upgrading gtx 660 to sli?

Nick p · Mar 3, 2014

Hello,
i am having a gigabyte gtx 660 2gb and i have the following question
if i buy another one which is really cheap at the moment, will my Coolermaster 650w extreme
be enough to support it? I have the PSU for more than 5 years but it runs smooth.
if need another psu it is much better to sell the gtx 660 and get a 770 instead of sli i guess.

Thank you in advance.

Bad_Kitty13 · Mar 3, 2014

what is your psu exact make and model and your cpu make and model and if you have any overclock(i need the voltages used to achieve your overclock) on your system, i can tell you if you have enough amperage on your 12v rail(s) to run that setup... do not trust on line calculators!!!

Ahmadjon · Mar 3, 2014

Bad_Kitty13 :

His PSU has 36amps on 12v rail with 70% efficiency!

Mousemonkey · Mar 3, 2014

I've been running SLi'd 660Ti's on a 620w PSU for over a year now and they are more power hungry than the OP's 660 non Ti's.

Bad_Kitty13 · Mar 3, 2014

Ahmadjon :

sorry i didnt see that, his sli set up would pull 23.3a and if he has a vishera with a overclock it may be pretty close and iffy
a vishera pulls 10.4a on the 12v rail on stock and chipset/memory tdps are around 4 so that would equal 37.7 on the 12v rail. that specific powerpower supply would not be rated to handle this at maximum load

Nick p · Mar 3, 2014

i have an i7 920 and its not overclocked as it is more than enough for my needs.
so overclocking is not a problem.
the question is: "will it break?"

i am only afraid of the years that it is running.
i know that i can handle an sli but... it has 5+ years running non-stop. thats the only problem-question.

Mousemonkey · Mar 3, 2014

Nick p :

I'm sure some one is going to go on about ageing but my 620w PSU was bought in 2006 and can still run SLi'd 660Ti's.

Bad_Kitty13 · Mar 3, 2014

Nick p :

as your psu has 2 12v rails rated at 18a a piece
your graphic cards take up 11.6a a piece
your cpu has 130w of tdp this is 10.8a
even if you have the gpus each on esperate rails the cpu has to go on one of the rails and over draw the psu and not be able to power your setup. this doesnt even include the memory/chipset tdp

i would suggest a getting a different power supply as powers supplys of today use single 12v rails mostly and are rated for higher amperage at the same wattage because older psu had to power older sytems and cpus were powered off the 5v rail and not the 12v. this is why your psu is rated for a high wattage but you dont see it on the 12v rail.

Bad_Kitty13 · Mar 3, 2014

Mousemonkey :

not ageing if you do the math his system isnt rated to handle this setup even if it was a brand new coolermaster 650w extreme

Nick p · Mar 6, 2014

i think i will replace it and i am between these 3:
XFX Core Edition PRO750W
Corsair CS750M
Corsair RM750

and im leaning towards the cs750m mostly...

RobCrezz · Mar 6, 2014

I have the CX750m and its fine for a cheap(ish) PSU. But the RM750 is better.

Ahmadjon · Mar 6, 2014

Nick p :

You can't go wrong with XFX PSU!!!

numanator · Mar 6, 2014

If you can afford it, go for the XFX PSU

Bad_Kitty13 · Mar 6, 2014

cx/rm series corsair have been having issues with psus failing do not go with those series psu, xfx seasonic are 2 best and antec makes a few descent ones. here is a list that you can use for reference go with a tier 1 or tier 2
http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx

RobCrezz · Mar 7, 2014

Bad_Kitty13 :

Any link to issues with Corsair CX? Ive had a few with no issues.

Bad_Kitty13 · Mar 7, 2014

just people that ive seen on here with psu issues. they do use cheaper parts and are tier 3 but i have seen 4 people with issues coming on here and replacing their psu fixed it all new builds 4 since ive joined all except 1 was cx 600 the other was a 430(m i think). its just turned me off from them.

Bad_Kitty13 · Mar 7, 2014

one guy said when he returned his there was a stack behind the counter. so to be safe i wouldnt go with them i will look for the threads

RobCrezz · Mar 7, 2014

Bad_Kitty13 :

Fair enough. Ive always found them decent, never had any issues - Tier 3 is the lowest I would go on that site though.

Bad_Kitty13 · Mar 7, 2014

RobCrezz :

true and i find for some non-stress full builds 3s are fine as well but for something that will stress the psu on a 24/7 config i wouldnt risk it

Bad_Kitty13 · Mar 7, 2014

heres the one that says theres a stack behind the counter
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2047682/system-lock-ups-weeks-build.html

RobCrezz · Mar 7, 2014

Bad_Kitty13 :

Yeah looks like there might have been a bad batch maybe. Like I said, I have used a few, still got an old CX500 which has been running for around 4 years with no problems.

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