PSU to go with HD4850?

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DaSwede1127

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I am upgrading my video card from an Nvidia 8800 GTS 320MB to an ATI HD4850 1Gig (Link), but I don't think my cheap little 400W power supply can stand it. PLUS, I'd like to run a Crossfire configuration sometime in the near future, so I'd need a new PSU anyways. This is the PSU that I am looking at OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI 700W ATX12V. Will this PSU adequately power 2 HD4850s as well as an overclocked CPU and 1 SATA drive?
 
The corsairs are great PSUS you can grab a 750 to be a bit more future proof. I was deciding for an upgrade for my 520ocz which couldn't handle mu OC and a 9800gtx. My final choice was corsair 750 and Zalman 850 picked the zalman because of a great deal @theegg. I build a system for a friend 2 weeks later with the 750 and its a great psu and even smaller than my old OCZ was. The zalman is HUUUGE!
 
I am on a pretty tight budget and the Corsair is an extra $40. As long as the OCZ will work with a Crossfire setup in the future with a very mild CPU over clock, I'll be very happy.
 
I'd work my way up to the top with a 700 or 750Watt decent brand psu. It will not give you good power delieverence but also it will give you some headroom for more upgrades and add-ons for your pc.

I recommend a Silverstone 750watt or Corsair 700Watt psu! If money is not your problem and you want to go crossfire later on, why not get a OCZ Extreme 800Watt psu??
 
A quality 550W PSU or better is recommended for 4850 in CF. The Corsair 550VX is a good choice on a budget. I'm using the 450VX to power a single 4850 plus overclocked Phenom CPU. It would most likely power a second 4850 without issue, but the high loading would mean the PSU would run hotter, making the fan louder and potentially shortening the life span of the PSU. So getting an overpowered PSU is a good idea for a quieter system.

Getting a too powerful PSU isn't always a good idea, however. Many PSUs only reach peak efficiency once a certain load is reached.

Don't get the Corsair TX750W as it's built by CWT. Get the Seasonic-built TX650W instead, much better build quality and better performance. Your system won't use the extra 100W anyway.
 
Great recommendations, but my budget can really only stretch to $260 which has to include the video card and the PSU. The OCZ I linked above is $59.99 after rebates which is doable. So as long as I can run a mild OC on my CPU and 1 HD4850 1Gig card AND in the future the PSU can support a non-OC CPU and 2 HD4850 1Gig cards, I'll be happy. SO will the OCZ I linked above support this or is it a must for me to get a better PSU?
 
DaSwede1127 said:
This is the PSU that I am looking at OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI 700W ATX12V. Will this PSU adequately power 2 HD4850s as well as an overclocked CPU and 1 SATA drive?
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DaSwede1127 said:
SO will the OCZ I linked above support this or is it a must for me to get a better PSU?
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Don't waste your money on that OCZ GameXStream. It's based off the FSP Episilon PSU design which has out of spec ripple, or voltage fluctuations, at high loads that can damage or kill your system. Granted, you may not reach such high loads but why pay for a PSU that can kill your system?

The Corsair 650TX, 750TX, or Corsair 550VX should be enough for HD4850 CF. But just to make sure, what the specs of the rest of your system? Also, what size monitor do you have? You might not even need the 1GB version of the HD4850 or even Crossfire depending on the size of your monitor
 
Danny Bui said:
Don't waste your money on that OCZ GameXStream. It's based off the FSP Episilon PSU design which has out of spec ripple, or voltage fluctuations, at high loads that can damage or kill your system. Granted, you may not reach such high loads but why pay for a PSU that can kill your system?

The Corsair 650TX, 750TX, or Corsair 550VX should be enough for HD4850 CF. But just to make sure, what the specs of the rest of your system?
Click to expand...

Here are my system specs:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 Allendale 1.8GHz LGA 775 65W (overclocked to 3.0GHz)
Mother Board: GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 (rev. 1.3) LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX
Power Supply: FSP Group SAGA+ 450R 450W ATX12V
RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel
OS: Windows Vista Business Edition 64-Bit

The only budget left after my video card purchase is around ~$60, which is why the OCZ made sense.
 
Umm, dude, the GA-P965-DS3 does not support Crossfire. So no point in planning for Crossfire with your setup. Oh and I edited my post with a monitor question. Oh and don't count the after rebate price until you have that rebate check in hand. Rebates are not 100% guaranteed as they can be rejected, lost or completely ignored.
 
Maximum combined load at 12V for the OCZ700GXSSLI appears to be 50A which is more than enough for an overclocked CPU and two 4850 cards :) The 550VX, despite the lower wattage, gives you 41A on a single, easy to manage 12V rail which is better than four 12V rails at 18A, IMO. The build quality is also excellent, the Seasonic units are built like tanks. But either PSU would be fine for your setup and planned upgrades.
 
Danny Bui said:
Umm, dude, the GA-P965-DS3 does not support Crossfire. So no point in planning for Crossfire with your setup. Oh and I edited my post with a monitor question. Oh and don't count the after rebate price until you have that rebate check in hand. Rebates are not 100% guaranteed as they can be rejected, lost or completely ignored.
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Yes I know. I am going to upgrade my mother board, CPU, and add a video card in about a year, so I'd like to buy one PSU now and not buy another in a year.

EDIT: right now I'm on a 19", but that will be upgraded to a 22" at x-mas so I can run a dual monitor set up.
 
For a 22" monitor, Crossfire is pretty much overkill. Now if you had a 24" monitor, then CF would make sense. But for a 22" monitor at 1680x1050, CF is unnecessary

EDIT:
@JimmiG:
The GameXStream actually has 56A on the +12V rail. However it cannot provide 56A on the +12V rail without having out of spec ripple. It can only output about 500W of power safely and cleanly and not near ripple limitations.
 
Danny Bui said:
For a 22" monitor, Crossfire is pretty much overkill. Now if you had a 24" monitor, then CF would make sense. But for a 22" monitor at 1680x1050, CF is unnecessary
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It's not set in stone about the size of the monitor, and the bigger the better. 24" might be better at that time, who knows, depends on what deals are going on. So if I had a 24" monitor, go with that.

PS It's hard to plan for upgrades in a long term. :)
 
OK then.

Well, I recommend splurging on the Corsair 750TX, which can be had for $100 these day. It is more than enough for a HD4850CF setup and whatever future mobo and CPU you get. To fit the Corsair 750TX inside your budget, just drop down to the HD4850 512MB version which can be had for $160 these days.

But just avoid that OCZ PSU at all costs. Total waste of money for a 700W PSU that can only provide 500W of power without getting crazy ripple on the +12V rail.
 
The Corsair 650TX is a good choice as well. I only recommended the 750TX since its the same price as the 650TX at other stores. But if you're stuck with newegg, then yes the 650TX will work as well. With that said, another option if you don't care for rebates is this PSU:
Antec NeoPower 650 650W Modular PSU - $75
 
Thanks! You've been a HUGE help. Now I can do some more price checking and make an informed decision. Thank you yet again!
 
DaSwede1127 said:
Forgot to ask, what other stores?
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If you had clicked on the 750TX link, you would have found out about buy.com. Other stores to check out:
zipzoomfly.com
amazon.com
provantage.com
buy.com
 
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