Should I upgrade PSU before going Crossfire?

yes you should get new quality psu

Most definitely upgrade to a minimum 650w PSU with 80 plus minimum (past 750w, consider 80 plus bronze as your minimum).

I saw this OCZ 650w Silver 80 plus PSU for $99.99 free shipping however I have not found much information, or very good reviews. All I know is that it is most likely an FSP power supply based off the Epsilon series from what I can tell.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...


Then theres the good old CMPSU-650TX. $95.99 and comes with a $20 mail in rebate.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...


Hmm I am tempted to picking up one of those OCZ Z-Series power supplies and seeing how they are.

I have another question. I've read on numerous sites that newegg and other psu calculators calculate way over the required wattage where as the one on Antec is pretty accurate. Would this be true? I'd really like to get another 5770 but I'm on a bit of a budget.

The 5770 only needs just over 100W. They have about the same draw at an 8800GT. (this from another post.) If so I would think a 500W/30A PSU would just be enough, depending on what else you have in there. I'm not sure the basiq has 30A on the 12V rail, nor does it have the two 6pin plugs you'd need.

That said upgrading to a 650W will give you any breathing room you might need. I'd stay away from the FSP Epsilon line. There are better options out now. Your best bet would probably be to get the Corsair 550W.

Yes, you need a 600W PSU for HD5770 CF according to:

http://www.amd.com/uk/products/desktop/graphics/ati-rad...

You also want to try and load a PSU near 50% total capacity so it can hit peak efficiency. If you red line the PSU, it will cost more in electricity to run and shorten its life. That could take out more than just the PSU when it goes.

If you're on a budget, OCZ will probably be your best bet as they have competitive prices with good products that offer 3year warranties. Not quite as good as the high end PSUs, but doesn't come with the price tag either.

I guess you guys have convinced me. I'm looking at a new PSU now. Not sure what to get though. Was looking at the XFX 650w 79 after $30 bucks mail in rebate. OCZ is 69 after $30 mail in rebate. I dunno.

The XFX is a good one. Worth the extra $10.

^agreed

Seasonic built xfx over the ocz anyday

Both PSUs are fine. I say go for the cheaper.

I'd pick a seasonic build to over a sirtec for the same price, but if budget is a concern, you don't have to spend that much either. OCZ 600w modXstream $50 amir.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Now is the OCZ worth saving $30, that's up to you.

If you have the late model 500 watt Basiq:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
it's a pretty good economy PSU that will handle two 5770's.

Two 5770's need about 18 amps total. The Antec will put out 36 amps at almost 50 C.

Link to test report:
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/792

If you do have the late model Basiq, it will be adequate for your planned system. Admittedly, you will not have a lot of power in reserve, but it will work if your budget's really tight.

I don't think it's the later model 500w Basiq because it only has one pcie 6 pin connector.

Newegg has a good price on the OCZ Fatality 700W for $70 after $25 MIR including free shipping. And I have to agree with most of the others in this thread - while the Antec may work for a short time it would be asking for trouble and once it does go out it might just take the rest of the system with it so best to get a better PSU just for the peace of mind !!

Thanks for all of the replies guys. I was also curious about these two brands. I could find much information on them.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

The reviews on newegg seem to be promising.

Apevia/Sunbeam= low quality power supplies.

The Sunbeam lacks 80 plus certification and has a labeled 78% efficiency. The real efficiency will probably be in the range of 65%-78% depending on loads.

The Apevia lacks an Active PFC which is an absolute must for low or high end power supplies.

They are not part of the brand list I would ever recommend.

Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W

$10 off w/ promo code EMCYPYX48, ends 3/15


$79.99
Free Shipping*

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Apevia is known to be fecal. Every one of them that jonnyguru ever tested was overrated, and most burned or melted.
Thanks, jsc, for providing the link that shows the 500W Antec Basiq is solid. In this application, it still may not be quite enough though.
Many PSU calculators overstate requirements because they are trying to compensate for all the overrated crap out there (e.g. Apevia).
Antec, Corsair, Seasonic, PC Power & Cooling, and Enermax are among the quality brands. OCZ isn't crap, but is far below that level. I've been reading commentary in a number of places recently that indicates they've been cutting corners on component quality. I wouldn't necessarily replace one in a working system (unless it was getting old), but I wouldn't buy one either.
Definitely choose one with full range active PFC (no little voltage switch) and 80+ certification.

And, a single HD5770 will run on a 380W Antec Earthwatts.

