Should I upgrade my power supply?

shadow10108

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Jul 5, 2012
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Asked again since I messed up with my first post....
Is upgrading worth the money right now?

I built my computer about 2 years ago and didn't get the best PSU it seems.

ADDED: .
I bought a
-Cooler Master Extreme Power Plus - 700W Power Supply

But according to this site and some other reviews these PSU's are bad and unreliable. Im planning on upgrading to a higher end Graphics card in the future so I 1)want to know if I even need to and 2) what should I go for? I would like something in the range of 50-150 dollars and 700+ watts

Current specs of my whole computer:

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6870 1GB
Cooler Master HAF 922
Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz
GIGABYTE GA-Z77MX-D3H LGA 1155 Intel Z77
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB)
With and SSD and HDD
More about : upgrade p
 
Solution
Shadow, everyone here will tell you what to buy as to answer your question specifically as you asked it. I like to teach someone how to answer their own question, empower you instead of just pointing you in the direction I think right, I could be stupid and telling you wrong stuff, never know around here.

I'm trying to teach you how to figure out what you need, not just tell you what I think you need and leave it at that. It's really pretty easy and it's always good for you to know why you buy this or that part, not just do what someone suggests and trust they know something. The brands jaraldo and I gave you are good ones, there are others but these are always dependable.

1. Figure your usage, Graphics Cards / CPU are the 2 big...

shadow10108

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Jul 5, 2012
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I am not having any issues at all. I am just looking at newer/higher end GPU's (possibly xfire) and was wondering if my 700w PSU can handle more "strain." The last thing I want to do is fry my pc somehow...
 

shadow10108

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Jul 5, 2012
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Wait so 550w is ok for a normal system but you need 200w for another card? What if I don't plan on overclocking anything?
 

endeavour37a

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The power requirement for your graphics cards really lies on the 12V rail, if it has enough amperage to drive them well. That you would not know until you figure out what you want to upgrade to. Just about anything from Corsair, XFX, Seasonic, Anatec are good stuff (XFX is made by Seasonic). There are many more good PSU also, these are just the mainstay brands you can't go much wrong with. Get something with a Gold rating for good efficiency in the wattage your rig is going to pull.

Figure the 2 graphics cards, the CPU, add 100W for everything else then perhaps 20% for overhead on top of that. Your 6870 is around 150W, CPU around 90W, add 100W for other stuff, 70W overhead..... 410W total. Your 700W should be fine even if it's crap. But if you get a new graphics card perhaps get something better.

This is a killer Ps, a bit pricy though..
SeaSonic SS-750KM3 750W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply New 4th Gen CPU Certified Haswell Ready
$140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151087

Hope this helps the way to think about a PSU, remember the 12V amperage draw also, try to get something with a single 12V rail.
 

shadow10108

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Jul 5, 2012
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(This is my last post for the night)

How do I figure out the amps for the 12v rail for my PSU and others I might be looking at? Also that PS you linked looks great but it is kinda pricy for me. Do you have any other suggestions for around the 700w range that might be a little cheaper? And do most PSU's come with dual GPU power supply connections? My 6870 uses 2 plugs from my PSU and I dont think I could even xfire another 6870 due to not having the connections, so would I have any trouble from these "mainstay brands"? I am not even sure about my PSU connectors, I have not checked them in a while but newegg says it only have 2 PCi connections so I dont even know...
 

endeavour37a

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Just to add a bit here for you. The PCIe bus should deliver 25W per slot, but I do not count this if figuring power. If the 6870 is 150W then it draws 12 amps from the 12V rail (A=W/V), that is very little really and your PS should handle it fine. That SS-750KM3 delivers 62A (+12V) on a single rail, that should handle most any XFire or SLI set up.
 

jaraldo

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If you are just getting a normal system, no OC or Crossfire/SLI, you Could do with a 500w if your GPU isn't too power hungry. Like the gtx 770 for example. http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2037694/gtx-770-500w-psu.html

A cheaper 750w, m12ii by Seasonic PSU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151095

Edit: if you are going the crossfire 6850 route, you might not need 750w, but that's up to you. Getting a 750-800w is a nice futureproof :p
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/387690-31-what-power-supply-need
http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/radeon-hd-6850-6870-crossfirex-review,4.html
 

endeavour37a

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You don't need to figure out the amps on the rail, it lists it in the specs of the PS. If the PS says SLI and XFire ready it should have 4 GPU power leads, it should also tell you if they are 6 or 8 pin in the specs. Stay away from adapter 4-pin Molex to PCIe graphic stuff if you can, some cards come with them but don't use them if you do not have to.

