Will my psu handle this?

[basch99]

Hello,
I've ordered a new system and I would like to upgrade my HD 7750 to something like a HD 7850/HD 7870. The question is if I can run a HD 7870, specifically the MSI Radeon HD 7870 HAWK edition. I have an Antec VP450 power supply and here are the rest of my system specs:

Intel Core i5-3470
Gigabyte z77m-d3h MVP motherboard
8GB GSkill Ares Memory 1600MHz
one 5,400 RPM Hard Drive
one SSD
One Case fan
One DVD Burner

Considering these specs, is it enough for a MSI Radeon HD 7870 Hawk Edition to fit in my power supply (Antec VP-450)?
Thank you very much!

 

[InvalidError]

You should have around 100W to spare, there is no imminent problem there.

 

[basch99]

oh really, how come all the psu supply calculators tell me different numbers? and Also why is the official description under the HD 7870 listed it as requiring a minimum of 550w power supply? Thank you so far.

 

[bigcyco1]

Hmmm... i wouldn't risk it though i can tell the reason why they list it 550W they do that in case use use a not very good PSU

 

[basch99]

btw is it because of the 12v rating on my psu.....doesn't a hd 7870 needs at least 30 amps on a single rail?

 

[basch99]

well all of the sites I've seen - even the site that included someone attempting an hd 7950 on the same psu that I did - he actually eventually went with a 7870. Just a question, why won't you risk it? The Antec VP-450 is a very good psu for it's price, however I'm willing to plunk down some extra cash for a 600w psu if it absolutely demands it.....I'm using that as a second resort - don't really want to go in that direction, and if things are really bad, then I'll just get the HD 7850 that I've also been considering. But give me reasons why I shouldn't do this - I'm not saying your wrong. Just rationalize it to me with numbers and statistics. Thank you.

 

[Smeg45]

I wouldn't risk it. If the PSU goes it can take your system with it. Personally I'd get a solid 650w unit and forget about any issues now or in the future. I recommend a Corsair TX 650 v2.

 

[Rugger]

Invalid is correct that it should work and not be cause for imminent danger to the PC. The VP450 only has one 6-pin PCIe power connector so you will have to use a molex adapter for the other connector. I always recommend PSUs that have all of the required connectors for a specific GPU. The lack of two connectors is an indication that the designers did not necessarily think the PSU was sufficient for a system requiring two PCIe power connectors.

 

[bigcyco1]

My reasoning pretty much falls in line with what Rugger mentioned i am not saying it won't work just i myself wouldn't try doing it i rather be safe than sorry is all.P.S.I know it's a decent PSU i wasn't meaning it was bad.

 

[basch99]

well, for now I don't plan to overclock the HD 7870, as the MSI Radeon HD 7870 HAWK is already a overclocked card in itself. If Invalid points out that I should have 100w to spare, then why isn't it worth it? If they supply both molex adaptors, then that means theoretically it should still be supported right? I'm most worried about the rail configuration on my psu. Will it work? And it is just me or is that I think that the minimum system requirements are simply exaggerated - as there are only two power intensive components in my system - the CPU and the GPU, which only takes up 233 watts at max - there should be no way that all my other components will take up the other 200 watts. It's just my line of thought and I just think it strange to get a 620w psu when I don't plan to crossfire or overclock on this system.

 

[Rugger]

A system with the MSI Hawk HD 7870 consumed 309W at full load; and that was with a hihly OCd, power-ungry i7 965: http://www.guru3d.com/article/msi-radeon-hd-7870-hawk-review/8
Power consumption of the 7870 was around 157W; about 13A. That leaves you about 5A to spare on 12V1. EPS12V/ATX12V gets it's power on the 12V2. Review of the VP450: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Antec-VP450-Power-Supply-Review/1487/1 5A isn't a lot of spare room for the rest of the PC components but the VP450 was capable of providing 550W of total power and staying within al of the electrical specs (noise/ripple and voltage regulation) but efficiency suffered. It is a good quality PSU, should be sufficient for our system, and can handle loads that exceed it's actual ratings at least for short periods of time. You do have 200W of spare power but it's not evenly distributed over both rails. This is a true dual rail PSU ith each rail having overcurrent protection (OCP) and some of that spare capacity is on 12V2 where other components can't access it.

