks bad, it becomes unstable , or it starts to smell burned on the motherboard. Well, not surprising in itself, and especially not if you start dabbling with overclocking in modern performance rigs.
In practical terms , it is not easy to answer the question , either, since it depends on two things:
1; Graphics Card's total power consumption (W)
2; video card portion of their power consumption from the motherboard (%)
Both points depends on the graphics card to graphics card, and only the first is static per model. It is calculated by the number ( and type ) PCI-E power connectors on the graphics card.
No PCI-E : 100% from the motherboard
1x6 -pin : 50% from the motherboard , 50% from PSU
2x6 -pin : 33 % from the motherboard , 67% from PSU
1x6 -pin +1 x8 -pin : 25 % from the motherboard , 75% from PSU
2x8- pin : 20 % from the motherboard , 80% from PSU
What this means is that a weak graphics card may well draw more power from the motherboard than a true performance cards do, simply because it has no external power supply.
Calculated based on the standard TDP :
ARES = 376W 8 +8 = 75W from the motherboard
GT330 = 75W from the motherboard
HD 5970 = 294W 6 +8 = 73.5 W from the motherboard
GTX 570 = ~ 220W 6 +6 = 73W from the motherboard
GTX 470 = ~ 215W 6 +6 = 72W from the motherboard
GTX 465 / HD 6950 = 200W 6 +6 = 67W from the motherboard
HD 6850 = 130W 6- pin = 65W from the motherboard
GTX 480 / GTX 580 = 250W 6 +8 = 62.5 W from the motherboard
GT440 = 56W from the motherboard
HD6970 = 220W 6 +8 = 55W from the motherboard
GTX 460 / HD 6870 = 160W 6 +6 = 53W from the motherboard
GTS 450 = 106W 6- pin = 53W from the motherboard
Apparently , it is a mix , and there's no real rhyme or reason to which card draws most - precisely because of the current distribution changes with no contacts . It does , however huge difference when to start playing with overclocking , and even more when you are having more than a single graphics card .
Remember, even when clocking draws the graphics card the same proportion of its power through the motherboard, overclocking an 580 to 350W will it therefore pulling 350/4 from the motherboard. The same applies to all other cards. Most quality card can handle this, but even the best have their limits.
Motherboard and power supply :
Motherboard choice is often the last thing people think of as critical , which is hugely ironic given that it is the individual component everything else sits. Buying extreme graphics cards and processors and then buy the wrong motherboard is as stupid as buying a Ferrari and driving on oplogad gravel road.
When people buy motherboards , they look at the number of PCI-E ports , SLI / CF , extras type USB3/SATA6 and not much more. For most people need no more, but ... we talked a performance system here , right? With powerful graphics card and overclocked processor?
Then there are two points that always apply.
1 : 100% of the processor's power comes through the motherboard ;
2; 25% to 75W of the graphics card (s) 's power comes through the motherboard
Why is it interesting? Well, both fed with +12 V (although the CPU draws 90W +5 W) , and most motherboards have very limited incoming 12V cords ( count themselves, it's the yellow wires ) .
24-pin connector has two yellow wires , giving a max of ~ 6A or 75W 12V .
ATX12V (4-pin ) adds as much , 75W .
EATX12V (8- pin) is of course twice as strong as standard ATX12V , a total of 150W .
The motherboard is thus a very interesting bottleneck, not because it directly affects the clocking or stability, but because it directly can become a bottleneck for the power supply to both the graphics card and processor. Depending on what the motherboard has to power , a performance system can be nearly un-clockable, and this is primarily on CPU overclocking (which is based solely on the system board power) .
What do we know ?
On a motherboard with 24 +4 pin :
The CPU has 90W dedicated , the rest comes via ATX12V
ATX12V can deliver max 150W
A normal stock performance processor type i7 or Phenom II draws 125 - 140W , which directly cut off < 50W of ATX12V - 100W left .
A graphics card draw (depending on auxiliary contacts) up to 75W from the motherboard.
