I put together my first build recently, planning to buy a GPU after the main box was up and running. I was aiming for a AMD 6950 (MSI Twin Frozr3 OC specifically) but was having no luck finding them in stock for reasonable money. After being frustrated a few too many times, I decided to take the plunge on a 7850 instead and preordered a MSI Twin Frozr3 edition.
It came yesterday, I was reading the box and wondering why the back was covered with info for the 7870 instead of info for the card I bought. It was at this point I made the massively pleasant discovery that I seem to have been sent a 7870 by mistake.
Putting aside the moral question as to whether I contact the retailer to tell them about their mistake, now I come down to my slight dilemma. I understand that 7870 is supposed to need a 500w psu minimum (according to AMD and MSI) but a few specs I've read within various reviews and benchmark tests say the actual minimum should be a 550 watt psu which is exactly what I've got (corsair TX550 Modular) and I'm a little uncomfortable about having a PSU that's the bare minimum required.
Current system:
i5 2500k at stock speeds,
500gb HD,
optical drive
8gb Corsair vengeance ram
4 12volt case fans (with plans to add a 5th 140mm fan for my intake once I get an extension cable)
Near future upgrades may include a SSD and maybe a slightly quieter aftermarket CPU cooler.
I'm not contemplating overclocking just yet and when I do, I would obviously upgrade the psu. The question is whether I do so now.
Am I being daft worrying about my 550w PSU being inadequate or should I consider getting a higher wattage psu now rather than later?
It came yesterday, I was reading the box and wondering why the back was covered with info for the 7870 instead of info for the card I bought. It was at this point I made the massively pleasant discovery that I seem to have been sent a 7870 by mistake.
Putting aside the moral question as to whether I contact the retailer to tell them about their mistake, now I come down to my slight dilemma. I understand that 7870 is supposed to need a 500w psu minimum (according to AMD and MSI) but a few specs I've read within various reviews and benchmark tests say the actual minimum should be a 550 watt psu which is exactly what I've got (corsair TX550 Modular) and I'm a little uncomfortable about having a PSU that's the bare minimum required.
Current system:
i5 2500k at stock speeds,
500gb HD,
optical drive
8gb Corsair vengeance ram
4 12volt case fans (with plans to add a 5th 140mm fan for my intake once I get an extension cable)
Near future upgrades may include a SSD and maybe a slightly quieter aftermarket CPU cooler.
I'm not contemplating overclocking just yet and when I do, I would obviously upgrade the psu. The question is whether I do so now.
Am I being daft worrying about my 550w PSU being inadequate or should I consider getting a higher wattage psu now rather than later?
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