Is a 1000W PSU sufficient for my build?

phyneas · May 31, 2016

Hi,

I've put together a build on pcpartpicker that can be found here. On their site it lists the power requirements as 669W, but I've heard their estimates can be off sometimes, so I went over to the outervision power supply calculator to doublecheck - I put in the same sort of design and it came up with 635W, though with less specific components to base it off of. However, when I plugged in the overclocking numbers I would be aiming for (CPU and GPU's), it came back with 789W.

I have a 1000W Platinum EVGA PSU selected (with the overclocking, I felt 850W would be too low), but I don't know all that much about how computers use power. Is the 789W estimate for this build high/low, would it only occur at full load which I'd never reach unless I was benching or folding 24/7, is there ample headroom with a 1000W PSU? I've been reading about when PSU's are at their peak efficiency and so on, but my real concern is system stability and longevity. Is this the right PSU for me? Is there any downside to going up to 1200W just to be safe, or is that totally unnecessary? Thanks.

cdabc123 · May 31, 2016

you could get away with a 850watt psu but a 1kw will work great. with 1kw you should hit the peek efficiency at full load

babernet_1 · May 31, 2016

Why are you worrying about an extra hundred on the supply when your build costs $5,000? Do you really need all that disk space? Two SSD's? Two 1080 founder's cards? What are you doing? What kind of display?

phyneas · May 31, 2016

@babernet_1 - I don't mind spending a bit more on a larger PSU but I don't want it to harm the system. I don't know if having an overlarge PSU somehow degrades performance or reduces the lifetime of the system in terms of how it interacts with the components of the system. I wanted to make sure that 1000W was definitely enough and then to ask if there is any reason to, or harm in, going higher.

I always get asked about the disk space. The first drive is for the OS and essential files that I want to load and work on quickly (my work files alone are 200GB, engineering drawings et cetera). Second drive is for games, my steam folder is already 500GB and my origin folder is 100GB, plus mods. I need one drive for video editing input/output, another to mirror it (RAID-5) and the third for storage, backup and miscellaneous files. It's a home computer so I do a lot of engineering and video editing, but not so much that I need to go the Xeon route. X99 is a bit expensive and a bit older. I'm going for a high-end build that spreads across gaming and work nicely, so I'm trying to hit a middle ground of cost, single-threaded and multi-threaded performance.

The GPU's are for video editing, engineering applications, tv gaming (sometimes), and I'm planning on upgrading my monitor to a 30+" 4k monitor which the new system will be able to take advantage of. I always go overkill on the GPU's because I keep them for a long time and I have no idea how much games will improve in the future. I'm still on a pair of GTX 580's in SLI that can play 2015 games at low-medium and I'd stick with them if my CPU/mobo/RAM weren't all conking out at the same time, hence the rebuild. I don't want to go the route of Quadro (more expensive, not good enough for gaming compared to the alternative) and the dual card option lets me dedicate a card for work purposes if I want to. As I say above, it's a mixed-use computer so I'm trying for a middle-ground of my requirements.

What do you think about the PSU though, should I just go for the 1200W or is the 1000W fine for my build/useage?

babernet_1 · May 31, 2016

phyneas :

@babernet_1 - I don't mind spending a bit more on a larger PSU but I don't want it to harm the system. I don't know if having an overlarge PSU somehow degrades performance or reduces the lifetime of the system in terms of how it interacts with the components of the system. I wanted to make sure that 1000W was definitely enough and then to ask if there is any reason to, or harm in, going higher.

I always get asked about the disk space. The first drive is for the OS and essential files that I want to load and work on quickly (my work files alone are 200GB, engineering drawings et cetera). Second drive is for games, my steam folder is already 500GB and my origin folder is 100GB, plus mods. I need one drive for video editing input/output, another to mirror it (RAID-5) and the third for storage, backup and miscellaneous files. It's a home computer so I do a lot of engineering and video editing, but not so much that I need to go the Xeon route. X99 is a bit expensive and a bit older. I'm going for a high-end build that spreads across gaming and work nicely, so I'm trying to hit a middle ground of cost, single-threaded and multi-threaded performance.

The GPU's are for video editing, engineering applications, tv gaming (sometimes), and I'm planning on upgrading my monitor to a 30+" 4k monitor which the new system will be able to take advantage of. I always go overkill on the GPU's because I keep them for a long time and I have no idea how much games will improve in the future. I'm still on a pair of GTX 580's in SLI that can play 2015 games at low-medium and I'd stick with them if my CPU/mobo/RAM weren't all conking out at the same time, hence the rebuild. I don't want to go the route of Quadro (more expensive, not good enough for gaming compared to the alternative) and the dual card option lets me dedicate a card for work purposes if I want to. As I say above, it's a mixed-use computer so I'm trying for a middle-ground of my requirements.

