Is my PSU good enough...?

*Rich*

*Rich*

*Rich*

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Joined
5 Jan 2012
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Pontefract, UK
My system is all inside a Prodigy so only one GPU slot available.
No real idea when it comes to watts, amps, fuses, wires, switches etc :D

Current spec is:

- Gigabyte Z77N M-ITX
- i7 3770k @ 4.2
- Gainward 4Gb GTX 680
- 8Gb Ram
- 1x 360Gb SSD, 2 x 1Tb WD HDD's
- 2 case fans

Now my PSU is this one... http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-166-CM

Would it run a 690 in place of the 680?

Thanks, Rich.
 
Yeah, just need a short one, that fits in a prodigy and has to be modular really.

Thanks guys.
 
It should run it fine but getting near the upper limit of the power supply. I'd estimate around 500w full load maximum even with overclocking both cpu and gpu.

Your cpu is pretty power efficient, if you had an AMD cpu you'd definitely be better off upgrading.

Edit - forget what I said. Just checked the specs of your power supply and it has only 480w for the 12v rails so in reality its closer to a 500w power supply. It still might handle it but you should probably get something a bit more powerful just to be safe.
 
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pastymuncher said:
OP's current psu is not enough. It can only deliver 40A/480w on the 12v rail.
Click to expand...

The 690 draws an absolute maximum of 300w(25a) so technically it should still power it fine as the rest of his rig consumes very little. Should still upgrade just to be safe

750w is too much though, look for a good quality 600-650psu with most of its rated wattage on the 12v rail
 
Is it worth trying before buying a new PSU, no harm would be done? ie, just would n't power up, or maybe shut down.
 
Effectively you have a 480w PSU as the +12 V output accounts for practically all the power usage for a modern PC.

If you ran the CPU and 690 at stock you probably be close to 100% load.

So it's new PSU time, I personally don't spec PSUs above 80% of their max load.

A PSU with 600 W (50 A) +12 V output should be sufficient. 660 W (55A) +12 V or more is what I'd do (and have done).
 
*Rich* said:
Is it worth trying before buying a new PSU, no harm would be done? ie, just would n't power up, or maybe shut down.
Click to expand...

It will probably work fine but most people would advise against it. You could get a plugin power meter to check power consumption. If its under 450w @ the wall with the gpu and cpu fully loaded then you should be fine keeping it. If your psu has 80 percent effficieny, 450w at the wall is really only 360w being loaded on the power supply. Most reviews of graphics cards completely fail to mention this so people often overestimate what power supply they need.
 
Think i'll play it safe with a new PSU, don't like the idea of it running at 100% load.

Thanks again guys.
 
I've been running the rig in my sig below (with SLI 670's) on my great but aging 6 year old antec 650w (TP trio) for the last 5 months or so.

It worked absolutely fine, but when both GPUs were under heavy load the fan in the PSU used to ramp right up, and it made me nervous to be honest. It felt like it was really gunning and I think I was really pushing the limits for my system.

So, I've just upgraded to this XFX 750w (only 1 left at this price!) which is fantastic.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-001-XF

On offer at the mo, semi modular, and silver rated vs the bronze one, and a pound cheaper!

PSU/ system purrs along quietly now even when both 670's are under full load. Peace of mind now.
 
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