theonionspeel

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Jun 18, 2011
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Hi guys. i've been working on my new system and now I'm getting down to the last few components.
here's a short list of what I have put together as of now:

i5-2500k cpu(going to oc to 4.2 probably)
8gb 1600 ripjawsx memory
Gigabyte GA-Z68-UD3H-B3 mbu
2 x seagate barracuda green 1.5tb hdd's
128 gb crucial m4 ssd
lian li k58 midtower case with 2 case fans
hyper 212 plus cpu fan
and at this point i'm planning on picking up a gtx 560 ti the next time i can catch a deal

okay so now i need to think about what psu i'm going to need. i was looking at this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152042

because i was thinking i could do some sli in the future but now i'm wondering if i should just get a better quality psu with less watts for now and worry about the bigger psu later when i get a second card.

i trust the opinions around here. so what do you guys think? what size psu could i get away with? i was thinking about spending the $60 for now as far a budget.

 
Solution

The XFX will handle two GeForce GTX 560 Ti graphics cards in 2-way SLI mode since it has the four PCI Express supplementary power connectors. The Corsair doesn't have the four PCI Express supplementary power connectors.
If you (or anyone else) doesn't know that it's a good PSU, then you are taking a risk by buying it. If you know what the risks are and are happy taking them then go ahead - altho it wouldn't be what I or many other people would do.

It might say 700W on the label, but it only has two 23A 12V rails (23x12 = 276), combined they can only provide 432W. So it isn't really a 700W PSU.

My suggestion would be the Antec High Current Gamer HCG-520 80Plus Bronze for $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371047
Which is based on the Seasonic S12II Bronze 520 and itself received a positive review from Anandtech, so there are no question marks about its quality.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4343/antec-hcg-520-good-bargain
It also has quite a long CPU connector cable, so it will easily reach around the back of the motherboard tray.

It is also perfectly capable of powering your build as is, obviously you should think abotu replacing if you can't buy a PSU now that can support two GTX 560 Tis.
 
A GeForce GTX 560 Ti has a graphics card power of 170 Watts. This means that the graphics card itself may draw up to 14.2 Amps from the +12 Volt rails.

For a single GeForce GTX 560 Ti graphics card system NVIDIA recommends a power supply with 500 Watts or greater with a +12 Volt continuous current rating of 30 Amps or greater and with at least two PCI Express supplementary power connectors.

For a system with two GeForce GTX 560 Ti graphics cards in 2-way SLI mode NVIDIA recommends a power supply with 650 Watts or greater with a +12 Volt continuous current rating of 44 Amps or greater and with at least four PCI Express supplementary power connectors.

The +12 Volt continuous current rating specification is vastly more important than the power supply's wattage specification.

The Raidmax Blackstone Series RX-700AC is not exactly a good quality power supply unit. The specifications for the RX-700AC do not say what the maximum combined +12 Volt continuous power output is. This tells me that Raidmax is trying to hide something. This power supply would not be capable of powering a system with two GeForce GTX 560 Ti graphics cards in 2-way SLI mode. Its lack of four PCI Express supplementary power connectors tells me that its +12 Volt DC output is weak.
 

The XFX will handle two GeForce GTX 560 Ti graphics cards in 2-way SLI mode since it has the four PCI Express supplementary power connectors. The Corsair doesn't have the four PCI Express supplementary power connectors.
 
Solution