500w -- handle 2x 6870's?

T

T. Whatley

Weaksauce
Joined
Sep 8, 2011
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2 part question...

1. I currently have this 500w power supply powering the following:

Phenom II X4 945
4x DDR2 MEM
7200 RPM HDD
10000 RPM HDD
Radeon 6870

...and am looking to add another 6870 into the mix. Will the current psu be able to handle it?

2. If it can't handle it, are there any downfalls or damage that can be done if I go without upgrading the psu, other than the system not powering up/shutting down? Reason is, I'm not a hardcore gamer so pulling the 2nd 6870 and waiting a week or two for a new psu wouldn't kill me, so it just makes a little more fiscal sense to try and see first before dropping ~$100 for a better psu.
 
You're probably fine. Enermax makes good power supplies, and your system probably would only use 450 watts max under simultaneous LinX and Furmark, and in gaming probably won't even reach 350 watts with two 6870's.

If it can't power it, then the power supply will shut down due to either OCP (overcurrent protection) or OPP (overpower protection). It may also shorten the lifespan of the power supply, although this is fairly unlikely. As for any other potential damages, it is highly unlikely.
 
Appreciate the response... was the one I was hoping to see. Doesn't sound like it'll hurt to give it a go and re-assess the need for a beefier PSU afterwards.
 
Well, a premium 500W PSU will power a 6870 CFX without much trouble.. however, that's not the case here, the Liberty unit you linked is a pretty low end, somewhat overrated PSU, it delivers less 400W on the 12v rails continuously which is not enough for your intended upgrade.. you need a new PSU.
 
32A on the +12V rails is not what I would call enough for a Phenom II X4 and two 6870s.
 
Yeah, Xfire 6870's and a Phenom are spec'd to pull over 400W off the 12V rails; you're almost certainly going to trip the overcurrent sensors on your PSU at best, or blow out your system at worst.
 
1) No as everyone pointed out
2) Yes as bwang: The PSU could end up just dying and killing some or all of the parts in your PC due to high load and relatively low quality of that PSU.

So leave out that second HD 6870 till you get a new PSU. I recommend this as a replacement:
$85 - Corsair 650TX V2 650W PSU
 
Corsair skimped on connectors, hIs better off with the XFX variant as he won't need Molex to PCIe adapters for the second card.. otherwise, the EarthWatts 650W Green comes @ 50$ after rebate and is an equally solid unit.
 
The EA650 is a solid PSU - I had 2x470s running on mine (though it probably wasn't very healthy since I was running near full load)
 
That earthwatts seems like a decent deal. Those are seasonic internals arnt they? 650 watts for $50. The only thing that would point me to go with corsair is, they have a longer warranty. :p Of course, is 2 years more warranty worth $20, I dont know. At that price, it beats xfx 550/650 and corsair 650.
 
What you have should be ample enough to power your system. But I would upgrade it if you upgrade your system in the future.
 
Retsam said:
That earthwatts seems like a decent deal. Those are seasonic internals arnt they?
Click to expand...

No. All of the current Earthwatts Green PSUs are based on a mainstream Delta platform that generally offers a good balance between performance, quality and cost. In the case of the 650W (EA650D Green) unit, it has a combined +12V capacity of 54A (648W).
 
E4g1e said:
No. All of the current Earthwatts Green PSUs are based on a mainstream Delta platform that generally offers a good balance between performance, quality and cost. In the case of the 650W (EA650D Green) unit, it has a combined +12V capacity of 54A (648W).
Click to expand...

Yeah I looked it up after I asked the question and found it heh. Looks like a pretty solid PSU though. Tempting since I need one. You definitely wont find too many 80 Plus Bronze rated PSU's for $50 and below.
 
In terms of build quality, the EarthWatts 650 Green is superior to the Seasonic built Core 550/650 and TXv2 650, in other respects like regulation and output quality they trade blows.. however, to cut costs they didn't even include a power cord in the package and obviously there's no cable sleeve.
 
Since I used to run SLI 470s with a GoodPower 500w...I'd at least give it a try, but thats me.
 
I runned GTX470 and X6 on 450W Chieftec (Delta GPS inside) with 390W on 12V rail for few days ;)
So X4 and CF of 6870 should work on that Enermax (BTW someone in this thread said it's low quality psu which is completly not true - enermax is solid choice and one of trust worthy brands).

Imho it's safe to use it for limited time but for long term upgrade is advised.
 
How about better safe then sorry? ;)
I would rather save my money and get a PS that would easily power the system.
 
Danny Bui said:
$85 - Corsair 650TX V2 650W PSU
Click to expand...

i was just looking at that before posting this... that psu actually just popped up on the deal sites.. can be had for around 60 with rebate and promo code.

Profumo said:
Corsair skimped on connectors, hIs better off with the XFX variant as he won't need Molex to PCIe adapters for the second card.. otherwise, the EarthWatts 650W Green comes @ 50$ after rebate and is an equally solid unit.
Click to expand...

are you referring to this one? a few more bucks but it'd honestly be worth it to me to cut out a little adapter clutter.
 
Yeah, they are internally the same, but the XFX comes with 4x PCIe connectors while the Corsair with only two.. however, if you can live with adapters and without sleeved cables that Antec EA650D is a lot of PSU for 50$ and free shipping.
 
FYI, starting today newegg has a 10% off coupon for all corsair power supplies. This brings the corsair 650 tx v2 to closer to $62 or whatever it is. That makes it only 12 over the price of the antec now.
 
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