What do you think about the PSU though, should I just go for the 1200W or is the 1000W fine for my build/useage?

Just get a titanium power supply for it is higher in efficiency, an EVGA T2 1000W would be fine.

turkey3_scratch · May 31, 2016

Ignore the labelled wattage of a power supply; it is meaningless and has no value. What matters is voltage stability, ripple, protection circuitry trigger points, and a whole lot more.

The EVGA 750 P2 would be a great unit, or the Corsair RM750x. With overclocking of those GPUs to 2100Mhz and the CPU pretty heavily, the 850 P2 or RM850x is more ideal.

Also, I'd recommend against PSU calculators like Outervision. They overestimate and the PSU communities consider them to be jokes.

babernet_1 · May 31, 2016

turkey3_scratch :

Power rating is not meaningless and of no value with quality manufacturers. Running power supplies below their rated capacity will mean they run more efficient, quieter, and will have a longer life. 750W is not enough.

turkey3_scratch · May 31, 2016

babernet_1 :

His system won't go past 750W. Also, the OPP/OCP trigger points are usually quite higher than rated amperage, meaning they should not have a problem.

Without overclocking:

GTX 1080 X2 ~ 360W
I7-6700K ~ 100W
HDDs + SSDs + motherboard ~ 70W
Fans and Cooling ~ 30W
=560W

With overclocking:
GTX 1080 X2 ~ 500W
I7-6700K ~ 150W
HDDs + SSDs + motherboard ~ 70W
Fans and Cooling ~ 30W
=750

And the above is heavy overclocking. Will the PC ever recall that load? Neh. Gaming load will be more like 550W. So an 850 P2 or 850RMx would be more ideal for efficiency. But I don't see overpower protection or overcurrent protection ever kicking in honestly with the 750W version of either.

Of course, exact numbers depend on his overclock. Since he plans to overclock, I think an EVGA 850 P2 would be a great unit, or Corsair RM850x.

babernet_1 · May 31, 2016

turkey3_scratch :

babernet_1 :

His system won't go past 750W. Also, the OPP/OCP trigger points are usually quite higher than rated amperage, meaning they should not have a problem.

Without overclocking:

GTX 1080 X2 ~ 360W
I7-6700K ~ 100W
HDDs + SSDs + motherboard ~ 70W
Fans and Cooling ~ 30W
=560W

With overclocking:
GTX 1080 X2 ~ 500W
I7-6700K ~ 150W
HDDs + SSDs + motherboard ~ 70W
Fans and Cooling ~ 30W
=750

And the above is heavy overclocking. Will the PC ever recall that load? Neh. Gaming load will be more like 550W. So an 850 P2 or 850RMx would be more ideal for efficiency. But I don't see overpower protection or overcurrent protection ever kicking in honestly with the 750W version of either.

Of course, exact numbers depend on his overclock. Since he plans to overclock, I think an EVGA 850 P2 would be a great unit, or Corsair RM850x.

When you run a power supply at it rated power, the fan is screaming. Just saying. I don't know of anyone that purposely runs his supply right at the rated power. But you, I suppose.

turkey3_scratch · May 31, 2016

The noise of the fan depends on the exact unit. Nobody's computer is constantly dialing 100% load. Gaming load is typically only ~60-70% of the max load of the hardware. Also, if you look at the Corsair RM750x review the RM750x only reaches 40db http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/corsair-rm750x-power-supply,4303-5.html

That super loud CPU cooler he chose will overpower the noise of any fan from a PSU, GPU, or whatever it be. I am in concurrence that if he overclocks heavily, a RM850x is more ideal than an RM750x, because we wouldn't want an unlucky scenario where synchronous transient power spikes from both GPUs + the CPU would trigger overcurrent protection. With no overclocking, an RM750x is better.

Henceforth, my recommend units are an EVGA P2 850 or Corsair RM850x, because I know he will overclock. Would the 750W versions of both work without having a protection triggered? Most likely. It'd be an extremely rare situation where OCP/OPP would kick in, and it would have to be an unrealistic customized load pattern.

babernet_1 · May 31, 2016

phyneas :

@babernet_1 - I don't mind spending a bit more on a larger PSU but I don't want it to harm the system. I don't know if having an overlarge PSU somehow degrades performance or reduces the lifetime of the system in terms of how it interacts with the components of the system. I wanted to make sure that 1000W was definitely enough and then to ask if there is any reason to, or harm in, going higher.