If a card says it needs 250W then just figure it out, Amperage=Wattage / Voltage, that simple. Yes there are many very good PS much cheaper, just spec them out when you know what you need with your new parts. Get a good brand like the ones I listed, a gold rating, a single rail with enough amperage, can't go wrong :)
 

shadow10108

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Jul 5, 2012
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Im gonna check this thread tomorrow: Do you have any 700w suggestions for me? im going to look into reliable PS's and try to figure something out. Also do you have anything to say about the connections issue? NVM I DIDNT SEE THE REPLY
 

shadow10108

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Jul 5, 2012
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Do you have any 700w suggestions for me?
 

endeavour37a

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Shadow, everyone here will tell you what to buy as to answer your question specifically as you asked it. I like to teach someone how to answer their own question, empower you instead of just pointing you in the direction I think right, I could be stupid and telling you wrong stuff, never know around here.

I'm trying to teach you how to figure out what you need, not just tell you what I think you need and leave it at that. It's really pretty easy and it's always good for you to know why you buy this or that part, not just do what someone suggests and trust they know something. The brands jaraldo and I gave you are good ones, there are others but these are always dependable.

1. Figure your usage, Graphics Cards / CPU are the 2 big ones. Figure 100Watts for EVERYTHING else. Add on around 20% overhead to what you come up with. By a GOLD rated PS, they are efficient and can run well sustaining around 75-80% of delivered wattage. Take the CPU and GPU wattage needs together, figure the +12V amperage requirement off the rail (the CPU AUX power plug is +12V also, usually 4-pin).

Wattage = Voltage * Amperage......this simple equation is all you need.

I figured this out somewhere above and came up with 410W, you would need to go up to 450W, this would be the Minimum you could use. Jaraldo suggested a 500W, I agree because more is always better for power. If you OC your CPU you'll need a bit more power, not a lot but some, same for your GPUs, that is why 500 is better than 450. It's hard to suggest a PS for you because the one you have is fine now, when you change up then you will know what you will need. If you end up with a set of 290x's you need 300W per card, now we are talking close to 1000Watts needed. You get why it's hard for me to tell you what you need right now? Better to enlighten you how to figure out what you need when the time comes.

NE has ONLY 1 gold 700W PSU, perhaps 650 or 750 would give better choices, they have 26 @750W. But you may need more or even less, here they are anyway...15 that are SLI ready.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007657%20600037998%20600014094%20600029781&IsNodeId=1&name=SLI%20Ready&Order=PRICE&Pagesize=20

This is the cheapest 750W I could recommend, it is made by Super Flower for them.
Rosewill CAPSTONE-750 750W Continuous @ 50°C, Intel Haswell Ready, 80 PLUS GOLD, ATX12V v2.31 & EPS12V v2.92, SLI/CrossFire Ready, Active PFC Power Supply
$99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182073

You can read a bit about their PS here: Super Flower
http://www.super-flower.com.tw/products_list.php?class=2&sn=1&page=1&lang=en



 
Solution

jaraldo

Honorable
^ Couldn't agree more, well said.

Lots of my posts are infact things I've taken time to research/google. It's sometimes infuriating that other people can't google the same things and come to their own conclusions. But, I was once new to this aswell and understand how foreign it can be. The only thing I'd ask is that you at least take the time to read the links we provide as they are usually the "better" info; saving you the time of reading through 20 random threads while allowing you to learn a bit about the questions you are asking :)

I think you have enough info to buy a new PSU now, hehe
 

shadow10108

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Jul 5, 2012
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I understand where you guys are coming from about learning what im doing and not just blindly clicking links..( Which is something I didn't eve do) I was tired last night and was really just getting ready for bed while skimming over your guys posts but I will definitely be reading up on all that you have given me. I didn't even realize how "rare" 700w PS's are, I will go for a 750w or 800w to accommodate any and all upgrades in the future. I don't see myself going t overboard and hitting 1k energy usage anytime soon though :) Thanks for your help and information!
 

shadow10108

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Jul 5, 2012
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I am normally better about learning things, Completely understand how you guys could be annoyed. I essentially asked for info and recommendations but just skipped the info all together. I will keep all of this in mind when I eventually do upgrade! Thanks guys!!!
 

endeavour37a

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Was never annoyed, glad you were not at my nudging you into a different way of thinking on this. Here is a nice power page, they actually keep it up to date. Figure your own power needs the way I showed you, then use this and see what it comes up with, apply a touch of common sense and you have the perfect unit for your rig. (it even figures OCing and capacitor ware over time)
http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

Here is a fast place to find graphic card power usage, among the bleeding edge breaking news, even before Tom's finds stuff.
http://videocardz.com/

For CPUs this is the place to find power and everything else under the sun about every CPU made.
http://www.cpu-world.com/index.html

Enjoy :)
 

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