I know that you can use molex adapters to get the PCIe power connectors that you need; i just always recommend using a PSU that comes with the cables already.

 

[basch99]

the only thing I'm truly concerned is that you mentioned that I only have 5A to spare on the 12V1 rail - is that enough for the rest of my components? SSD, Hard Drive, and DVD Burner? and the other rail handles the motherboard and CPU right? If comes down to that, then I'll just grab a hd 7850 with a decent 650w psu and oc the gpu like crazy or buy the hd 7870 first and then save up for a decent 650w psu later. I don't know but most likely I would like to try out the HD 7870 first before anything. Thanks you guys for your information so far!

 

[delluser1]

OCP setpoint is 27a, the split rails aren't a problem
http://www.antec.com/OutputTable/OutputTable_VP450.html

My opinion, adapters are ugly and should only be used as a temporary solution

 

[Rugger]

You're unlikely to fully load every single component simultaneously unless you are intentionally trying to do so; the 5A should be sufficient. Don't forget that HW Secrets was successfully able to overload the rails by an additional 4A up to 22A and that extra capacity will cover other power draw surges that your system might experience.

 

[basch99]

delluser1 well adaptors are sometimes ugly yes, but when you don't have the ability to route to the back of your case like me then you might as well go for it lol. Alright seems like I'm going to give this a try! I'll post how it goes when I do get the HD 7870 in about 2 weeks. Thanks for the input so far!

 

[Rugger]

Glad we could help - enjoy your new build!

 

[bigcyco1]

OCP setpoint is 27a, the split rails aren't a problem
http://www.antec.com/OutputTable/OutputTable_VP450.html

My opinion, adapters are ugly and should only be used as a temporary solution

funny you show up i was just going to tell him to send you or ko888 a message you guys would know if it work or not for sure safely! :lol:

 

[basch99]

Thank you guys so much and I'm certainly going to try it out sometime around 09/27-09/30 because that's when I get the HD 7870. Look for me to post an overview of the stability of the build.

 

[basch99]

Most likely I'm getting the MSI HD 7870 Hawk Edition unless it runs out of stock, or worse Sleeping Dogs deal is over lol.

Seriously, the second on my list is the ASUS HD 7870 as I love ASUS products (my main build is an ASUS based rig) Then I would shoot for the MSI Twin Frozr III HD 7870. I don't like the XFX ones because I already own a XFX card (not HD 7870) as well as a Gigabyte card. I don't understand why your considering cards that are 90 dollars apart; the HD 7850 are 210 dollars each, the HD 7870 are 260 dollars each and the GTX 660Ti are 300 each. The HD 7870 can be OC'd to equal a GTX 660Ti OC'd because the HD 7870 has better over-clocking capabilities as well as higher memory bandwidth so it's a no brainer to me. besides I already have a GTX 670, so a GTX 660Ti is just plain weird for me. Pick what you want, but I think of the three cards you mentioned, the HD 7870 Hawk is the sweet spot card as it is retailing 40 dollars less than the GTX 660Ti.

 

[basch99]

well, this is for a smaller, portable gaming rig for lan parties and dorm duty - I miss the performance of the GTX 670 so much at home (the main system is monstrous and heavy it's a full tower) so I ordered a new system capable of delivering a similar performance to the main rig. Actually I upgraded this because the old Lenovo Think-centre is getting really aged (six years and counting). The old AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+ CPU in that comp is so bad that it is even bottlenecking the mere HD 7750 that I already have. Originally, I was going to just upgrade to the HD 7750 and a new power supply (the antec VP-450), but the CPU situation forced my hand and I got a great deal on my motherboard and CPU upgrade. For example I got the i5-3470 for 184.99 which is fifteen dollars cheaper than MSRP, and is faster than the i5-3450 for the same price and also I got a z77 micro-atx motherboard with free 8gb of memory, so the total savings was like 55 dollars for the CPU, motherboard and Memory combo.

