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Will a 850 watt PSU be enough, or overkill for SLI GTX 780's?

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  • Gtx
  • Gaming
  • SLI
  • Components
Last response: in Components
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April 18, 2014 12:33:17 PM

I will be building a new gaming rig soon, with just one 780, but I want to future proof it to go SLI down the road. Heres my build if interested:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3r3Jv

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3r3Jv
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3r3Jv/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3r3Jv/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($153.95 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($499.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 850W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($169.99 @ TigerDirect)
Total: $1458.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-18 15:32 EDT-0400)

More about : 850 watt psu overkill sli gtx 780

April 18, 2014 12:38:33 PM

I think that is a good psu selection for SLI'd 780's. Enough to be comfortable, but not overkill.
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a b 4 Gaming
April 18, 2014 12:41:21 PM

A good 850W PSU would be barely enough. While it should work okay, I would suggest at least a 900W, or maybe 950W.

Buy both the CPU and the motherboard from Micro Center; when you bundle them, the motherboard is $169.99
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April 18, 2014 1:02:12 PM

wolverine96 said:
A good 850W PSU would be barely enough. While it should work okay, I would suggest at least a 900W, or maybe 950W.

Buy both the CPU and the motherboard from Micro Center, when you bundle them, the motherboard is $169.99


Cool thanks!
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April 18, 2014 1:22:06 PM

Your system is going to use between 600 and 700 watts. at maximum. The PSU you have selected is plenty.
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April 18, 2014 1:39:27 PM

there are few things in your build that can be improved..
1) That cooler is wayyy tooo much for an i5 4670k..go with noctua nh-d14 thats less expensive
2)you already have 1tb BLACK hdd, 256 ssd is way too much, go for 128GB.
3)780 is not future proof. go for asus r9 290x direct cu2 edition, so that you can crossfire any GCN based gpu that'll be released even after 2 years from....and r9 290x is way more powerful than a 780 and its just 100 more.
4)and check this psu, fully modular and 1000w
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
or save some more money with this(even though its not expensive as hell, its awesome)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
5)and please extend your budget to add i7 4770k
http://www.microcenter.com/product/413248/Core_i7_4770K...
its just $250 but its a huge improvement over i5 especially because new games will take advantage of Hyperthreading..

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April 18, 2014 1:44:08 PM

in short go for this,
btw you forgot to add case and dvd drive.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3u5U8
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3u5U8/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3u5U8/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($249.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H110 94.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($78.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 290X 4GB Video Card ($619.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000G2 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($154.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1558.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-18 16:43 EDT-0400)

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April 18, 2014 4:55:51 PM

dpassenger97 said:
in short go for this,
btw you forgot to add case and dvd drive.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3u5U8
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3u5U8/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3u5U8/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($249.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H110 94.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($78.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 290X 4GB Video Card ($619.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000G2 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($154.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1558.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-18 16:43 EDT-0400)



Whats so good about the Asus 290X. You guys are saying to get it, but all of the benchmarks I have watched show that the 780 is still better or at par. AND its cheaper?? SO why?
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April 18, 2014 5:05:02 PM

Austinomical said:
dpassenger97 said:
in short go for this,
btw you forgot to add case and dvd drive.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3u5U8
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3u5U8/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3u5U8/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($249.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H110 94.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($78.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 290X 4GB Video Card ($619.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000G2 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($154.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1558.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-18 16:43 EDT-0400)



Whats so good about the Asus 290X. You guys are saying to get it, but all of the benchmarks I have watched show that the 780 is still better or at par. AND its cheaper?? SO why?


780ti is faster not 780, r9 290x beats the $1000 titan, check this review
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcRudS9p5CE
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April 18, 2014 5:06:46 PM

Austinomical said:
dpassenger97 said:
in short go for this,
btw you forgot to add case and dvd drive.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3u5U8
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3u5U8/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3u5U8/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($249.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H110 94.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($78.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 290X 4GB Video Card ($619.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000G2 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($154.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1558.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-18 16:43 EDT-0400)



Whats so good about the Asus 290X. You guys are saying to get it, but all of the benchmarks I have watched show that the 780 is still better or at par. AND its cheaper?? SO why?


and crossfire is better than sli, check this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGN1na3F5do
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a b 4 Gaming
April 18, 2014 5:32:56 PM

Austinomical said:
dpassenger97 said:
in short go for this,
btw you forgot to add case and dvd drive.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3u5U8
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3u5U8/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3u5U8/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($249.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H110 94.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($78.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 290X 4GB Video Card ($619.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000G2 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($154.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1558.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-18 16:43 EDT-0400)



Whats so good about the Asus 290X. You guys are saying to get it, but all of the benchmarks I have watched show that the 780 is still better or at par. AND its cheaper?? SO why?