Would be a waste of money because I already have one 5770. I'm looking to crossfire. My current 5770 would be a gigantic bottleneck for the 5870

Another good brand of PSU is Thermaltake, though they are normally a bit overpriced comparatively, though you can sometimes find deals. I just got this one :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
for my build (only running 2x5750, so its more than I need, but I was going a little bit over what I need now for the ability to upgrade later). Its gotten very solid reviews, and its modular, which is a must have for me as I can't stand the extra cables hanging around in my way.

DO NOT buy Sunbeam or Apevia- not worth it. The good reviews on newegg are generally people with no idea and no care about actual power quality. They turn on, and power their computers, so they're happy, but doesn't say anything about matching rated capacity or longevity of the unit.

I would probably be looking at that 600W OCZ ModXstream for $50. Its not the best of them all, but its very good for the price and will get the job done (its modular too :-D)

P.S. Okini55- why three posts in a row when you could have done 1 post and say all the same things?

You really could run both 5770s off your current PSU. Honestly you're not going to use close to 447w without running both furmark and prime95 at the same time. If you are concerned about it, I recommend purchasing a killawatt P3

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

So you can measure how much your computer draws from the wall, well hopefully you have it on a surge protector instead of directly to the wall. Of course even then that number would be slightly inaccurate. For example, my system drew about 420W from the wall when running Prime95 and Furmark, but if you take into account a PSU efficiency of 85% then that means my other components are using 365.5W and the rest is lost (well not really lost) as heat and such in the PSU due to that 15% inefficiency.

^ When running a benchmark, like 3dmark, or playing a game my power draw was a bit lower, like around 330W. I should of course point out as the others have said though that the more you stress your PSU, the shorter it's life, so in that respect having more capacity is good. Anyway, I just recommend getting a good 600W or > PSU such as

Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W $79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

ARGH! Newegg has all of these amazing combo deals.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...

Exactly what I'm looking for but I wasn't planning on getting another 5770 for a few months.

What are the chances of the same deals still being around in a few months?

Chance of that same deal being around in a few months? Not very good. Chances of another deal thats somewhat similar is decent, but might not find another 5770/PSU combo like that. impossible to really guess what deals will be around. If you have the money, I'd pick it up now and just enjoy the next few months of playing with both instead of waiting.

They'll probably change - as the combos do not stay on the same items for long - but that one is not the best combo anyway - for example if you get the items seperately you'd get a $30 battleforge game with the GPU as well - or there are other ,akes of the 5770 that are $20 cheaper than the $169 they list that model for which is the same as your $20 COmbo discount ! Best to just get what you need and look for combos\best prices on them when ordering instead of changing your order and getting something other than what you had wanted to get !!

Actually- you can get battleforge for free anyway (at least you could for a while). Its not a bad price with the combo, and the 5770's that are $20 cheaper than that one are the 512mb GDDR versions, rather than the full 1gb.

Actually the combo now does not give the free battleforge game (at least when added to your cart it does not show it - so loss of $30 for a $20 discount combo - and the Sapphire 1GB is $149 after a $10 MIR making it $20 cheaper !! (and personnally I prefer Sapphire to XFX anyway - though that also means no battleforge game as well ! )

Decisions, Decisions! I'll let you guys know. I have to convince the wife first I "need" another video card.

Don't forget about this 1gb 5770 for $130 amir
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?Product...

OCZ 600w modxstream pro $50 amir
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

What I meant was, I was able to actually get Battleforge for free without having to get it in a combo from Newegg. I THINK its still possible, though I don't remember exactly how I did it. Might be able to find out with a bit of googling though.
Skora- thats a great deal...
OP- go for just the PSU now in the case of Skora's finding (or get that $130 5770 with it) thats a great find.

Not sure if this comment relates to the XFX or not, but the 650W XFX is made by PCP&C, not seasonic. I'd still get it over sirtec.

Nice to see the 5770 getting down to the $130-$150 price point. $150-$170 was just to much for those cards.

Meh. I wouldn't go with the 512mb version just to save some bucks. I already have the XFX 5770 1GB so that would be useless. I'd rather save money and buy the same of what I have and another PSU at the same time. Maybe the XFX PSU.

I thought PCP&P didn't manufacture their own PSU's and that their PSU's were made by others companies like seasonic which made the silencer line.

They used to make their own. Don't remember the site, but they said it was a PCP&C PSU.

Update: I bought an OCZ Modxstream 600w

I got it for 45 shipped off Ebay, brand new. So that's good, no having to deal with a rebate and it's slightly less that the price after rebate.

Nice deal man. Enjoy the crossfireX setup as well- if you get a chance- post some performance numbers and how your scaling is:-)