Xigmatek 650W PSU and Crossfire

[jsh1284]

Well, I am curious about something and I wanted to just throw this question out there. I know I'm right on the border when it comes to power if I do this, but I just wonder if this will work:

Down the road, I was thinking about adding another 5870 once this card starts to age a bit. So my PSU is a Xigmatek 650 watt unit. 19 amps on each of the four rails. Yeah, I know .. cutting it close .. but will it do it? I was thinking the wattage would be CLOSE but the AMPS are there. Any input?

 

[WR2]

You're right about being close. Maybe close enough. About the only way to know for sure is to go ahead and try it.
SapphireTech's recommendations for a 5870 CF setup is 600W.

 

[mindless728]

then why not get a new PSU like Corsair 750TX, you have ~$760 in GPU's, i think spending $110 for a new PSU is a good investment

 

[jsh1284]

Yeah, I actually just spent $110 on a new PSU. This is a very good one which has recieved high marks all over the place .. so I'm happy with it. Thanks WR2 btw .. I was thinking it is doable. Will just wait and see if I end up needing to do the CF or not down the road. For now, one 5870 is plenty for me though.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

ATI matches the Sapphire recommendation mentioned by WR2.

Here are the official power requirements for the brand new ATI Radeon HD 5850 and HD5870 video cards.

ATI Radeon™ HD5850 System Requirements

PCI Express® based PC is required with one X16 lane graphics slot available on the motherboard
• 500 Watt or greater power supply with two 75W 6-pin PCI Express® power connectors recommended (600 Watt and four 6-pin connectors for ATI CrossFireX™ technology in • dual mode)

ATI Radeon™ HD5870 System Requirements

• PCI Express® based PC is required with one X16 lane graphics slot available on the motherboard
• 500 Watt or greater power supply with two 75W 6-pin PCI Express® power connectors recommended (600 Watt and four 6-pin connectors for ATI CrossFireX™ technology in • dual mode) NOTE - 40 amps on the 12 volt rail(s) for Crossfire.

These are the power supply recommendations for an entire pc system.