psu's for crossfire:

barney magru

barney magru

barney magru

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15 Apr 2010
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Hey folks,

Looking for some info on crossfire and suitable psu's. Been reading from various sources and in all honesty am more confused than when I started on the hunt and seen as how helpful you guys on here are, figured it'd be a darn sight easier to just lay everything out ;)

I'm going to be putting together an I7 920 system in a couple of weeks (i7920/ x58aud3r/ 6gboczgold1600ddr3/ wdcavbl640gbS3) using the Soprano case, corsair hx520w mod psu and hd4890 I already have.

Essentially I would be looking to pick up another 1/2 4890's second hand within the next year or so given that the 4890 is a quality graphics card, would crossfire nicely from what I've been reading and would be a cheaper option than buying 1/2 more expensive 5xxx series cards.

In which case:

1) would my thermaltake soprano case be able to hold 2/3 4890's?
2) would the gigabyte x58aud3r mobo support 3?
3) do psu's need 4x6pin and 6x6 pin pci-e to support 2 and 3 cards respectively?
4) what wattage would the psu need to be for 2/3?
5) would there be much of a noticeable difference using 3 over 2 cards?
6) what kind of cooling would be required/most suitableo for 2/3 cards?
7) which psu's in particular would you recommend for 2/3 cards?
8) would you recommend buying a psu capable of supporting 2/3 cards now or wait until I'm ready to do so (as prices may drop)?


Thanks a lot in advance

bm
 
It's widely decided at the moment that three cards is not worthwhile, unless you are running an eyefinity set-up, or something that requires a ridiculous amount of GPU power.

A Quality 650W PSU would be more than fine for two 4890s. In testing, regularly only a max of 400W is drawn (read almost any hardware review), with i7 systems with 5870s at the wall, so you'll be sorted with a 650W. If you feel like buying a power supply once, and never again, maybe a 900W would be worth it...
 
I been running crossfire 4890s for a year now near enough, along with i7 and 5 hard drives and doing so on 800W. I'd say you need nothing over that, although some have said my 800W is overkill I went for more rather than just getting by.

As long as you stick to a decent manufacturer tagan / silverstone / corsair you should be fine.

Oh and from experience, chucking 3 4890s in there will cook you during summer unless you have air con in mind? 4890s generate A LOT of heat and eat a fair bit of power. Looking at £30-50 a month to run this machine if it's under heavy use, so make sure you're prepared for that (My quarterly has gone up to almost £400 for the whole house as PC is on 18+ hours a day.).
 
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