Is my PSU good enough?

B

bernaby

Limp Gawd
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Dec 9, 2012
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I am considering buying a GTX 780 Ti. It specifies a need for a power supply with at least 42 amps on the 12V rail. My power supply is an OCZ Mod Stream 700. It appears to have a split rail delivering 25 amps to each 12V plug. Do I need a new PSU?
 
OCZ never did make good power supplies really, but a true dual rail design would mean at best you have 50a to use, which sounds about right for a 700w unit. 780Ti uses ~300w max pushed as hard as it can be pushed with an average use ~235-250w depending. So that is 25a or less on the 12v rail, granted everything else in the system can and usually does use 12v as well. Provided they made the pci-e cable hook onto different rails, you should be fine.

If you have the cash for a 780Ti might as well get a good power supply that you know for a fact can power it. Any Seasonic or similar based 650w power supply is fine, for single card use 50a available is ample, difference in quality or just raw numbers, you might have got a decent made one with that psu but OCZ has been known to skimp on proper components after a certain time period yet still charge the same but not drop the ratings.
 
I sure don't want to fry my system due to not enough power for the components. The unit is 2 or 3 years old now.
 
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Ive never heard anything good about OCZ power supplies... Id for sure try for a new one thats very beefy... I was taught long ago never go cheap on two things.. power supply and motherboard.. It has never let me down.
 
a gold or silver rated psu from any decent current maker, Seasonic, Corsair, Silverstone, Antec, XFX(Core and XXX) EVGA there is numerous makers that are tier 1 and 2 makers of consumer power supplies. Anything that can provided minimum of 32a 12v continuous is fine, no need to go overkill. 850+ is overkill(single card for most systems) 750 gives lots of room, 650 perfect, 550 or so minimum.

Generally ~5-10% degradation per year they state as electronics do get old if stressed or not often enough.

Pick a budget then go from there, there really is many to choose from without breaking the bank or getting low quality stuff, when you are talking something very high end like a 780Ti but in another breath say putting it on an OCZ power supply it makes many cringe LOL. Considering the rest of your system, hey if you do get a good 650-750 then you could turn that 6950 in a miner :)
 
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2009/03/03/ocz_modxstream_pro_700w_40c_update/#.Up64ZJp3sgc

This is the best review I have seen of this unit, the rest just rate it as more or less dismal, is quite low end build quality and components selection so, I think you would be taking your chances loading it to its rated capacity, however I believe there should be some room, 2 rails provided they are properly separated 50a over both 25a per if the card can chew ~25a+/- that is still at least another 12a or so available for everything which is decent, provided you don't overclock like crazy or have 20 hard drives :p

I would still get a different one though for sure, something actually made by a decent PSU maker and not a knock off bottom of the barrel cost cutting measure maker.
 
I'm looking at a Seasonic X750. That ought to do it. Thing is, my 6970 draws almost the same wattage as the 780ti. Its a difference of 20 watts. But then again the OCZ might explain why I was never able to overclock the 6970 worth a damn.
 
The fact it's a 6970 is the reason you couldn't overclocked your 6970 worth a damn. They don't clock for shit. Ocz psu aren't great, x750 is. I'd go for it. Even a 750tx or higher from corsair will treat u quite well.
 
Just a little data point, I'm running two reference EVGA 780Ti cards set at 1208 boost clock/7600 RAM, +0.37mV with a Corsair AX860i and the rest of the rig in my signature.

According to Corsair Link, I'm only using 640W (660 from the wall) doing an AIDA64 CPU/RAM stress test while at the same time running Unengine Valley at 1440p/Ultra/8x AA in SLI.

Logging while playing BF4 1440p Ultra and 150% Resolution Scale, same overclocks, I never saw over 510W, once again this is in SLI.

Then again, the 860i is a damned efficient and clean power supply, YMMV using a lesser unit.
 
Although the two that I've had never developed any problems in the short terms that I had them, I wouldn't trust that or any OCZ power supply, no matter its efficiency rating.
 
x760 is a hell of a power supply though there is many to choose from that have this caliber, as far as the 6970 not clocking worth shit, cause its a 6970 LOL, there is many that clock VERY well, the psu does matter to supply enough power or whatever, but its the card that allows the overclock not the psu provided it is giving enough power or well it will just shutdown or whatever.
 
HX/AX/RM series from Corsair, XFX XXX and Core editions, Antec HCP to name some other options.
 
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