New PSU

[wol-va-rine]

ATI recommends at least a 600W power supply for an HD 5770 Crossfire setup.

we all know about "recommendations", you can run a crossfire 4850 setup with a good 500w psu, figure the odds you can't with a 5770 setup...

They usually over shoot with the recommendations, just for people with junk PSU's. I would still go with at least a 450 watt though. That's still pushing it IMO.


I'm seriously getting one of those. I was going to buy another 5770 when I got the money, but now I think I'm definitely getting one of those PSU's if my video card can still hold up decently... that's just flat out awesome. I wonder if they make a modular one...

if you're talking about the X650 (or X750), they are modular...

 

[Atomic Rooster]

we all know about "recommendations"

Yes, everybody "knows about recommendations". But nobody can back up how they know it as fact.

 

[wol-va-rine]

People keep saying that, but nobody has ever shown where any manufacturer has ever said or confirmed that.

benchmarks aren't fact...? they're tests in controlled environments using the hardware, as close to "fact" as you can get and pretty scientifically reliable, have you ever considered that the computer industry is a racket and that most hardware companies are involved...? higher wattage psus usually cost more money, the whole "you scratch my back, I scratch your back" philosophy is rampant in the hardware industry, they also want overkill so someone can't come back and say "your recommendation didn't work...!!!", so they over inflate their recommendations just to be safe...

an overclocked i7 setup with a single 5770 uses less than 300w, (roughy 270w IIRC, there are benches to prove it), adding another 5770 (which is hardly a high powered card) bring the total to roughly 350w, let's even say 400w just to be safe, a 500w psu running at 80% efficiency (basically a good psu) will handle that easily...

do you want links to prove it...? I'll believe real world benchmarks over "recommendations" any day, and twice on payday...

here's an i7 Extreme Edition overclocked from techspot...

an i7 920 from HardwareCunucks...

a 5770 uses about 80w by itself at full load so you can do the math yourself to calculate how much power a crossfire setup would use...

a good 500w psu would run a 5770 crossfire setup fine...

 

[Atomic Rooster]

That's not what I asked for and you know it. I'm not trying to be confrontational, I'm just looking for anything that shows the manufacturers purposely overinflate their power recommendations.

 

[wol-va-rine]

That's not what I asked for and you know it. I'm not trying to be confrontational, I'm just looking for anything that shows the manufacturers purposely overinflate their power recommendations.

so you want me to link the literally thousands of message board posts where people use psus rated at a lower wattage than the recommended amount and everything runs fine...?

there's theory and then there's real world application of said theories, they do not always mesh, in my industry I know that for a fact...

does NVIDIA ever release a rebadged cards and just flat out say in their marketing that "hey, this is our new card, it's basically the same as the old one, but buy this new one because, well, it's new and will mean more $ for us and our shareholders...!!!"...

is OJ innocent as well...?

 

[killthenakedcat]

Well I will let you guys continue to bicker lol but I borrowed a friends old PSU(300 Watt) and hooked it up just to see if everything started up fine...and all is well, the mobo and CPU were fine as well as my graphics card, now just to make my decision about a PSU ha.

 

[Atomic Rooster]

so you want me to link the literally thousands of message board posts where people use psus rated at a lower wattage than the recommended amount and everything runs fine...?

Nope. . .

I'm just looking for anything that shows the manufacturers purposely overinflate their power recommendations.

is OJ innocent as well...?

Don't know. He wasn't proven guilty in a court of law.

 

[dude_56013]

One thing that I think is funny that no one has brought up:

Yes, you may be able to run a PSU with a wattage below the manufacturers recommended wattage, but to do so runs the risk of

1) Frying your PSU (of course...that's a given)

2) Creating a lot of heat (your PSU will be loaded much more compared to one with a higher "headroom")

3) Running at pathetic efficiency. As your PSU reaches high loads, your efficiency drastically decreases (mostly due to heat) and the savings you'll find in getting a PSU that "just cuts it" (versus something with headroom) will be offset by the rise in your electrical bill over the first few years of your PSUs life.

So, get a decent PSU with some headroom. Honestly, for what you've just listed as plans for the future, I would go with a 600-650W PSU. Personal opinion. You can do whatever the heck you want.

Just make sure that it's 1) Single or dual 12v rail (with more than that, it's hard to balance them out...it's a PITA), 2) Active PFC (most new PSUs over 500W are), 3) has adequate amperage on the 12v rail(s), 4) has a decent warranty, 5) is from a quality manufacturer.

I researched a lot before I pulled the trigger on my PSU. (and if anyone arguing is wondering, I side with AR on this subject, if my above info didn't make that very clear)

 

[wol-va-rine]

Nope. . .

Don't know. He wasn't proven guilty in a court of law.

and yet he's obligated by law to pay the victims' families because of civil law...funny how the "law" works sometimes isn't it...?

just because something can't be proved doesn't mean that it's not true, whether they over inflate on purpose or not they're not gonna just come out and say it, we all know that...

3) Running at pathetic efficiency. As your PSU reaches high loads, your efficiency drastically decreases (mostly due to heat) and the savings you'll find in getting a PSU that "just cuts it" (versus something with headroom) will be offset by the rise in your electrical bill over the first few years of your PSUs life.

a good 80+ certified psu usually runs at over 80% efficiency, how is running a 400w psu loaded to about 320w-350w (roughly 80%) "pathetic" efficiency...? please explain...

 

[Atomic Rooster]

higher wattage psus usually cost more money, the whole "you scratch my back, I scratch your back" philosophy is rampant in the hardware industry

Really. . .

This is a very good 600W PSU that is cheaper than alot of 450 - 500W power supplies:Rosewill RP600V2-S-SL 600W- $54.99

Your philosophy that higher wattage PSU's cost more no longer holds water. There are many quality "high wattage" power supplies that are reasonably priced. Besides, most people that purchase the recommended PSU, don't always buy quality brands and go for the best price.