GTX 970 SLi - What PSU?

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educalifa

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Jul 16, 2014
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So here's my predicament, I began to slowly gather parts for my build and so far I have:

CPU: 4790K
RAM: 16Gb(2133)
MoBo: AsRock Extreme6 Z97
HDD: 1Tb WD Black Caviar
SSD: SanDisk Extreme II 240GB
PSU: Seasonic SS660XP2 - 660W

I didn't buy a GPU 'cause I wanted to wait and see what this new series from Nvidia would be like and sure enough, I like what I see. Especially the GTX 970 since I can buy one now and save money to buy another down the track and try my hand at SLi.

On top of what I have listed it will also have the regular stuff like blu ray player, case fans and etc and I hope to add a decent CPU cooler at some stage too but I have no idea if the PSU I bought will be able to take it all.

Is this a case of rookie mistake or beginner's luck? Should I return the PSU and go for the 760W instead?

I know it's early days on that GPU but I'll appreciate any input you may have!

Thank you!
 
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educalifa

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Jul 16, 2014
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Hmmm I was thinking I could maybe get away with it since the GTX970 (164W) is supposed to be a lot more efficient than the 770 (195W).

Also the PSU I have here at the moment is quite good from the all the reviews I read and platinum certified too. It seems I'll have to return it though. *sigh*
 
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rmpumper

rmpumper

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Apr 17, 2009
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Full system load should be ~500W with SLI 970 and oc'ed 4790K. You could try running on that 660W PSU and see if the system is stable. For an upgrade, in case 660W is not enough, I would skip ~750W and go straight to 850W to be on the safe side for any future upgrades (not like your system will be eating more power just because the PSU can supply more).
 
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MeteorsRaining

MeteorsRaining

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Jul 27, 2014
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No doubt your current PSU is like the best ~600W PSU, Platinum rating making it even more promising for ANY single GPU. But IMHO, I'd not SLI those cards on anything below 750W.
The recommended minimum for a single card is 30A, and 2 of them will have atleast 60A recommended, your PSU has 55A.
 
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educalifa

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Jul 16, 2014
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Thanks, that's pretty much the answer I was looking for! I really want to keep power usage as low as possible 'cause electricity is quite expensive here.

I think I'll order the GTX 970 and keep an eye on how much it uses. If it allows me a good enough headroom (say 200W+) I will just try it SLi on the 660W PSU. Otherwise I may have to do some selling, swapping, begging...
 
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W

Weeger

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Dec 8, 2013
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660w is more than enough for 970 sli
 
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nostall

nostall

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Nov 28, 2012
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Think I'll add my two cents worth, hope it helps.
The card itself is maxxed out at 145watts (or a little over 12amps) according to Nvidia. Nvidia recommends a 500watt PSU with 28amps on the +12V rail for the entire system when running one 970 card and NOT overclocking anything.
RealHardTechX (http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm) has a chart showing a recommendation of 700 watts for two GTX 970's in SLI.
That Seasonic has 55amps on the 12volt rail, and that is a continuous power rating at 50Celsius; Even at full power the 970 cards should not take more then a little over 24amps, leaving power for the rest of the system; and nothing in your PC is going to draw full power all the time.
You will probably be just fine with that Seasonic power supply and two 970's
980's will require more power.
 
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s3ns3

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Sep 23, 2014
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''The recommended minimum for a single card is 30A'' .

NO . thats for the entire system.it doesn`t add up.

a gtx 970 needs 13A. a good 750W psu is enough to SLI 3x gtx 980 and have 150W to spare

so your psu is more than enough for 970 SLI + all the overclock
 
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Zoeii

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Sep 28, 2014
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I have an i7 2600k which is over clocked to 4.4 and I want to SLI 2 gtx 970 Gigabyte G1s (Factory overclocked). I have a Corsair 850 watt silver plus psu, will that be enough power?

 
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TheMagicalWallaby

TheMagicalWallaby

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Oct 9, 2013
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Saying that it is by Corsair doesn't make it reliable.They have good and bad PSU's in their line up.
 
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Blackshadow007

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Sep 18, 2014
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Mate i am also building my PC PSU since my previous dead , we u choose good PSU which i thought also but i guess for 970 SLI u need 750w and i guess this can be beast for you :p

EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2 220-G2-0750-XR 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD 113$
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IKDETOC/ref=junglee?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
this is will be good for your pocket too . I am buying this one as my New PSU although i get one 970 Asus now only but i have SLI mind too , so i guess u can check this out :)
 
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Sivaas

Sivaas

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Oct 5, 2014
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Im wanting to build my own system I have my eye on the gtx 970 paired with the i5 4690k on the Asus B85M-E CSM
I dont really see a need,at least for a while, to run 2 cards right now with that in mind should a 600w be enough? I plan on makeing it a steam machine and a few other games such as skyrim and assassins creed. Other question is what cooler would be sufficient?
 
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RandomAdam

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Aug 11, 2014
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600W is plenty if you plan on using one GPU, it will easily be ok for a 970 and that I5, with enough left over for a bit of an overclock

 
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Blackshadow007

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Sep 18, 2014
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Well as EVGA not available to my location , i did purchase Seasonic Platinum 860w and i can tell its really bad ass , so you can try seasonic's 760W Platinum for your 970 SLI , i guess that will be more than enough :)
 
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