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Tom's Hardware > Forum > Graphics & Displays > Graphics Cards > Gtx 560 or amd 6870 on a 450w psu?

Gtx 560 or amd 6870 on a 450w psu?

Forum Graphics & Displays : Graphics Cards Gtx 560 or amd 6870 on a 450w psu?

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hey i was wondering which of these cards are better in performance and also will i have a problem running them on my psu.

my spec:

intel i5 650 @ 3.2ghz
6gb ddr3 ram 1333hz (4 sticks 1x2 2x2)
350w psu
amd 6670

i have just bought a new psu the Cooler Master GX 450W '80 Plus' which i will be installing tommorow but i was wondering if i will have any issues with these cards on my psu cause by theroy adding 100w and up to 35A on the 12v rail i shouldn't have a problem right ?

Reply to newbie1337
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- 0 +

well that psu will be enough for a 6870 so you wont have any problems with it since your psu gives 420w on the 12v rail
assuming you have 2 pci-e connectors
cheers

Reply to jimmy19
- 0 +

Well hmm yes and No. See the way PSU's work is its good to have a little more than enough but not over kill (700 in ur case is over kill) i would think your gonna be ok but... Please use a PSU Calculator to double check first. If your computer components are getting the right amount everything could be slightly starving. I am not responsible for being wrong if i am thats just how i see it. Your 12v rail is plenty but here is a link to a PSU calc. http://support.asus.com/powersupply.aspx?SLanguage=en

Reply to Rockdpm
- 0 +

BTW i am not sure about the gtx 560 it should run it but you will use your psu on max
with the radeon you will be safer

Reply to jimmy19

Either gpu will push that psu to its limits so I doubt that will do well in the long term. Running any psu at or near capacity = heat = reduced life span.

The best gpu for that power supply is a GTS 450, HD 57/6770 or any that does not have more than one pci-e power connector.

Btw, the box my 6870 came in says 40a is the minimum.

pEACe

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Reply to magikherbs

maybe a 6850 might be a good option then? i tryed that psu calculater website and i dont think its right on the fact it says a 5870 needs a 500w psu and a 6870 will need a 550w psu when the 5870 takes 188 watts and the 6870 takes 151 watts
http://www.hwcompare.com/6023/rade [...] n-hd-6870/

Reply to newbie1337

also according to here
http://extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine
with the 6870 i will be using 366w

Reply to newbie1337
- 1 +

The 560 & 6870 should be fine on that 450W PSU as its a fairly good quality one and in this review http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/art [...] iew/1234/1 it can supply nearly 400W to the 12V rails. Also Nvidia even say 450W minimum for a 560 see http://www.geforce.com/Hardware/GP [...] ifications

Reply to simon12
- 0 +

YAAY! :bounce:

CoolerMaster is finally starting to market some decent power supplies.

My personal estimate is that with a "typical system" and a GTX560 Ti, the PSU will need to provide about 350 watts under load, well within its 450 watt capacity.

Reply to jsc

ye indeed and for £25 aswell i was gonna get a cheap psu but i thought its better to get quality than quantity :P as i had £40 and had to pay for shippinfg and VAT

Reply to newbie1337

either card will work and the GTX 560 directly competes with the HD 6870 though I think overall (NOT depending on the specific games to be played)
the HD 6870 is slightly better.
games and resolution play a part and the GTX 560 might be the better choice, IDK that's up to you.
as for you PSU, the new Coolermaster's look nice.

------------------------------ A+, Net+, MCDST, DSCE (Dell)
Reply to malmental

ye well in theroy the 6870 will be slightly better
http://www.hwcompare.com/11005/gef [...] n-hd-6870/
but ill probs get the gtx 560 as i perfer the drivers and with ati/amd cards i had a really bad drivier problem were i had to browse directly to "C:\Windows\assembly". Sort by "Public Key Token", then delete everything with the Token "90ba9c70f846762e"

that took me ages to find out how to do :P

Reply to newbie1337

+1000 - nVidia drivers are indeed better..

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Reply to malmental
- 0 +

I am on my second set of AMD drivers and not a problem yet. It all comes down to preference if you ask me. I went from an 8600gt to dual 5770's and now dual 6870's. Never had a major problem with drivers, knock on wood, lol.

