650W enough for a GPU upgrade?

MatteRB26 · 19 Sep 2022 at 06:37

I'm thinking of upgrading my gtx 970 some time in the year, possibly to a 3070/2080Ti or maybe a 6750XT/6800, somewhere in that range.

I've currently got a 650W PSU powering my PC with a 5800X, 2 SSDs, 2 HDDs and the usual gaming gear. Will 650W be enough for a GPU upgrade or would I need to consider that in my purchase too..?

Grimley · 19 Sep 2022 at 09:45

It will depend on what make said 650 watter is and how old it is, then myself & others here should tell you our advice on what to do.

MatteRB26 · 19 Sep 2022 at 10:58

I've currently got a Corsair TX650 that's 10 years old this year. It's one of the few original pieces of my build back in 2012!

throwaway4372 · 19 Sep 2022 at 11:03

Can't rly say with confidence that it's appropriate to trust your pc to that old psu, or that it'll be able to power your new gpu. So may as well replace it.

gpuerrilla · 19 Sep 2022 at 11:17

Agree ^ while there is no shortage and the prices seem reasonable you dont want the thing to give up during use, if its done a good innings upgrade I say.

mickyflinn · 19 Sep 2022 at 11:19

MatteRB26 said:
I've currently got a Corsair TX650 that's 10 years old this year. It's one of the few original pieces of my build back in 2012!

10 year old psu i would Change it dont risk your New gpu, get a 750w minimum as newer gpu's are using more power.

MatteRB26 · 19 Sep 2022 at 14:02

Guess I'll consider including a new PSU in my budget then... What do you guys do with old PSUs that still work though? Seems a waste to just throw it in the electrical section at the tip

gpuerrilla · 19 Sep 2022 at 14:04

Spares for testing and use in the demoted/Frankenstein parts. My seasonic 750w is currently in the test bench.

MissChief · 19 Sep 2022 at 14:09

Meh I say! And I say Meh again! If it is a good quality unit, that’s fairly recent, say 2-3 years since it was released, a 650W should be more than sufficient. I run a 650W Superflower Leadex III Gold on my rig which is a 5950x, RTX3080 Vision (2x 8 pin), a 360mm AIO, 9 fans (including those on the AIO), an NVME, a SATA SSD and a 2TB Mechanical drive. When the manufacturers quote power figures they need to take into account the cheap and nasty ‘Color’s IT’ and other nasty Chinese PSU’s with awful power regulation and delivery.

gpuerrilla · 19 Sep 2022 at 14:25

MissChief said:
Meh I say! And I say Meh again! If it is a good quality unit, that’s fairly recent, say 2-3 years since it was released, a 650W should be more than sufficient.

MatteRB26 said:
I've currently got a Corsair TX650 that's 10 years old this year. It's one of the few original pieces of my build back in 2012!

MissChief · 19 Sep 2022 at 14:32

Not sure I would trust a 10 year old PSU for a new machine. Mine was two years old when I upgraded and I looked very carefully at reviews. In testing on a review my model did 719W before cutting out and saving the PC from damage.

Grimley · 19 Sep 2022 at 19:34

This has been on sale on & off for a little while now, this is what I'd buy right now for your intended GPU upgrade. I wouldn't risk a 10 year old Corsair with a recent, fairly high end GFX card.

My basket at OcUK:

1 x Seasonic Focus GX-750 750W 80+ Gold Modular Power Supply (SKU: CA-06U-SS) = £94.99

Total: £105.49 (includes delivery: £10.50)

clone · 20 Sep 2022 at 09:00

If I was you mate I would upgrade to a good 850w or 1000w to future proof your setup.

no_1_dave · 25 Sep 2022 at 11:21

MatteRB26 said:
What do you guys do with old PSUs that still work though? Seems a waste to just throw it in the electrical section at the tip

Auction site...
"It's a few years old, not been pushed too hard, mainly just sat in my media server" :cry:

Darujhistan · 25 Sep 2022 at 14:30

The way things are going I'd consider getting a good quality 850W at least. Maybe even 1000W.