AMD 6xxx crossfire PSUs

[Zyon]

Looking for some ideas on a future-proof PSU that can handle crossfireX (I do have a P67A-UD3R afterall) and potentially future ones, looking at something around 750-1000W, and feel free to comment on what to get and what to avoid, if you suggest Leadman Echostar I'll stab you to death with my pair of trusty DDR2 Elixirs

The more ideas the merrier

 

[Fourstaff]

Uhhh, are you going for 69xx or 68xx series? Corsair 750w is always a good place to start with, Antec, OCZ, some Coolermaster ones are also good. If you are crossfiring the 68xx cards, 600w is probably enough. What to avoid? general no-brand cheap ass psus, and its best that there is a favourable review by a legit website before you buy any psu out there.

 

[Rowsol]

Antec is usually the cheapest of the quality PSU's. 650w for 68xx, 750w for 69xx crossfire.

 

[manofthem]

Corsair TX750 ran 2 6950's without a problem with a mild OC of 840/1325 each and unlocked shaders

 

[Lionheart]

Corsair TX750 ran 2 6950's without a problem with a mild OC of 840/1325 each and unlocked shaders

Nice bro, just wanted to know, are you using MSI afterburner and did you leave your voltage at 1100?

And Zyon, I agree with the other guys with the PSU's

 

[bbmarley]

should check out XFX psu

 

[manofthem]

Nice bro, just wanted to know, are you using MSI afterburner and did you leave your voltage at 1100?

And Zyon, I agree with the other guys with the PSU's

I used MSI AB for a fan curve and OC, but I left the voltage alone at 1.1v. CCC would have done the same OC but with terrible fan control. Since I got my 1000HX, I've OC'd to 900/1375@1.175v is MSIAB.

 

[Zyon]

Suggestions of recommended brands? I only know Antec Thermaltake Seasonic etc, some guys working in those computer parts shop say Coolermaster ones suck, and each of the 'well known' brands also have one or two products that people say to avoid, choosing one is tough =/

I was thinking of Thermaltake toughpower series, any others?

 

[erocker]

Budget? What cards in particular do you plan on CrossFiring?

 

[Zyon]

If budget allows me I'll try for 69xx otherwise 68xx but more likely 6950.

 

[Fourstaff]

Come up with a list of PSU you can buy, and based on the price we will choose one for you.

 

[Zyon]

Good question, to be honest I don't think budget is that much of an issue since I'll be spending at least ~$300 on one card first which is already a lot, what could I get around $100-300 and is reputed to be reliable?

Another question, does using say 800W PSU make your electricity bill higher (than my current 450W) or only when the computer parts require that much say max detail gaming?

 

[Fourstaff]

Another question, does using say 800W PSU make your electricity bill higher (than my current 450W) or only when the computer parts require that much say max detail gaming?

If your computer pulls 400w, a 450w psu will e more efficient than a 800w, so you could say that the 800w will make your electricity bill higher than the 450w one. However, the difference is usually very small (much less than 5%?), and you will not notice it in your bill.

 

[cheesy999]

Good question, to be honest I don't think budget is that much of an issue since I'll be spending at least ~$300 on one card first which is already a lot, what could I get around $100-300 and is reputed to be reliable?

Another question, does using say 800W PSU make your electricity bill higher (than my current 450W) or only when the computer parts require that much say max detail gaming?

no, the psu will only provide the power your computer is using and nothing more, thanks to the laws of physics the only difference will be the energy efficiency, this varies by about 0.5% depending on where you are on the efficency curve however high wattage psu's tend to have higher efficency ratings anyway so it dosn't matter

Reliable PSU
this is TPU's own guide http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39758

 

[Zyon]

The guide is spot on! Even with so many reading and all

One thing bothers me though, the power supply calculator thinks 2x 6950 recommended is ~550W, I am well aware that 550W will screw up with hardware so yeah I'll see what 750-1000W is in stock from the shops.

Many thanks for everyone especially cheesy999.

 

[BababooeyHTJ]

I've been running 6950 crossfire on a Seasonice X650 gold. I was just running Serious Sam HD and my rig seemed to top out at about 480w according to my ups with my cards clocked to 900/1350 and the cpu at 4ghz. At the same clocks with three threads of Linx running and gputool in fullscreen scanning for artifacts I see not too much over 500w. Keep in mind these readings include my 28" monitor and is at the wall so it does not factor in efficiency.

 

[mastrdrver]

I ran a 955 BE with 1.4v on core and cpu-nb on a 790FXT-UD5P with two 5870s on a Antec Neopower 650w. No problems.

Of course you can't do that with the stock cables as I had to borrow some PCIe 6-pin cables from my 550w Neopower but a good 650w should be plenty enough (key word here being good). Something Corsair, Antec, Enermax (Lepa), and Seasonic are some. Enermax and Seasonic are OEMs and can be found under different labels but are hit and miss.

 

[bostonbuddy]

If you watch newegg you should be able to find a good 1000w psu for cheap, how I got mine for under $120

 

[Zyon]

One fatal error: newegg doesn't ship to Australia

 

[Frizz]

750watt seasonic gold x-series here, so far I've been able to overclock my GPUs to 970/1375 1.3volts with my CPU at 5ghz.

If you wanna future proof I'd recommend getting a decent 1000watter though.

AKA:

Enermax
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_290&products_id=15598

Corsair
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_354&products_id=6887

CM
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_220&products_id=14863

I'd personally go Enermax > CM > Corsair

 

[BababooeyHTJ]

A 750w psu is more than enough for most people. Like I said I'm running 6950 crossfire on a 650w psu right now. Any quality manufacturer advertises the rms rating of their power supply.

 

[mastrdrver]

750watt seasonic gold x-series here, so far I've been able to overclock my GPUs to 970/1375 1.3volts with my CPU at 5ghz.

If you wanna future proof I'd recommend getting a decent 1000watter though.

1000w is waaaaaay overkill on anything short of some triple SLI/Crossfire/water cooling setup (even trifire doesn't even push more then 700w outside of Furmark). It wasn't until Fermi came out that we even saw two GPU systems using anything close to 1kw.

700w max for what Zyon is doing, 800w to be comfortable but even that is really on the end of too much. I got my Enermax on a really good deal, but I also thought I needed more then I did. I'd rather have something closer to 800w just to be a little more efficient and also I could fit another fan on the bottom of my HAF to blow air up in to the GPUs. The 1050w 85+ is a little longer then an ATX spec psu and thus overhangs enough to block a 120mm fan on the bottom.