So far only one person is suggesting the 290x and his sources were youtube which I wouldn't trust for unbiased benchmarks.
The 780 is faster than a 290x so which ever one is cheaper go for that the nvidia card is nicer though in my opinion. These are just two and there are plenty more comparisons on google. Go with the 780.

http://gpuboss.com/gpus/Radeon-R9-290X-vs-GeForce-GTX-7...
http://www.game-debate.com/gpu/index.php?gid=1858&gid2=...
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April 18, 2014 6:37:59 PM

Spectre694 said:
Austinomical said:
dpassenger97 said:
in short go for this,
btw you forgot to add case and dvd drive.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3u5U8
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3u5U8/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3u5U8/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($249.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H110 94.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($78.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 290X 4GB Video Card ($619.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000G2 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($154.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1558.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-18 16:43 EDT-0400)



Whats so good about the Asus 290X. You guys are saying to get it, but all of the benchmarks I have watched show that the 780 is still better or at par. AND its cheaper?? SO why?


So far only one person is suggesting the 290x and his sources were youtube which I wouldn't trust for unbiased benchmarks.
The 780 is faster than a 290x so which ever one is cheaper go for that the nvidia card is nicer though in my opinion. These are just two and there are plenty more comparisons on google. Go with the 780.

http://gpuboss.com/gpus/Radeon-R9-290X-vs-GeForce-GTX-7...
http://www.game-debate.com/gpu/index.php?gid=1858&gid2=...


WELL YOUR sources are wrong
check this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xW-5jbGcMI
this is with stock cooler, asus cooler improves performance by quite a bit...dude r9 290x is called the titan killer for a reason

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-r9-290x-hawa...
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-r9-290x-hawa...
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-r9-290x-hawa...
again stock cooler performance
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a b 4 Gaming
April 18, 2014 7:08:53 PM

If you want to compare the GTX 780 SLI, R9 270X Crossfire, GTX Titan in various games, check out this review:
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/radeon_r9_290x_cro...

A few things worth noting:

R9 290X or GTX 780?

* The R9 290X single and Crossfire is often faster than the GTX 780 single and SLI.
* GTX 780 SLI often has more consistent frametimes than R9 290X Crossfire, but nothing that you should probably worry about (see pages 9 - 11 ... the second chart on those pages).
* The GTX Titan single is faster than the GTX 780 and R9 290X single.
* The GTX Titan black is also faster than all 3: GTX 780, R9 290X, and GTX Titan single.

GTX Titan black benchmarks:
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2014/02/26/nv...

Power requirements?

To be safe, you need maybe 800W on the +12v rails, as well as a power supply designed with 4 PCI-Express plugs. Of course going a little higher, like dpassenger97 suggested, may not be a bad idea to give you extra padding in case of power supply quality issues.

700W is the bare minimum on the +12v rails, but you must add extra padding so you don't run at 100% load.

Here is how I got the 700W number.
Basically, I got the
* power usage for 4670k + base system
* power usage for 2x R9 290X
then I added those two numbers together for a worst case scenario power usage on such a computer where both the CPU and both video cards are running at max load.


GTX 780 SLI = ~500W (246W*2)
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_780_Lightnin...
R9 290X Crossfire = 548W (274W * 2)
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Powercolor/R9_290X_P...
4670k + motherboard & RAM & base system = less than 150W
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core-i5-46...
GTX Titan and Titan black SLI power? unknown, but somewhere between the 780 and R9 290X
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2014/02/26/nv...
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April 19, 2014 12:30:09 AM

dpassenger97 said:
Austinomical said:
dpassenger97 said:
in short go for this,
btw you forgot to add case and dvd drive.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3u5U8
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3u5U8/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3u5U8/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($249.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H110 94.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($78.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 290X 4GB Video Card ($619.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000G2 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($154.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1558.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-18 16:43 EDT-0400)



Whats so good about the Asus 290X. You guys are saying to get it, but all of the benchmarks I have watched show that the 780 is still better or at par. AND its cheaper?? SO why?


780ti is faster not 780, r9 290x beats the $1000 titan, check this review
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcRudS9p5CE


I have had AMD, and I hate them so much. So many problems. I want nvida's adaptive vertical vsync technology/phsyx and all their other perks
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a b 4 Gaming
April 19, 2014 1:57:18 AM

I think that the build looks good.

I would pick the next hdd,it's still a good and fast enough choice as a data disc,
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-driv...
or for the same price as the wd black a 2tb disc,
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-driv...

For sli of the 780 would 750watts psu be the minimum imo,but it depends on which cpu is used too,the 2011 series use a lot more than this 4670K..The one you chose is a good one,the same one for less money,
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-hx850
or the next,
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1850bbef...
or "only" silver,
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/silverstone-power-supply-s...

You already have a case? Make sure the H100i fits.
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a b 4 Gaming
April 19, 2014 4:27:41 PM

Vic 40 said:
For sli of the 780 would 750watts psu be the minimum imo


Assuming I am estimating all the numbers correctly, 750W might be too risky for my tastes, since the system could potentially consume up to 700W on the +12v rail under the heaviest load (I know it's a tad of an overestimate). Then you gotta consider that you don't want a power supply running at 100% capacity, so I like to add some padding: maybe 800 - 1000W on the +12v rail to be safer.

Yeah, I know this is just a technical sidenote, since the power supply you suggested actually provides 840W on the +12v rail. I suppose that might be ok... or he could get a higher model if he wanted extra padding. :) 


P.S. If you are planning to overclock, the numbers might be a little different.
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