Can my PSU handle 2 MSI GTX 970s?

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arickgabriel

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Good day. I am planning to upgrade my rig in a few months. My first choice of GPU is the new GTX 970, since it's more power efficient. That being said, here is the list of my "dream rig" specs:

Asrock 990FX Fatality killer series
AMD FX 8320 (planning to OC up to 4.2ghz)
Hyper 212x CPU cooler
MSI TF GTX 970 4GB (x2 if possible)
FSP Aurum Gold 700W
Intel 240Gb SSD
WD 1TB Caviar Black
Seagate 500gb 5400rpm HDD
2x8GB G-Skill Ripjaws X CL9
2x2GB G-Skill Ripjaws X CL7
5-6 led case fans

With these in mind, I am thinking ahead if ever there will be an opportunity for me to upgrade and use 2 MSI GTX 970 GPUs. I used an online power calculator to see if my PSU can handle my preferred specs. I got a result of 583W with my CPU OCd. Any comments will be appreciated. Thank you!
 
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TheDualshock


That is a decent power supply and yes you will be able to run 2 970s on that. A single 970 is rated at 145 W so with 2 you're at 290w (round it off to a little more). Your power supply is tier 2(B) and will handle them.
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TheDualshock

TheDualshock

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That is a decent power supply and yes you will be able to run 2 970s on that. A single 970 is rated at 145 W so with 2 you're at 290w (round it off to a little more). Your power supply is tier 2(B) and will handle them.
 
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arickgabriel

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What about when I overclock the both of them? Sorry, I'm just considering all the possibilites here, future-wise.
 
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TheDualshock

TheDualshock

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Depending to what extent, I'm sure you will still have headroom with 2 cards overclocked along with the CPU. If you haven't bought the power supply yet, just go for a bigger one (800-850w if you want to be sure)

 
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arickgabriel

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What I have on my rig now is the PSU that I stated above. Right now I only have a Phenom II X4 955 BE and a GTX 460 SE. I'm still saving up for a new mobo, CPU, 4 case fans, and a single GPU all bought together.
 
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mosti

mosti

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Drop the amd and go for intel, especially if you're planning on running sli in future. If you do decide to go with the amd cpu, the power supply will do the job.
 
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TheDualshock

TheDualshock

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Your going to see quite the big improvement there. However, an i5 (such as the 4690(k)) would probably be your best bet.
Good gaming man!
 
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mosti

mosti

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Agree with the above statement. I see you're probably looking at the AMD due to its "8cores" and high clocks with a nice price. AMD's run hot, are unstable more often then not and are just a plain pain in the ass most of the time. Go for an i5 if you're system will be purely for gaming (extra threads of an i7 wont be worth the $$). You will be guaranteed a more stable system at a little extra expense. You system will also run cooler and use less wattage give you even more headroom with that supply.
 
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arickgabriel

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I want to shift to Intel, but they're too expensive for me. Might as well save up for a decent AMD CPU and spend more on GPUs. My current setup is already more than 4 years old, and my OC'd GTX 460 SE is already washed out, that's why I'm saving up for a next-gen build for upcoming big games like GTA V, AC Unity & Rogue, and most especially Batman Akrham Knight.
 
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arickgabriel

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And I also use my rig for video and photo editing, video compositions, and watching HD movies. I know that AMD CPUs run hot, that's why I will be including Hyper 212X CPU cooler for my next build.
 
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TheDualshock

TheDualshock

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I think the stability part is a little exagerated. Stability usually comes down to the motherboard/memory here. AMD does run hot but with a decent cooler, it won't be a problem. Haswell has been pretty hot on the CPUs too. Intel does offer better performance but AMD's all about price/performance.
 
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arickgabriel

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But can the FX 8320 run 2 GTX 970s? Considering bottleneck issues.
 
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mosti

mosti

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Im judgiung general stability. When you look at stability in general when factoring in compatible board combos etc, intel is always going to win here hands down.

Intel performs better in all applications with all benchmarks and also uses 30% less power while doing so. EDIT: I did not include video editing applications here.

At a $90 price differential, you're getting a better cpu.

The i5 4690k is the better option of the two BY FAR but if you're really cutting your budget close, the AMD is obviously going to be the budget choice. I'm not telling you to choose the i5, im just stating it is the better option if your budget allows for it.
 
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TheDualshock

TheDualshock

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It would depend on the game. CPU intensive games will probably bottleneck on the CPU since even it has 8 cores/threads
Those 8 are still weaker than 4 strong Intel cores, which makes the difference in performance because there are still a lot of games that are single threaded/core. Because of that, Intel's single threaded performance makes the difference
 
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mosti

mosti

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The 8320 is a binned chip, overclocking, you're going to be more stable with the 4690k. If you're serious about gaming and only looking to do light video editing and it fits into your budget, the i5 is the choice. If you're doing moderate video editing, the 8cores can be looked at more closely.
Will the 8320 run GTX 970 in sli without bottlnecks? I don't think it will bottleneck if you're planning to overclock. Also, if you buy into the AM3+ (which is what the 8320 utilizes) you're buying into a dead platform.

http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i5-4690K-vs-AMD-FX-8320/2432vs1983
 
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