PSU Confusion

[erratum]

:screwy: <--- me Maybe you can help.

Ok .... first off, I'm rather confused as to what's out there & what's needed, I guess. I used to really be in the loop, but stop working with keeping up on this stuff for 5 years, and .... well .... things do change, don't they.

So, I'm building a new system .... we'll call this my mid life crisis PC :) Have not touched a system build in 5 years and still limping along on my old p4 Presscott PC. So, I have decided to go big.

I'm going to start with one Nvidia GTX 295 vid, but when the prices on this card start to bottom out, I will want to SLI it with another GTX 295. So, I go to the SLI PSU compatability chart - here - (http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone_build_psu.html) & it lists 4 PSUs that I could build from.

It shows a 1200W, a 1200W, a 1200W ....... and a 300W as certified for that card running in SLI. Now I'm really confused. :bang head What am I not getting here ?

The system is gunna be a ....
Antec 900 case
i7 920
6gb DDR3 1600 (Corsair Dominator)
running one GTX295 now & maybe 2 SLI'd when the card price falls.

Would I be better suited to just go with something like an OCZ 700W (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341002) and then change that PSU out when the GTX 295 prices bottom, and the list of accepted PSUs has grown ? Or will that 700W not suit my needs ?

Ugh.

[Evilsizer]

well the deal with the 300watt one, is that it isnt a true psu in what your thinking. it is a supplemental 12v power supply, it only does 12v. NV is saying this 12v only supply is able to handle a GTX295. that X3 unit fits into a 5.25in drive bay, so you could get a 500watt psu and power the GTX295's from 2 X3's. i wouldnt do that though, i would just get a 1200watt psu for the SLI GTX295's.

also hit up www.jonnyguru.com for some other 1200watt units that will work as well. even though not on NV's list you just need 4 6pin pcie connections for the 2 GTX295's.

here is thermaltakes 5.25in bay psu at 450watts
http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?C=1247&ID=1543

[ScottinIndy]

:welcome:

I believe you would be fine with a solid quality 750watt PSU for running SLI on the 295's, If you have reservations you could go with an 800/850 watt model.

Here is a list of recommended PSU's, Real users have used them and or trusted review sites have reviewed them. Just check for modular or non modular and your preferred wattage.

http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=589708

[erratum]

Okay ..... I get it.... I think.

Soooo .... I could go with a solid 850W - 1000W Psup & run the one GTX 295 & the rest of my componets .... and then when the $$ fall & I go SLI with another GTX295, I can add a drive bay PSU (or 2) that would strictly power the video cards.

Right ??

Would a dual 12V rail be a problem if I went this route ? ( Have read that you want one 12V rail with SLI/Xfire) ... but if I'm powering from additional drive bay PSUs, would I have to limit myself to one 12V rail main PSU?

And ... thanks for the quick response on this, as well as the welcome :)

[ScottinIndy]

I was just checking on the power draw on the 295's, At full load it looks like they draw roughly 330 watts ea. So my suggestion of a 750 watt PSU is really flawed, It's going to take quite a bit of horsepower to run in SLI. I would steer away from the add on drive bay PSU's and just get a good quality unit with enough horsepower to run everything. As far as Single rail Vs Multi rail, I am sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, However I believe on most of your quality PSU's that it really won't matter too much, While they are in theory called multi rail, The load can be drawn from any of the rails as needed so you don't have one rail fully loaded on one rail barely used.

[EarthDog]

I would say Corsair HX1000 for that rig... Modular and top notch Corsair quality!!

I sure hope with those videocard you are running on a 30" 2560x1900 monitor!!!

[erratum]

I would say Corsair HX1000 for that rig... Modular and top notch Corsair quality!!

I sure hope with those videocard you are running on a 30" 2560x1900 monitor!!!

22" Acer 1680 X 1050 right now.

Was cheap though ... $139 ... so I do plan to move up at a later date, and use the Acer for an additional monitor at work, so nothing is lost there.

[EarthDog]

One of those cards will last the life of your rig at 1920x1200 two of them are overkill. Not to mention, they dont scale very well compared to say 3 GTX280's.

[erratum]

One of those cards will last the life of your rig at 1920x1200 two of them are overkill. Not to mention, they dont scale very well compared to say 3 GTX280's.

