Sapphire 7950 Vapor-X with Boost Crossfire-PSU Question

FrozenIcE_

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Mar 17, 2015
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Ok so I have this card running on:

Z77 Asrock Extreme4
i7 3770k
16gb ripjaws x dual
SSD

I found a second one for approximately $150 so wondering if it's possible and cost effective to crossfire my card or simply go for a new more powerful card.

The problem here is my PSU. I have this:

Fractal Newton R3 600W
http://www.fractal-design.com/home/product/power-supplies/newton/newton-r3-600w

I read that AMD recommends 700W or more to power two 7950s.

I used a wall plug watt meter and measured the following for my system:

Idle: 75W
Dying Light: 225W
Carmageddon (Ultra): 260W
Dragon Age Inquisition: 250W

I know that the wall meter is not the best way to measure wattage, however several reviews state that the Sapphire 7950 Vapor-X with Boost has a peak power consumption of 200W. That means:

200W x2 + rest of system (and taking into consideration PSU efficiency)

Even if the PSU can handle it, it will probably be close to its peak which is not wise correct?

So I'm thinking if I need another $130 (i live in Europe) to upgrade the PSU then I should just sell my 7950 and get a more powerful card. What do you think?
 

FrozenIcE_

Reputable
Mar 17, 2015
2
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4,510
To anyone else still wondering about this, the answer is yes, 600W is enough. On crossfire, the meter showed 370W at most on Unigine Heaven 4 (should've tested that with one card as well). Idle at 130W. Bottom line is, all should be fine if you don't ridiculously overclock your system. My cards are running at 950/1250 and core at stock speeds and all is fine and stable.