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- Dec 22, 2010
Right now I have a 850w 80+ silver cert PSU. Would that be able to drive a 280x or if I upgrade the GPU do I need to upgrade my PSU too?
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I just got two R9 280x's so I did some researching.
AMD recommends a 750W PS for one 280x. They want a 1000W for two in crossfire. From what others have written from the folding team is that a good quality 750W power supply works fine for two 280X's in crossfire as read from a kilo-watt at the wall.
Right now I have a 750W 80+ Silver running my 280x, core i7, 24 GB RAM, etc. and I don't have a bit of problem. Of course, the 750 is within spec.
My personal hunch is that the recommended wattage is for an average cheap power supply that puts out less than the stated/claimed wattage.
I think in this case I might have to rethink the PSU I have myself. Unfortunately (as some people here would say) I bought a Raidmax 630 watt. It's been doing fine so far, but they say Raidmax isn't known for their quality, so I'm going to have to probably invest in something new sometime these next few checks.
A good power supply (PS) really is a must. It's not sexy by any means. A good PS will protect your expensive gear by giving the machine clean power. A good PS will provide near or at the level advertised. Make sure to buy a good brand name that is actually certified. ~ $90 or less USD is typical for a 80+ Bronze. 80+ Silver/Gold/Platinum each cost more but provide more power per $ and less heat. E.G. a cheap 70% efficient PS will put .70$ in DC power and .30$ in heat. An 80+ Platinum will do ~.92$ in power and .08$ in heat. Less heat is a good thing too.
New PSU time. Raidmax makes many garbage units. I'm not aware of them making any good units.