Power Supply Decision

I am currently contemplating between these two PSU (Corsair 750W and Corsair 1000W). Except that I noticed that they only have 1 or 2 12V rails, respectively. My friend has a CoolMaster 750W with 4 12V rails. From what I understand (and read), the more rails, the better. While I suspect the GPUs I wish to purchase (at a later date...$$$ issues) may require a 1000W PSU, the 750W is less than half the price.

My question is this: What is a good PSU to buy if I wish to OC a Phenom 9950 BE and have two large GPUs in Crossfire (such as two Ati Radeon HD 4870 x2 (2GB)'s) and as such I will need at multiple PCI-E 6-pins. I will be using a ASUS M3A79-T Deluxe Motherboard (supports 4xPCIe x16 2.0).


Thanks

EDIT: yes, I have read the stickies. the GPUs I am craving are not on the list so I wanted a professional opinion.

Phe0n1x said:

From what I understand (and read), the more rails, the better.

Click to expand...

It doesn't matter.
I'm pretty confident that Corsair TX750 should do the job, but on long term and if you're an OC-er I'd say that HX1000 or Signature 850 should be more suitable.

Welcome to the forums. :Welcome:

Please have a look at this article if you haven't already. It is very informative:
http://www.anandtech.com/casecoolingpsus/showdoc.aspx?i=3413


More rails does not translate into better PSU. There are quality single rail and quality quad rail PSU's the trick you are looking for is to know how to pick a quality PSU. That will have to be combined with finding a PSU is going to provide you with sufficient power, properly distributed amongst those rails and have the proper amount and configuration of PCIe connectors and amperage ratings to run your GFX cards while still leaving plenty of head room to power your HHDs, Pumps, Optical Drives etc.

In general, only the higher wattage PSU's will fulfill your requirements, since you will either need 4x6pin or 2x4/2x6pin to power those graphics cards.

To find some examples of good PSU's that will satisfy your needs, look here: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Review_Cat&recatnum=13

The HD4870X2's each consume 236W.

A 9950BE overclocked is in the upper 100s.

Go for the HX1000. With just two video cards and your CPU you are already hitting nearly 700W, even though the 750TX is a monster of a PSU, I think you'll enjoy the modular cabling of the HX1000. Be aware though, it's rather large.

Also, baditude is completely right about the single rail vs. quad rail. In fact, some overclockers swear by a single monster rail and others by quad rails. At the end of the day both are going to perform incredibly similar and should not be a comparison when you are looking at high end quality PSUs.

Newegg has a good deal on the BFG ES-800 at the moment too:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817702007

@baditude_df: Thank you

So it seems BFG's 800 should do the trick correct? Or would that be cutting it close just like the 750W? I mean, dropping $150 off the price would be pretty nice (after rebates). It would put me at $1000 instead of $1150.

PS: I probably won't OC the 9950 more than 3.0GHz, maybe 3.2 if I'm feeling lucky

EDIT: Antec's Signature 850 looks like it would work nicely, but it's almost the same price as the Corsair's 1000W :/

B4 you buy, compare the BFG with the Antec at the link I gave you. The dude that posted right before you was the one that did the reviews.

If you wish to spend the money, Antec's signature series would be the choice. However, the BFG-800ES is probably the best bang for the buck at that wattage.

yeah, the Antec is a bit better but for 50W I'm not sure twice the price is worth it :/

It is expensive but that is because the build quality is exceptional. The choice is there if you want it, but that does not mean other units are bad.

hmm, that's a valid point. I still have time to think about this. I'm going to hold off buying the parts until Thanksgiving Newegg sales