Good to hear, actually. Of course, the "life" of my rig, provided that nothing burns up, is much longer than many around here. 5-6 years from now, I plan to quit limping along on it & rebuild :) .... remember, I am still on a P4 2.8 one-core Presscott. lol

But to know that I won't have to start "limping" for a long time is what I'm after. I just wanted SLI to be an option if ... say 2 years down the line .... I deem that I need a boost. Of course, at that point all goes out the window & you have to consider your options all over again.

[EarthDog]

In 2 years time, it would likely be best to just get another single card. You would likely get better performance out of that then you would another GTX295. Depending on your budget of course. For example, look at the old 7950gx2. As soon as the 8800GTX came out, I believe it spanked that dual GPU card all over the place. By the time you want to upgrade, Im sure a $300 single card would spank another GTX295...again depending on how much you want to spend on an upgrade.

Also, I take it you are not much of a gamer? If you arent, why go so high initially? Even a single GTX285 would hold its own for a couple years...

[diaz]

I would say Corsair HX1000 for that rig... Modular and top notch Corsair quality!!

I sure hope with those videocard you are running on a 30" 2560x1900 monitor!!!

+1 ... Also, look for a nice case, cases are always a very picky subject. So many options, so many positives and negatives...

-D

[erratum]

Also, I take it you are not much of a gamer? If you arent, why go so high initially? Even a single GTX285 would hold its own for a couple years...

That's not really the case. I've not been much of a gamer for quite a while, no, but that does not mean that I don't enjoy it. ..... lol ... it has been a while, however. (Duke Nukem was great !! ... Interstate '76 anyone? ... my Thrustmaster steering wheel & pedals died long ago .... I'm dating myself, aren't I? :) ) I stopped (a lot of things) to take care of other things in my life.....now that those things are in better shape, I can have a little fun :)

Honestly, .... I hate to do this. I hate building, configurating, troubleshooting, tweeking systems. Hate it. So, I don't want to have to do it again for a long time. (Grant it, some things allways come up...shrug)

And then .... you just can't excuse the "shiny new box" factor, because I'll admit that's a part of it. "Oooooo....loooky.....pretty." ... lol

So that's why I'm heading i7 instead of c2quad ... and GTX 295 instead of 280. And, I really don't want to SLI yet. I've heard of some bugginess issues with it (Remember the 3Dfx Voodoo ... they had their fair share as well) ... so *if* I need to or want to on down the line, then maybe some of that will have been worked out in drivers, etc.

So, that's the method to my madness in a nutshell. Most people my age want thier high school car back .... but I don't want another '63 Ford Falcon with the 2-speed automatic & no air conditioning. As I said in the first post ..... this is my mid life crisis PC. lol :screwy:

[erratum]

+1 ... Also, look for a nice case, cases are always a very picky subject. So many options, so many positives and negatives...

-D

Leaning toward the Antec 900 ... but the other option in my mind is the Coolermaster HAF. Both seem to be the same in quality & cooling, while it looks like I can save just a few dollars on the Antec.

[RollingThunder]

Leaning toward the Antec 900 ... but the other option in my mind is the Coolermaster HAF. Both seem to be the same in quality & cooling, while it looks like I can save just a few dollars on the Antec.

Erratum,

Both of those cases are excellent. You wouldn't be disappointed with either. However, from where you're coming from on video cards, you may never go to SLI 295GTX's once you see a single one up and running.

But I agree that the Corsair TX1000 power supply is one of the best ways to go. Since it's modular, you can put away the cables you don't use and later you have them if you need them. However, the choice of SLI or not is critical to how much you'll need to spend on a power supply.

You could also use this list that our Diaz made for power supplies:

http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=589708

Any can be bought with confidence of quality.

[erratum]

Erratum,

Both of those cases are excellent. You wouldn't be disappointed with either. However, from where you're coming from on video cards, you may never go to SLI 295GTX's once you see a single one up and running.

You could also use this list that our Diaz made for power supplies:

http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=589708

Any can be bought with confidence of quality.

Then my worry about going with a $500+ PSU for SLI GTX295 seems unfounded, as from what I gather, one GTX295 will keep me happy for quite the haul. That helps .... a lot. And what a great list !!!! ... Keeps me thinking that the PSU I picked initially is going to be the way to go here. I'll most likely go with the Coursair 1000HX modular. For just over $250 & it being rated very, very well. The dual 12V rail scared me away, but I think the my concern was for not.

Thanks guys ..... if you think that 1000HX won't do the trick for years to come, lemme know.