I always get asked about the disk space. The first drive is for the OS and essential files that I want to load and work on quickly (my work files alone are 200GB, engineering drawings et cetera). Second drive is for games, my steam folder is already 500GB and my origin folder is 100GB, plus mods. I need one drive for video editing input/output, another to mirror it (RAID-5) and the third for storage, backup and miscellaneous files. It's a home computer so I do a lot of engineering and video editing, but not so much that I need to go the Xeon route. X99 is a bit expensive and a bit older. I'm going for a high-end build that spreads across gaming and work nicely, so I'm trying to hit a middle ground of cost, single-threaded and multi-threaded performance.

The GPU's are for video editing, engineering applications, tv gaming (sometimes), and I'm planning on upgrading my monitor to a 30+" 4k monitor which the new system will be able to take advantage of. I always go overkill on the GPU's because I keep them for a long time and I have no idea how much games will improve in the future. I'm still on a pair of GTX 580's in SLI that can play 2015 games at low-medium and I'd stick with them if my CPU/mobo/RAM weren't all conking out at the same time, hence the rebuild. I don't want to go the route of Quadro (more expensive, not good enough for gaming compared to the alternative) and the dual card option lets me dedicate a card for work purposes if I want to. As I say above, it's a mixed-use computer so I'm trying for a middle-ground of my requirements.

What do you think about the PSU though, should I just go for the 1200W or is the 1000W fine for my build/useage?

Another thought, make sure your professional programs don't use dual floating-point precision for the gaming cards are really gimped in double precision.

phyneas · May 31, 2016

I appreciate both of your responses and input. I don't feel comfortable dropping below 1000W, but it doesn't appear as if 1200W is necessary, so I'll upgrade to the Titanium as suggested.

turkey3_scratch · May 31, 2016

phyneas :

That's perfectly fine! It'll take some years for the money to come back to you that you spend on a Titanium unit, but realistically a 1000W Titanium unit is a good idea for you, as it should be the sweet spot for efficiency in professional applications.

cdabc123 · May 31, 2016

turkey3_scratch :

The noise of the fan depends on the exact unit. Nobody's computer is constantly dialing 100% load. Gaming load is typically only ~60-70% of the max load of the hardware. Also, if you look at the Corsair RM750x review the RM750x only reaches 40db http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/corsair-rm750x-power-supply,4303-5.html

That super loud CPU cooler he chose will overpower the noise of any fan from a PSU, GPU, or whatever it be. I am in concurrence that if he overclocks heavily, a RM850x is more ideal than an RM750x, because we wouldn't want an unlucky scenario where synchronous transient power spikes from both GPUs + the CPU would trigger overcurrent protection. With no overclocking, an RM750x is better.

Henceforth, my recommend units are an EVGA P2 850 or Corsair RM850x, because I know he will overclock. Would the 750W versions of both work without having a protection triggered? Most likely. It'd be an extremely rare situation where OCP/OPP would kick in, and it would have to be an unrealistic customized load pattern.

buy why? if op is more than willing to spend abit extra i see no reason not to get a kw psu and always have headroom if he wants to upgrade

turkey3_scratch · May 31, 2016

cdabc123 :

turkey3_scratch :

buy why? if op is more than willing to spend abit extra i see no reason not to get a kw psu and always have headroom if he wants to upgrade

Not sure what he'd upgrade to that'll have higher power requirements, but anyway I respect the OP's decision, I just want him to know the power requirements of his system.

phyneas · May 31, 2016

babernet_1 :

I've been reading up about that specifically regarding the 1080's and their reviews and how to work around that. Most of the engineering drawings I work on are document outputs, not models, so even though they are incredibly data intensive, high single-threaded performance is sufficient to work on them and the applications are designed for multithreading anyway so the CPU won't be a bottleneck. There are times when both CPU and GPU are maximised, hence my concern for the PSU, but I don't think the GPU's will be a problem if I sort it out right. The Quadro would be better for the modelling and video editing but I do a lot of gaming as well, and it is a home use computer so I went with the GTX's instead. I'll have to see how it works out.

phyneas · May 31, 2016

turkey3_scratch :

cdabc123 :

Not sure what he'd upgrade to that'll have higher power requirements, but anyway I respect the OP's decision, I just want him to know the power requirements of his system.

You're right, I'm not planning on upgrading any of the hardware, maybe the GPU's in the future if warranted and if the CPU holds up (this time), but there's no guarantee that the power demands will go up if I do. I appreciate your input in your answers as well, it's good to know that I'm not going to be going anywhere near the 1000W ceiling.

turkey3_scratch · May 31, 2016

phyneas :

turkey3_scratch :

You're right, I'm not planning on upgrading any of the hardware, maybe the GPU's in the future if warranted and if the CPU holds up (this time), but there's no guarantee that the power demands will go up if I do. I appreciate your input in your answers as well, it's good to know that I'm not going to be going anywhere near the 1000W ceiling.

Yep, I totally understand going for a 1000W Titanium unit. I would do exactly the same TBH

Is a 1000W PSU sufficient for my build?

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