Whats the minimum power supply wattage needed

[SuperComputerz]

Hi i'm going to get new pc parts including

Intel Core i5 3.4 GHz LGA 1155 Processor
Gigabyte LGA 1155 Motherboard
32gb DDR3-1600
Radeon 7950 GDDR5 Ghost Thermal 3gb video card
LG 12x Internal SATA Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM Burner


I was wondering if a 1000 watt power suppply would be enough for gaming or would I need more

 

[hunter315]

That system could run easily on a 550 W power supply, a 1000 W power supply is simply a waste of money for that system. Even if you are planning on running two 7950s I wouldn't go any higher than 850 W. Very very few units actually need a 1kW or larger power supply.

 

[Raiddinn]

The 7950 doesn't use much power. You could get by easily on an XFX 550w.

If you are going to use a cheap generic knockoff PSU then you might want to stick with 1000w, but if you get something with real quality then even 550 is overkilling it unless you intend to OC as much as possible.

Then maybe you might want a 650w instead.

 

[clutchc]

http://www.thermaltake.outervision.com/

 

[ko888]

For a system using a single Radeon HD 7950 graphics card AMD specifies a minimum of a 500 Watt or greater power supply. The power supply should also have a combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of 30 Amps or greater and have at least two 6-pin PCI Express supplementary power connectors.

For a system using two Radeon HD 7950 graphics cards in 2-way CrossFireX mode AMD specifies a minimum of an 700 Watt or greater power supply. The power supply should also have a combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of 45 Amps or greater and have at least four 6-pin PCI Express supplementary power connectors.

Total Power Supply Wattage is NOT the crucial factor in power supply selection!!! Total Combined Continuous Power/Current Available on the +12V Rail(s) @ 50°C ambient temperature, is the most important factor.

 

[Raiddinn]

I would modify that to say:

The total combined continuous power available on the +12v DC lines - at room high temperatures - is the most important factor.

Plenty of sucky PSUs can provide lots of power on the 12v lines when the PSUs are being tested in Santa's House. Most of those fail at real world operating temperatures.

The temperature the PSU is capable of operating normally at is of key importance and why I suggest the OP get an XFX unit. Those can do the required work even at high temperatures.