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2x 4870x2 power requirement?

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Can my current psu possibly handle 2x 4870x2?




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dagger   08-12-2008 at 01:57:15 AM

I'm thinking of getting 2x 4870x2 for quad crossfire as an upgrade from an aging 8800gts. What kind of power would be needed? Would a 850w psu be enough? All specs in sig.

 

Also, would it make a difference if I combine the 4 small 12v rails into a single large rail? There is a switch on the back of my current psu that does this.

 

Thanks for any insight. :p

------------------------------ Q6600@3.6ghz, GA-EX38-DS4 motherboard, 8gb 800mhz ddr2 4-3-3-12, 8800GTS(g92)@780mhz, 1TB + 1.5TB hdds, 850watt psu
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invisik   08-12-2008 at 02:11:33 AM
- 0 +

850w seems like it would be enough. wats the rest of ur system?
yes combine the rails i heard its better when a psu has 1 rail. how many amps does it have?

------------------------------ intel core 2 quad q6600 @3.2ghz msi p6n diamond (X-FI Extreme sound) 6gig of OCZ+CoRSAIR oc 900mhz Nvidia gtx 260 sli @ 730/1465/1250
Lite-On Blue-ray Western Digital 7200rpm 500gb Antec 500 Earthwatt Window vista 64-bit
Reply to invisik
homerdog   08-12-2008 at 02:36:04 AM
- 0 +

What model PSU do you have, specifically?

Reply to homerdog
fly2hip8   08-12-2008 at 02:43:06 AM
- 0 +

each 4870 x2 will require 250 watts. So that's 500 watts just for graphics cards. an overclocked q6600 takes about 184 watts. that leaves 166 watts for other things. You also have to take into account aging of the psu. I would say it would be cutting it too close.


Message edited by fly2hip8 on 08-12-2008 at 02:44:59 AM
------------------------------ Cooler Master Stacker 830 Cooler Master Power Pro 1000w
Gigabyte GA-X38-DQ6 Intel X6800
Sapphire 4870 X2 Swiftech H20-220 APEX 220
1 WD 250 GB HD 2 WD 1 Terabyte HDs
 Reply to fly2hip8
kite212   08-12-2008 at 03:17:41 AM
- 1 +

yeah you will want at least a 1000 watt, i would go for a 1200 personally

Message quoted 1 times
Reply to kite212
dirtmountain   08-12-2008 at 03:19:00 AM
- 1 +

Agree with fly2 ^ , since most PSU manufacturers recommend you run their PSUs at 60% of load, you'd be well above that.

Reply to dirtmountain
aevm   08-12-2008 at 03:55:33 AM
- 0 +

LOL, I was in a thread on the same topic today. Take a look if you want.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] e#t1840532

How about this: get one HD 4870x2, use it for a while. In the meantime AMD will make sure HD 4870X2+HD 4870 is supported by drivers. When it is, add a HD 4870. A third GPU adds value in some games (a lot in CoD, less in Crysis, etc.). A fourth GPU doesn't add much, AFAIK. With only 3 GPUs I think your PSU will be enough.

Reply to aevm
invisik   08-12-2008 at 03:57:06 AM
- 0 +

opps sry i didnt see ur spec. yes the 850w will be enough.
conserding im running pretty much the same setup with 2 gtx 260 with a antec ea500w.

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by invisik on 08-12-2008 at 03:57:16 AM
------------------------------ intel core 2 quad q6600 @3.2ghz msi p6n diamond (X-FI Extreme sound) 6gig of OCZ+CoRSAIR oc 900mhz Nvidia gtx 260 sli @ 730/1465/1250
Lite-On Blue-ray Western Digital 7200rpm 500gb Antec 500 Earthwatt Window vista 64-bit
Reply to invisik
fly2hip8   08-12-2008 at 04:04:37 AM
- 0 +

invisik wrote :

opps sry i didnt see ur spec. yes the 850w will be enough.
conserding im running pretty much the same setup with 2 gtx 260 with a antec ea500w.




A 260 only uses 136 watts. Each graphics card uses a different amount of power. There not all the same.

http://www.atomicmpc.com.au/forums [...] c=7&t=9354

------------------------------ Cooler Master Stacker 830 Cooler Master Power Pro 1000w
Gigabyte GA-X38-DQ6 Intel X6800
Sapphire 4870 X2 Swiftech H20-220 APEX 220
1 WD 250 GB HD 2 WD 1 Terabyte HDs
 Reply to fly2hip8
Shawnhath   08-12-2008 at 04:52:05 AM
- 0 +

kite212 wrote :

yeah you will want at least a 1000 watt, i would go for a 1200 personally


+1
(be prepared to see your electric bill though :kaola:

------------------------------ Antec 900 | EVGA 780i | E8500 @3.16 | HIS HD4890 | OCZ 4GB DDR2 800 | OCZ GameXStream 600w | Seagate 250GB

 

Reply to Shawnhath

sarwar_r87   08-12-2008 at 03:31:13 PM
- 1 +

Core 2 Duo E8400 Processor @ 3.0 GHz (FSB 1333), the ASUS P5E3 Deluxe mainboard, stock cooling on the CPU, DVD-rom and a WD Raptor drive
Videocard
System Under FULL load
Radeon HD 4850 269 Watt
Radeon HD 4870 334 Watt
Radeon HD 4850 Crossfire (2) 421 Watt
Radeon HD 4870 X2 (R700) 437 Watt
Radeon HD 4870 Crossfire (2) 480 Watt
Radeon HD 4870 X2 (R700) Crossfire 740 Watt

from guru3d.com http://www.guru3d.com/article/rade [...] rossfire/6

so i gues its a no go


Message edited by sarwar_r87 on 08-12-2008 at 03:33:03 PM
------------------------------ x2 5600+@2.8; 2GB RAM 800Mhz; xfx 9600GT xt; 320GB HDD; 420W thermaltake PSU
 Reply to sarwar_r87
aevm   08-12-2008 at 05:05:24 PM
- 0 +

Nice review, thanks for the link.

Reply to aevm
hurbt   08-12-2008 at 10:43:09 PM
- 0 +

If you can afford 2 4870x2's, then you can afford a new power supply. Methinks you're not actually going to buy this... you're just curious. Pics or it didn't happen!!!

Reply to hurbt
samuraiblade   08-12-2008 at 10:50:03 PM
- 0 +

aye lol a 1000watt psu is pennys to you if ya can afford 2 of those cards in one go , so if you are rich , go for it and make alot of us jealous!

Reply to samuraiblade
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