This system can then manage which GPU u want at any time, up to 580 monsters or 5970 but that bottles on the power supply. The same is ONE card , and no overclocking.
A stock graphics card handles this system, and an i7 920 overclocked to ~ 3.5GHz with no worries, probably longer .
Two card? Well, we still have ~ 100W ( if you do not overclock the CPU ) to play with in this stock system , which is enough to feed the two cards that draws ~ 50W each from the PCI-E bus. It leaves practically 460/6870 , and even 6970 , but not much else.
Something that is worth remembering is that the weaker graphics card does not necessarily require less power from the motherboard. The fewer PCI-E power connectors , the more power pulling the graphics card in percentage from the motherboard. The 6970 has 6 +8 pin power supply which allows it to draw 1/4 of its power from the motherboard - ie ~ 55W .
The 6850 is of course much weaker, but then the card only has a single 6- pin PCI -E connector pulls the entire 1/2 of its power from the motherboard, which means that it actually draws more ( ~ 65W ) power from the motherboard than 6970 makes .
What we have come up with is that 1:24 +4 motherboard has limited overclocking options even with a single graphics card , and the two are already limited margin practically erased .
On a motherboard with 24 +8 pin :
The CPU has 90W dedicated , the rest comes via EATX12V
EATX12V can supply 225W max
Here we have another 75W to play with, which is very nice. This actually makes it possible to send in exactly what was on his computer - if not to overclock .
Again , the rule applies to today's performance CPUs consume around 140W , which immediately cuts 50W of our available 12V line. That leaves the other hand, 175W , which is MORE than two ( oklockade ) video card can draw. Max in a oklockat system is thus 2x75W ( 2x580 ) graphics card, or why not 3x60W ( 3x6970/6870 )
But - once again we encounter on patrol whether to overclock the CPU and still have multiple graphics cards .
Oklockat drag two video cards 100 -150W , which leaves 75 - 125W (real 165W or more) to the processor. How far can a processor clocked at 165W ? A Core i7 will be around 3.5 GHz , a Phenom II at ~ 4 GHz .
When the processor overclocking however, used in the worst case, zero power left , you have a huge dish out what motherboard can deliver. If you pull up the CPU further , or start to watch the video cards , the system becomes unstable soon .
THIS IS THE MAIN CAUSE OF THAT PERFORMANCE SYSTEM BECOMING UNSTABLE AT THE CLOCK !
With a single graphics card on the other hand ? Well, then there is 100W to watch with , enough almost to any length for both the graphics card and processor.
On a motherboard with 24 +8 pin plus external power supply :
The CPU has 90W dedicated , the rest comes via EATX12V
EATX12V can supply 225W max
External power supply (extra Molex/EATX12V ) delivers MORE
Now that's more like it , even if these motherboards are often quite expensive . There are many variants and with cards that only have a spare molex connector ( +40 W) and with the card that has a whole extra EATX connector ( +150 W) both cards have two or more.
Extreme example is the Rampage III Extreme, which with two extra molexkontakter and an extra EATX12V connector can supply the full 500W 12V, 590W total to processor and graphics card (enough for 4 graphics card ( 4x75 = 300W and 2 processors ( 2x140 = 280W ) .
Here are few to no restrictions , but the cards also cost thereafter .
conclusion:
Motherboard selection is an equally important process that the selection of power supply , if not more important . Here I figured worst case , that is exactly what the tolerances are saying, but there is also motherboard which is really hard on standards and tolerances. It also gives some hint about whether you really want to buy such a cheap motherboard , especially if you really must squeeze .
Now I have figured very hard, and the maximum values all the way through. In fact, a graphics card usually uses less than above , and most motherboard and PSU have wider margins than they actually should have. That said, I do not recommend playing on the margins more than absolutely necessary , then there is a reason that they exist and that reason is called Peak Load .
What I myself would recommend is that you look for motherboards with EATX (8- pin 12V) whether to run either SLI or CF , especially if you're going to have a good processor . Should you also watch should therefore also look for motherboards with an additional power supply .