By the way ..... you guys rule :) .. thanks for that.

[EarthDog]

If you dont plan on going SLI, which it looks like you wont NEED to, you can get something cheaper... like a Silverstone ST85F 850W or something along those lines. You could SLI any single GPU card with that thing.

Dont worry about the dual 12v rail on most well known brands (Silverstone, PCP&C, Corsair etc)

Enjoy that PC!

[RollingThunder]

Then my worry about going with a $500+ PSU for SLI GTX295 seems unfounded, as from what I gather, one GTX295 will keep me happy for quite the haul. That helps .... a lot. And what a great list !!!! ... Keeps me thinking that the PSU I picked initially is going to be the way to go here. I'll most likely go with the Coursair 1000HX modular. For just over $250 & it being rated very, very well. The dual 12V rail scared me away, but I think the my concern was for not.

Thanks guys ..... if you think that 1000HX won't do the trick for years to come, lemme know.

By the way ..... you guys rule :) .. thanks for that.

Erratum,

If you never want to go SLI, you can save yourself a hundred bucks with a smaller power supply of equal quality in the ~600w+. They are all on the list. I don't know anyone who doesn't like to save a few bucks. :)

[erratum]

If you dont plan on going SLI, which it looks like you wont NEED to, you can get something cheaper... like a Silverstone ST85F 850W or something along those lines. You could SLI any single GPU card with that thing.

Dont worry about the dual 12v rail on most well known brands (Silverstone, PCP&C, Corsair etc)

Enjoy that PC!

Erratum,

If you never want to go SLI, you can save yourself a hundred bucks with a smaller power supply of equal quality in the ~600w+. They are all on the list. I don't know anyone who doesn't like to save a few bucks. :)

That's a beautiful thing, guys. Thanks.

600W(+) will run that GFX295 +the CPU RAM all other componets without hiccup. I was thinking an 700W would be pushing it.

(edit) ... I'd kinda rather go overkill a bit, then look at adding things later that would make me change out the PSUP.

[RollingThunder]

That's a beautiful thing, guys. Thanks.

600W(+) will run that GFX295 +the CPU RAM all other componets without hiccup. I was thinking an 700W would be pushing it.

(edit) ... I'd kinda rather go overkill a bit, then look at adding things later that would make me change out the PSUP.


Keep in mind that you will be restricted in some choices with your connectors. That 295 needs an 8 pin 12v and a 6 pin 12v if you look at the photos of that card. Before you order, be sure you have both connectors. Adequate wattage and amps will coincide with a power supply having those connections.

We always have debates over modular vs. non-modular. In your case (and mine) modular is best because otherwise, there are a lot of unused cables to deal with running a single card. For dual high end cards, you normally use them all and it's a non-issue.

I'll do some looking with you at those power supplies unless someone else has them nailed.

According to our resident power supply tester, Oklahoma Wolf, this is the best of the best:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371017

Not quite a $100 savings, but close and it's ideal for any high end single video card.

Review:

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story4&reid=113

[EarthDog]

That silverstone I mentioned should have all the connectors you need and is 850W. You shouldnt SLI GTX295 on it, but anything will be fine.

Crap, must not have mentioned that here.. LOL

Silverstone ST850F. ;)

[erratum]

I'll do some shopping then. Thanks for the input, you two. The savings will be nice .... I'll be looking into it more tonight.

Thanks again !!

Doug

[Ahgemon]

Get the strongest power supply you can afford, for one video card like the gtx 295 I recommend 750watt, under aload your computer will draw more power. So a 600 or 700 may be adequate, but if you upgrade later you'll want more power.

theres a line between getting the right power supply for the job, and getting the best power supply when money is no object. Some will say those of us who get 1000watts or more is just plain stupid when 700 or 800 will do just fine, for power requirements they are right, but in my case I spent 400 dollars on my ABS power supply because I wanted a very powerful power supply and my gamming rig to run stable under load, and this power supply runs everything fine, I have no regrets. They see it as unecessary I see it as get the best parts you can find and don't buy cheap. I have built many gamming rigs over the years and good parts are good parts even when they become outdated.

I recommend you wait and generate some more cash, and get a 1000watt or better. especially if you plan on getting 2 gtx 295's down the road, games and software may not be at that point yet, but soon they will be and you'll want all the extra power for future upgrades that you can get.

up to you, you'll make the right choice. this is just food for thought, I know both sides of the argument.