Reply to xerxces

xerxces wrote :

I am on my second set of AMD drivers and not a problem yet. It all comes down to preference if you ask me. I went from an 8600gt to dual 5770's and now dual 6870's. Never had a major problem with drivers, knock on wood, lol.



i had the driver problem when i had the 5450hd on a very budget pc altough ive had no problems with the drivers on the 6670 im just going by mu experiences that i prefer the nvidia drivers

Reply to newbie1337
- 0 +

just go with the 6870
you will be fine and game like hell

Reply to jimmy19

i think you will be on the edge with any of those card in combination with that 450w psu, those card may work or maybe not, but it is clear you cannot try to overclocl them at that psu, and may cause some problem in near future (35a at 12v is peak)

Reply to truegenius

truegenius wrote :

i think you will be on the edge with any of those card in combination with that 450w psu


Need to get some experience based on actual power consumption, rather than theoretical, an I5-650 and 6850 would have a hard time putting a 50% load on a 450w psu under normal use, including gaming ,and a 6870 wouldn't raise it much further than that, leaving plenty of room for overclocking.

Reply to delluser1

truegenius wrote :

i think you will be on the edge with any of those card in combination with that 450w psu, those card may work or maybe not, but it is clear you cannot try to overclocl them at that psu, and may cause some problem in near future (35a at 12v is peak)


:non:

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Reply to malmental

If you are looking for a reliable, long term option, get the HD6870 and a good quality, 550W+ PSU. By good quality, I mean Seasonic, Corsair (TX,HX series), XFX.

The idea is to surpass the requirement with enough headroom and not just meet it.

(why the extra headroom = capacitor again, loss in efficiency)


Message edited by ReviverSoft on 01-11-2012 at 04:11:56 PM
------------------------------ ReviverSoft - Happy to Help!
Reply to ReviverSoft

i think im just going to get the gtx 560 as on the nvidia sight it says it requires a 450w psu and i have a decent 450w psu so im pretty sure i will be safe the face that my system will use about 366w when under full load with the gtx560 means ive got a head room of atleast 50w and when gaming shouldnt put it under full load so i think i should be fine. the i5 650 is quite a eco friendly cpu only using 73 W so i should be fine.

Reply to newbie1337

as long as the power supply has the 2 6-pin plugs for the additional power requirements of that card your good.
you can use 1 6-pin plug and then an adapter if needed for the second.

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Reply to malmental

ye it only has 1 6pin pci-e so i will be using an adapter which comes with the card anyway + i have 3 molex connecters which i dont have any use for atm so i will be using molex - 6pin pci-e

Reply to newbie1337

go for it...

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Reply to malmental

truegenius wrote :

i think you will be on the edge with any of those card in combination with that 450w psu, those card may work or maybe not, but it is clear you cannot try to overclocl them at that psu, and may cause some problem in near future (35a at 12v is peak)



I'm with you on that one and it should only take an hour or two of gaming to find out. The psu will easily get warm/hot if its struggling or near its max.

I can game for hours and my 18 month old budget HEC 650w almost never gets warm because it is no where near full output.

@newbie
When you run/install drivers and apps, do you run them as administrator ?

Both AMD and Nvidia are known for quirky drivers. It all depends on what apps/games you use and how you install and run them. This should not be an issue when it comes to deciding on what make/model to get.

pEACe

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Reply to magikherbs

http://www.geforce.com/Hardware/GP [...] ifications

shows that it only takes a 450w psu and thats from nvidia so i shouldn't have a problem i guess

Reply to newbie1337

newbie1337 wrote :

http://www.geforce.com/Hardware/GP [...] ifications

shows that it only takes a 450w psu and thats from nvidia so i shouldn't have a problem i guess


it can actually run on less than that if really needed to....
as I stated earlier, your good..

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Reply to malmental

malmental wrote :

it can actually run on less than that if really needed to....
as I stated earlier, your good..