The alternative is to clocking prospects deteriorate or even disappear, do not do much with sturdy workhorses 580/570/480/6970 , but definitely can be a disadvantage , for example, 460/6870 . To have a motherboard with good power supply also provides a more stable system in SLI / CF.
Worth having in mind, however, that there is actually cables to reinforce the motherboard power supply , such as Molex > PCI-E slot contacts. One can also move away fans from the motherboard to release some extra watts.
All this , however, unnecessary if you think about it right from the beginning and buy the right motherboard .
This is a power guide that explains why it is harder to OC the CPU with dual graphics. Talks about wattages and the limlits on different motherboards. really useful info for a system builder.
PSU vs. Graphics Card:
When to buying the power supply to the PC, many people are looking at the reviews and decide that one needs X watts to operate a specific system. Even though this is true, only in the systems tested and only under the circumstances it was tested .
1, a test system is very clean , it runs with minimal additional equipment
2; measuring overall on standard clocked components
3; depending on processor clocking and the effectiveness of the tested motherboard power consumption can vary
4 , a test rig has zero age wear
5: when measuring a test rig measured external power , which is not simply to convert to internal power (which is what the PSU is designed for )
Also, you dont want to put the new PSU @ 100% load, as it gets hot, loud and reduces the life of the power supply. Moreover, it can cause problems when the components of the PSU slot which can kill other associated components such as motherboards , processors, and especially hard drives.
The vast majority are right versed in what is required in the dimension of the PSU depending on what graphics card you 're driving, but I repeat , the most common recommendation list :
GTX 450 / HD 6850 : 300 + W
GTX 460 / HD 6870 : 350 + W
HD 6950 : 400W
GTX 470/570 / HD 6970 : 450 + W
GTX 480/580 : 500 + W
GTX 460 SLI / HD 6870 CF : 600 - 750W
GTX 470/570 SLI / 6950/70 CF : 750 - 850W
GTX 480/580 SLI : 850 -1000W
Then you can of course also watch so that the PSU has so many PCI-E connectors you need, which is typically 4 for SLI / CF.
One can of course lie at the bottom of this recommendation , but then you can not expect the system to overclock very well. The stronger power supply , the better margins for overclocking and the better stability you get . If you have a lot of peripherals type hard drives , burners , fans , etc. also need a stronger power supply .
You also want a balanced power supply that will be as efficient as possible when your system is working , and it is those at 70 ~ 80 % load. A system that draws about 500W ( 2x460 = ~ 350W , 1xCPU ~ 150W ) should therefore have a PSU which is located at 500/ 0, 75 = ~ 650W .
That the PSU will be more effective, the smaller the load, is a pure lie , it requires a specific load to the components of the egg will work correctly and get low disturbance and the load is right around 75% of maximum load . During the ~ 70 % drop in PSU efficiency, and ~ 50% decreases dramatically when the egg must " chop " incoming voltage too much. Similarly, the efficiency drops if you go over ~ 80 % load.
BUT ... there is something else at play as well, namely the path of the current to the graphics card (s) and what the components can handle, I'm talking specifically about the motherboard.
Graphics card and power consumption:
All tend to ask " how much power does my graphics card take? "
While it is a good question in itself forgets all the more important question ;
" How much power does my video card draw from the motherboard ? "
Then you come in here and complain that the system clocks bad, it becomes unstable , or it starts to smell burned on the motherboard. Well, not surprising in itself, and especially not if you start dabbling with overclocking in modern performance rigs.
In practical terms , it is not easy to answer the question , either, since it depends on two things:
1; Graphics Card's total power consumption (W)
2; video card portion of their power consumption from the motherboard (%)
Both points depends on the graphics card to graphics card, and only the first is static per model. It is calculated by the number ( and type ) PCI-E power connectors on the graphics card.
