Crossfire power to 6870s

[Randum]

I have two XFX 6870s setup in crossfire. My new 600watt OCZ power supply is "SLI Certified" but nothing on it points to Crossfire.

The 6870's require 2x6pin PCI-E plugs a piece...and the power supply only had 2. So I bought 2 Molex to 6pin PCI-E adapters.

Everything appears to run just fine with issues. Any way for me to check power to make sure its right etc? I have very low knowledge on power supplies because its never been an issue before. I am only running one HDD and one SSD - Fans are a plenty to ensure I can move air in this case- I will have about 5 case fans, and my Cooler master heatsink has 2x120mm fans as well.

Tested out Bf3, Starcraft3, unreal 3, no issues.
Thoughts?

 

[l0v3rboi]

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/42796-hd-6870-roundup-diamond-powercolor-msi-sapphire-xfx-18.html

According to this, under load, that card consumes 290W. Multiply that by two you have 580W. I would upgrade your PSU.

 

[Randum]

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/42796-hd-6870-roundup-diamond-powercolor-msi-sapphire-xfx-18.html

According to this, under load, that card consumes 290W. Multiply that by two you have 580W. I would upgrade your PSU.

What are the symptoms of too little power consumption?

Anyone want a nice new OCZ 600 watt power supply!

 

[nekulturny]

Insufficient can come in a variety of symptoms The system may simply just shut off altogether, or it may just merely perform sluggishly.

While I do believe 600 watts is cutting it pretty close running 2 6870s in SLi (ideally, I would use 750 watts), that review page loverboi showed you is actually how much power the entire system is drawing not just the video card. Its not easy/reliable to attempt to measure the power usage of individual components.

You should actually be fine with a 600 watt assuming its one of the better OCZ models.

 

[Silvune]

...that review page loverboi showed you is actually how much power the entire system is drawing not just the video card.

Thanks for pointing that out. And they are also measuring it at the wall, so the amount of power that their system actually drew is 10-20% less.

6870s have an official maximum TDP of 151W. So really you would add that to 290W to get an idea of how much a system with two 6870s would draw. In which case I think it would have to be a pretty untrustworthy 600W PSU to not be able to deal with the occasional peak draw of 441W.

 

[Randum]

Thanks for pointing that out. And they are also measuring it at the wall, so the amount of power that their system actually drew is 10-20% less.

6870s have an official maximum TDP of 151W. So really you would add that to 290W to get an idea of how much a system with two 6870s would draw. In which case I think it would have to be a pretty untrustworthy 600W PSU to not be able to deal with the occasional peak draw of 441W.

Thanks for the info - yeah I'm contemplating at this point- I bought a much bigger PS just in case when I picked up my PCI express molex adapters and debating whether I should return it or try to sell this 600 watt... its about a $60 difference.

My way of thinking was if its too much for the PS the system would crap on itself- I figure a day of BF3, and some Starcraft should prove that? Right?

 

[Silvune]

Yes I think you're right considering that BF3 can be as stressful on a PSU as some stress tests.

 

[juniiflow]

Insufficient can come in a variety of symptoms The system may simply just shut off altogether, or it may just merely perform sluggishly.

While I do believe 600 watts is cutting it pretty close running 2 6870s in SLi (ideally, I would use 750 watts), that review page loverboi showed you is actually how much power the entire system is drawing not just the video card. Its not easy/reliable to attempt to measure the power usage of individual components.

You should actually be fine with a 600 watt assuming its one of the better OCZ models.

still better be secure. and upgrade.

 

[nekulturny]

If its in your budget in the future I would consider a higher powered PSU though, but for now it should be fine. Generally its not a bad thing to have higher outputs than you actually need. Especially if you plan to get into overclocking. Overclocking in most cases can dramatically increase power draw.

 

[nekulturny]

still better be secure. and upgrade.

Definitely.