What PSU will i need?

[javilionaire]

I have a ATI 5870 and i'm planning on getting a 5970. I'm going to crossfire the 5870 and 5970 together and was wondering what Wattage PSU i'll need? (i currently have a corsair 650w tx)

thanks!

 

[shadow187]

HD5870 (2x6pin + PCI-E lane = 225W), HD5970 (1x 6pin, 1x8pin, PCI-E lane = 300W)

Plan on at least 500watts dedicated to the graphics cards.

CPU -> 140 Watts (you WILL be overclocking, no exceptions.)
HDD -> 15watts each
Fans -> 1watt each

 

[rmerwede]

850W is the recommended minimum PSU for dual 5970's. Its safe to say it will handle a 5870 + 5970. Go with a trusted brand (Antec, Thermaltake, Corsair, Seasonic ....)

 

[shadow187]

A good 750W will work. OCZ, Corsair, etc.

 

[Kewlx25]

each 5870 has about a 150watt max load. 5970 is two of those, plus your 5870 means 3. So atleast 450watts right there. plus the rest of your system, another 300-400 watts. I would go 850watt, but if you only plan on using the 5970, then a 750 should be fine. Really, the only thing that scales well is power consumption, the performance increase per card goes down the crapper after 2 cards(aka single 5970). I'd stick with only the 5970.

be careful about thermaltake
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/902/7

750 thermaltake that's worth ~$100. It failed horribly. had 150mv of noise at 80% load, 200mv noise at 100% load and died within a few minutes at 100% load.

Makes your question their quality checks to sell a device this flawed. This reviewer even got a second unit thinking the first the flawed and had the EXACT same results.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

Here are the official power requirements for ATI Radeon™ HD 5970 video card.


ATI Radeon™ HD5970 System Requirements:

PCI Express® based PC is required with one X16 lane graphics slot available on the motherboard

650 Watt or greater power supply with one 75 watt, 6-pin and one 150 watt, 8-pin PCI Express® power connectors

850 Watt or greater power supply with two 75 watt 6-pin, and two 150 watt, 8-pin, PCI Express connectors for ATI CrossFireX™ technology in dual mode


The power supply recommendations are for an entire pc system.

Corsair and Seasonic are two of the brands that have a reputation for high quality power supplies that consistently earn high marks in technical reviews. They are reliable, stable, and come with a 5 year warranty. Some of the newer models come with a 7 year warranty.