No PCI-E : 100% from the motherboard
1x6 -pin : 50% from the motherboard , 50% from PSU
2x6 -pin : 33 % from the motherboard , 67% from PSU
1x6 -pin +1 x8 -pin : 25 % from the motherboard , 75% from PSU
2x8- pin : 20 % from the motherboard , 80% from PSU
What this means is that a weak graphics card may well draw more power from the motherboard than a true performance cards do, simply because it has no external power supply.
Calculated based on the standard TDP :
ARES = 376W 8 +8 = 75W from the motherboard
GT330 = 75W from the motherboard
HD 5970 = 294W 6 +8 = 73.5 W from the motherboard
GTX 570 = ~ 220W 6 +6 = 73W from the motherboard
GTX 470 = ~ 215W 6 +6 = 72W from the motherboard
GTX 465 / HD 6950 = 200W 6 +6 = 67W from the motherboard
HD 6850 = 130W 6- pin = 65W from the motherboard
GTX 480 / GTX 580 = 250W 6 +8 = 62.5 W from the motherboard
GT440 = 56W from the motherboard
HD6970 = 220W 6 +8 = 55W from the motherboard
GTX 460 / HD 6870 = 160W 6 +6 = 53W from the motherboard
GTS 450 = 106W 6- pin = 53W from the motherboard
Apparently , it is a mix , and there's no real rhyme or reason to which card draws most - precisely because of the current distribution changes with no contacts . It does , however huge difference when to start playing with overclocking , and even more when you are having more than a single graphics card .
Remember, even when clocking draws the graphics card the same proportion of its power through the motherboard, overclocking an 580 to 350W will it therefore pulling 350/4 from the motherboard. The same applies to all other cards. Most quality card can handle this, but even the best have their limits.
Motherboard and power supply :
Motherboard choice is often the last thing people think of as critical , which is hugely ironic given that it is the individual component everything else sits. Buying extreme graphics cards and processors and then buy the wrong motherboard is as stupid as buying a Ferrari and driving on oplogad gravel road.
When people buy motherboards , they look at the number of PCI-E ports , SLI / CF , extras type USB3/SATA6 and not much more. For most people need no more, but ... we talked a performance system here , right? With powerful graphics card and overclocked processor?
Then there are two points that always apply.
1 : 100% of the processor's power comes through the motherboard ;
2; 25% to 75W of the graphics card (s) 's power comes through the motherboard
Why is it interesting? Well, both fed with +12 V (although the CPU draws 90W +5 W) , and most motherboards have very limited incoming 12V cords ( count themselves, it's the yellow wires ) .
24-pin connector has two yellow wires , giving a max of ~ 6A or 75W 12V .
ATX12V (4-pin ) adds as much , 75W .
EATX12V (8- pin) is of course twice as strong as standard ATX12V , a total of 150W .
The motherboard is thus a very interesting bottleneck, not because it directly affects the clocking or stability, but because it directly can become a bottleneck for the power supply to both the graphics card and processor. Depending on what the motherboard has to power , a performance system can be nearly un-clockable, and this is primarily on CPU overclocking (which is based solely on the system board power) .
What do we know ?
On a motherboard with 24 +4 pin :
The CPU has 90W dedicated , the rest comes via ATX12V
ATX12V can deliver max 150W
A normal stock performance processor type i7 or Phenom II draws 125 - 140W , which directly cut off < 50W of ATX12V - 100W left .
A graphics card draw (depending on auxiliary contacts) up to 75W from the motherboard.
This system can then manage which GPU u want at any time, up to 580 monsters or 5970 but that bottles on the power supply. The same is ONE card , and no overclocking.
A stock graphics card handles this system, and an i7 920 overclocked to ~ 3.5GHz with no worries, probably longer .
Two card? Well, we still have ~ 100W ( if you do not overclock the CPU ) to play with in this stock system , which is enough to feed the two cards that draws ~ 50W each from the PCI-E bus. It leaves practically 460/6870 , and even 6970 , but not much else.
