Hi guys I'm planning on getting a Sapphire R9 280X later this month and it says it requires a 750w power supply? Is this correct? I found it a lil bit odd so I decided to come here and ask you guys for some help. I currently own a Corsair GS 700w PSU, and I do not intend to replace my PSu soon.
I'd imagine a suggestion like that is complete nonsense. The thing is, everyone wants fast for cheap and since a psu won't make you fast the layman will purchase an inexpensive unit. Inexpensive units to not live up to expectation in most cases, thus the exorbitant suggestion of a 750w psu. ..just a stab in the dark. p.s. I would run 7970's in xfire without blinking with my current psu. It's all about quality.
Its on the Sapphire website http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentation/product/?cid=1&gid=3&sgid=1227&pid=2022&psn=&lid=1&leg=0# If I was not supposed to post link here I'm sorry. I did find this odd considering its a single card. For instance, on the Gigabyte website for the same card it says 600w PSU requirement.
lol, it's all about quality but lets not exaggerate that much. You surely have a $170 550W PSU but two 7970 CF=500W peak, lets say 80W for HDDs/fans/motherboard and 100W for the CPU. How would that work for you? It is conceivable that 650 watts of continuous loading is safe for the unit but hey, 500+80+100=680W, probably too risky i would say. But hey, it's yours to do what you want.
nah, you wouldn't. 45.5A on the +12v rail. Yeah I guess you could, if you kept everything at stock, but then you're limiting yourself big time in performance. a good overclock on a 7970 (talking around 1200/1600 or above) will draw a lot of power.
there is an easy way to figure out if your power supply is good enough... A gpu can use no more than 300w max. Unless you have a super overclock and are running furmark or intense compute apps you will NEVER get to 300w with an otherwise properly functioning card. Typical tdp of a cpu is between 77-125 watts for high end cpus from amd and intel. server cpus from intel can get up to 140ish and the obnoxious fx9000 series from amd can sit at 225w tdp. but chalk those off the list for now. tdp is the absolute max something can draw under normal usage scenarios. cpu+gpu maxes=377-425+ around 10-25% tops for other components chipsets, drives, fans, sound cards or other pci devices = 471-531.25w TOPS ANY decent 550 watt power supply or higher will support ANY cpu/single gpu setup. Providing there are enough amps on the +12v rail(s). Ideally I always go for a power supply with a single strong +12v rail it makes high amperage a sure thing. amps+volts=watts. when i got my corsair tx650 im using back in maybe 2006-2007ish i only got the 650 because it was 3$ more than the 550.
As said above, your PSU will be fine, im running an overclocked 7970 on a 550w PSU, and welcome to the forums Dumaw
It's OK to link. Jeez you weren't kidding, Sapphire have gone insane; Crazy stuff.... lol They prob just covering their asses from the people who buy $30 PSU's....
I'm glad you guys are so sharp. Really, I was just trying to make a point but your points are certainly valid. I don't have another card to test it with, but I'd surely do it with confidence. Just not with 1200MHz core clocks.. Stock for sure.
Just installed a little 450W (Silverstone ST45SF 450W) in my mates PC which is running a 2600K OC and the 280X without a problem. This is a good quality little guy. My general rule of thumb for PSU is if it's not reviewed and reviewed well on JonnyGuru don't get it I had a cheap 750W Corsair PSU that cooked some kit a while back and from then on its been good component PSU only. So good 450W plus will be fine for what you want.
I think some of these manufacturers list overkill wattage requirements because they assume the average PC user is not buying a top of the line modular PSU with XXX amount of continuous power. So if a card really requires a good 400W PSU (whole system included), the manufacturer might say it requires 550W, just to be on the safe side for the general consumer! Then a run of the mill cheapo "550W" PSU could run it w/absolutely no problem. On a 550W? You would start blinking when your PSU sets fire to your entire PC from overloading it with two 7970's lol. You may not want to go by this guys advice OP.
^^There's no card that can draw even close to 400W. Yep. They put that stuff there because people go out any buy those pingpong PSU's with inflated wattage ratings because they think that bigger wattage number is better.