6950 on 500W PSU

[lucifer_9mm]

Hello brothers,

I have a problem that may be some of you can help me out with. I own a 5750 running on a Tacens supero 500w psu with four 12v rails with 18 amps each. the 5750 runs pretty good and i never had any problem with this psu. Now I am planning to upgrade my gpu to a 6950 which has 500w as minimum requirement. I have heard people say that a 500w psu wont be enough to run this gpu adequately, the problem is my budget does not allow me to put any extra expense for a new psu if I buy a 6950. The other option I have considered is to go for a 560ti amp version which has comparatively lesser power consumption but again I am not so sure. So please help me decide...is my psu strong enough for a 6950??? Any input would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

additional info: my cpu- phenom ii 965 be

 

[9_breaker]

i cant find your psu specs anywhere i think you're better of getting a 6870 with a 600w psu and crossfiring it later.

 

[lucifer_9mm]

It would be close. Power supply requirements are usually overstated though. For example, for about a year I ran sli GTX 260s on a 600w OCZ with a decent overclock and never ran into issues. I was pushing it though.

I plan on getting a 6950 for my current build which will run a 1090t at as high clock as it will allow and will use a 550w psu... You're likely safe, but I'm not familiar with Tacens or their build quality. A solid 500w psu should have no issues running a 6950.

Thanks for your input bro, I have read it many times people saying that a low power psu might get damaged or may damage your gpu though I myself find such requirements overstated as you said, I just have to make sure. Tacens is a descent brand and I bought it for 65 usd 6 months ago, I'm confused about the amperage though, as I said it has four 12v rails with 18 amps each. So is it good enough for a 6950?!!

Another thing is that I am considering 560ti amp version which is the same price as the 6950, some say its not as powerful as a 6950, is it true? Thansk again for helping me out

 

[lucifer_9mm]

6950 is a little faster, I read a direct comparison of the two cards and it was edging the 560 ti by 3 - 5 FPS at high resolutions. But on the other hand Nvidia has physx and much better drivers. Either way you go it's going to be solid. The main reason I am going 6950 is my board is only crossfire capable, so if I get a wild hair down the line and want to fire in another I can.

You state that you were told that the 560 ti has lower power consumption and I think that may be incorrect. After doing a little research I found that on equal test setups, using furmark for 100% load the 560 ti total system consumption was 352w while the 6950 system was only drawing 308w. I don't know if that helps or hurts...

Finally regarding your multi rail psu, are you sure that it is 4 rails at 18a each? That sounds like a 600w power supply's specs.

Then I'll go for the 6950 I think and yes it is a 4 rail psu with 18a each, check out the image below

So can I take it as safe and sufficient to run the 6950? Thanks for helping me out bro, appreciate it.

 

[lucifer_9mm]

Finally I'm content, thanks to you brother, you really helped me make the right decision...CHEERS!!

 

[lucifer_9mm]

Best answer selected by lucifer_9mm.