Not very many 450w's with dual 6 pin connectors :ouch:
Oh wait, here's a 430w that could do it :pt1cable:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817151074

Not very financially responsible though

Reply to delluser1

delluser1 wrote :

Not very many 450w's with dual 6 pin connectors :ouch:
Oh wait, here's a 430w that could do it :pt1cable:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817151074

 

Not very financially responsible though


no, it's not..
when you gonna get an AMD rig going.? LOL

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by malmental on 01-11-2012 at 10:50:30 PM
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Reply to malmental

Try get a Molex to 6 pin converter, and if not, a cheap affordable 450W with dual 6pins that can handle a HD 6870/GTX 560 is the XFX Core Edition 450W 80+ Bronze PSU, it's a tad better (Because it's OEM'd by Seasonic) than the Corsair CX500 IMO, and it usually costs less than the GX450.

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by Yummerzzz on 01-11-2012 at 10:52:42 PM
------------------------------ UK.
Current PC Build :
Phenom II X2 555 @ 4.2Ghz | XFX HD 6870 Black Editon 1GB GDDR5 | Asus M5A78L-M LX |Hypertec 133MhzMhz DDR3 4Gb [2x2GB] Dual Channel | Cooler Master Hyper TX3 | XFX 450W Core Editon 80plus Bronze | Thermaltake VX Black Edition
Reply to Yummerzzz

malmental wrote :

no, it's not..
when you gonna get an AMD rig going.? LOL


Trade you my beater bench for one;
Intel 955 CXS ( ? think those letters are right )
PD 3.0 with Dell BTX heatsink
2x1g Suuuuper Talent PC6400
80G WD SATA
Belkin PCI Wireless
Gigabyte GTS450OC
Twice baked OEM 9800GT for physics :pt1cable:

Dell 375w

You pay shipping :lol: :lol: :lol:

Reply to delluser1

delluser1 wrote :

Trade you my beater bench for one;
Intel 955 CXS ( ? think those letters are right )
PD 3.0 with Dell BTX heatsink
2x1g Suuuuper Talent PC6400
80G WD SATA
Belkin PCI Wireless
Gigabyte GTS450OC
Twice baked OEM 9800GT for physics :pt1cable:

Dell 375w

You pay shipping :lol: :lol: :lol:


you just gave me flashbacks from my days slaving for Dell.. :pfff:

------------------------------ A+, Net+, MCDST, DSCE (Dell)
Reply to malmental

Yummerzzz wrote :

Try get a Molex to 6 pin converter, and if not, a cheap affordable 450W with dual 6pins that can handle a HD 6870/GTX 560 is the XFX Core Edition 450W 80+ Bronze PSU, it's a tad better (Because it's OEM'd by Seasonic) than the Corsair CX500 IMO, and it usually costs less than the GX450.



I have already purchased the cooler master gx 450w 80+ and i have installed it today.

http://www.coolermaster.com/produc [...] ct_id=6700

here you can see it has one 6pin pci-e conntecter and Peripheral 4 pins x 3 so i will use the one 6pin it comes with and use one molex connector as im not using any of the molex connectors for anything.

and the gfx card im getting comes with a molex to 6pin connector
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/show [...] -MS&tool=3

Reply to newbie1337

malmental wrote :

you just gave me flashbacks from my days slaving for Dell.. :pfff:


:lol:
I could throw in a Dell oem Audigy 2 to help complete the package.

By the way , is Einstien flipping everyone off ? :o

Reply to delluser1

newbie1337 wrote :

http://www.geforce.com/Hardware/GP [...] ifications

shows that it only takes a 450w psu and thats from nvidia so i shouldn't have a problem i guess



Don't guess.. KNOW your system will be solid for years to come. :)

Be warned, if that psu dies trying it may take out one or more of the other components.

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Reply to magikherbs

magikherbs wrote :

Don't guess.. KNOW your system will be solid for years to come. :)

Be warned, if that psu dies trying it may take out one or more of the other components.


it's fine 'herbs' let's hit the hooka and relax a bit..

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Reply to malmental

delluser1 wrote :

:lol:
I could throw in a Dell oem Audigy 2 to help complete the package.

By the way , is Einstien flipping everyone off ? :o


I have gotten so many PM's asking me that same question.... ;)

------------------------------ A+, Net+, MCDST, DSCE (Dell)
Reply to malmental
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