 

[basch99]

Oh and did I mention how much I love building computers and hardware in general. The crisp smell of new components and the joy of unboxing them and admiring the design of box arts.

 

[Smeg45]

well, this is for a smaller, portable gaming rig for lan parties and dorm duty - I miss the performance of the GTX 670 so much at home (the main system is monstrous and heavy it's a full tower) so I ordered a new system capable of delivering a similar performance to the main rig. Actually I upgraded this because the old Lenovo Think-centre is getting really aged (six years and counting). The old AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+ CPU in that comp is so bad that it is even bottlenecking the mere HD 7750 that I already have. Originally, I was going to just upgrade to the HD 7750 and a new power supply (the antec VP-450), but the CPU situation forced my hand and I got a great deal on my motherboard and CPU upgrade. For example I got the i5-3470 for 184.99 which is fifteen dollars cheaper than MSRP, and is faster than the i5-3450 for the same price and also I got a z77 micro-atx motherboard with free 8gb of memory, so the total savings was like 55 dollars for the CPU, motherboard and Memory combo.

An H77 mobo would have been cheaper. I personally saved $120 or so on my H77 board + i5 3470.

 

[basch99]

Well, the motherboard itself would have been cheaper of course, but the z77 chipset supports overclocking better than the H77 chipset as z77 when I upgrade to a unlocked processor, but also because of the free 8gb memory and discounted i5-3470 that made this very appealing. I originally pursued a core i3-3220 as part of the new build, but because they are locked and cannot go any faster that's why I picked a much more future proof and powerful i5-3470 to compliment the latest graphics cards. I'm thrilled for my build and look forward to doing lots of things with this new rig.

 

[Smeg45]

Well, the motherboard itself would have been cheaper of course, but the z77 chipset supports overclocking better than the H77 chipset as z77 when I upgrade to a unlocked processor, but also because of the free 8gb memory and discounted i5-3470 that made this very appealing. I originally pursued a core i3-3220 as part of the new build, but because they are locked and cannot go any faster that's why I picked a much more future proof and powerful i5-3470 to compliment the latest graphics cards. I'm thrilled for my build and look forward to doing lots of things with this new rig.

Upgrade from a 3470? Waste of money in my mind. You should just bought an 3570K outright. 8GB of RAM is also throwaway cash, dirt cheap. That shouldn't have been an influencing decision.

 

[basch99]

well yeah I know, but the main thing is the GPU, I think it will take at most GPU up to 2 years to start being bottlenecked by a i5-3470. My case is too small to fit an aftermarket CPU cooler and there are not enough space to fit an liquid cooling kit either so the i5-3470 represents the best value I can get without over-clocking and overpaying for an i7-3770 or even an LGA2011 platform like i7-3820 or something. There are reasons why I picked the 3470 over the 3570K. I wanted to keep my case because it's very low profile and fairly easy to carry around (a micro atx case). Anyways, I'm looking at most 1080p gaming on this particular rig. I'm not looking to play the most visually intensive FPS as they are very demanding, especially year to year. This way, my rig can last me at least another 2 years to play games on. When the time comes I'll upgrade to Skylake/Skymont in the future with Einstein/AMD HD 9000 series GPUs. A core i3-3220 would've been even worse to start with. I buy CPU for their longevity without bottlenecking - this core i5-3470 is so powerful that it's passmark score is seven times those of my old AMD CPU. And i3-3220 cores don't even bottleneck HD 7950s so I think it's a good choice. granted an upgrade to a core i7-3770K in the future would yield an upgrade of approximately 4,000 points on passmark alone and higher when OC'd. (I know passmark isn't the best but relatively speaking gives a good indication of performance). For this rig, I just wanted something powerful enough in the immediate short term.