Something that is worth remembering is that the weaker graphics card does not necessarily require less power from the motherboard. The fewer PCI-E power connectors , the more power pulling the graphics card in percentage from the motherboard. The 6970 has 6 +8 pin power supply which allows it to draw 1/4 of its power from the motherboard - ie ~ 55W .
The 6850 is of course much weaker, but then the card only has a single 6- pin PCI -E connector pulls the entire 1/2 of its power from the motherboard, which means that it actually draws more ( ~ 65W ) power from the motherboard than 6970 makes .
What we have come up with is that 1:24 +4 motherboard has limited overclocking options even with a single graphics card , and the two are already limited margin practically erased .
On a motherboard with 24 +8 pin :
The CPU has 90W dedicated , the rest comes via EATX12V
EATX12V can supply 225W max
Here we have another 75W to play with, which is very nice. This actually makes it possible to send in exactly what was on his computer - if not to overclock .
Again , the rule applies to today's performance CPUs consume around 140W , which immediately cuts 50W of our available 12V line. That leaves the other hand, 175W , which is MORE than two ( oklockade ) video card can draw. Max in a oklockat system is thus 2x75W ( 2x580 ) graphics card, or why not 3x60W ( 3x6970/6870 )
But - once again we encounter on patrol whether to overclock the CPU and still have multiple graphics cards .
Oklockat drag two video cards 100 -150W , which leaves 75 - 125W (real 165W or more) to the processor. How far can a processor clocked at 165W ? A Core i7 will be around 3.5 GHz , a Phenom II at ~ 4 GHz .
When the processor overclocking however, used in the worst case, zero power left , you have a huge dish out what motherboard can deliver. If you pull up the CPU further , or start to watch the video cards , the system becomes unstable soon .
THIS IS THE MAIN CAUSE OF THAT PERFORMANCE SYSTEM BECOMING UNSTABLE AT THE CLOCK !
With a single graphics card on the other hand ? Well, then there is 100W to watch with , enough almost to any length for both the graphics card and processor.
On a motherboard with 24 +8 pin plus external power supply :
The CPU has 90W dedicated , the rest comes via EATX12V
EATX12V can supply 225W max
External power supply (extra Molex/EATX12V ) delivers MORE
Now that's more like it , even if these motherboards are often quite expensive . There are many variants and with cards that only have a spare molex connector ( +40 W) and with the card that has a whole extra EATX connector ( +150 W) both cards have two or more.
Extreme example is the Rampage III Extreme, which with two extra molexkontakter and an extra EATX12V connector can supply the full 500W 12V, 590W total to processor and graphics card (enough for 4 graphics card ( 4x75 = 300W and 2 processors ( 2x140 = 280W ) .
Here are few to no restrictions , but the cards also cost thereafter .
conclusion:
Motherboard selection is an equally important process that the selection of power supply , if not more important . Here I figured worst case , that is exactly what the tolerances are saying, but there is also motherboard which is really hard on standards and tolerances. It also gives some hint about whether you really want to buy such a cheap motherboard , especially if you really must squeeze .
Now I have figured very hard, and the maximum values all the way through. In fact, a graphics card usually uses less than above , and most motherboard and PSU have wider margins than they actually should have. That said, I do not recommend playing on the margins more than absolutely necessary , then there is a reason that they exist and that reason is called Peak Load .
What I myself would recommend is that you look for motherboards with EATX (8- pin 12V) whether to run either SLI or CF , especially if you're going to have a good processor . Should you also watch should therefore also look for motherboards with an additional power supply .
The alternative is to clocking prospects deteriorate or even disappear, do not do much with sturdy workhorses 580/570/480/6970 , but definitely can be a disadvantage , for example, 460/6870 . To have a motherboard with good power supply also provides a more stable system in SLI / CF.
Worth having in mind, however, that there is actually cables to reinforce the motherboard power supply , such as Molex > PCI-E slot contacts. One can also move away fans from the motherboard to release some extra watts.
All this , however, unnecessary if you think about it right from the beginning and buy the right motherboard .
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