How manny watts (Psu) do I need for my Build

[ZeeTech]

I am currently building a Computer build, and all is left is the power supply.
And I was reffering to the Power Supply calculator until I read that its not accurate.
So I will ask you the Computer Gurus, to tell your estimations of how many watts I'm using
and Your Recommendations of how many watts of Power Supply.
My build:
Cpu: Amd fx-8350
Cpu cooler:H80i liquid Cpu cooler
Motherboard:AsRock 970 extreme 3
Ram:G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Hdd:Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Ssd:Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Optical drive:Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer
Video card:Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Tri-X Toxic Video Card
Additional Case fans: Two Cooler master Sickleflows
Case:Cooler Master N600 Windowed ATX Mid Tower Case

I have a 550 watt Psu from my old build, is it enough?

 

[Ranulf]

Given the AT review here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7406/the-sapphire-r9-280x-toxic-review/4

and the specs on the Sapphire website, I'd say their recommendation of a 750w psu is a good one.

 

[richaron]

550W is a bit too small to be safe, even brand new from a good quality manufacturer. It will probably work of course, but you'll be running without much of a safety margin.

As above, I'd go crank it up a couple of notches.

 

[ZeeTech]

600w? Is it enough?
Because I will not be upgrading in 2 years, and I will be not over clocking it even a bit.

 

[ZeeTech]

Given the AT review here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7406/the-sapphire-r9-280x-toxic-review/4

and the specs on the Sapphire website, I'd say their recommendation of a 750w psu is a good one.

750 powersupply is overkill, dont you think?

Even the Power supply calculator recommends less than that.

 

[Deders]

If you're not overclocking 600 should be enough.

 

[ZeeTech]

If you're not overclocking 600 should be enough.

550? I Know it is risky, but is it enough?
Because I dont want to buy another power supply if not trully needed.

 

[Deders]

Possibly, what model do you have exactly?
Ideally you want your psu supplying about half the wattage it is rated for as it is usually most efficient between 40%-60%, plus if you run components too hot, the shorter lifespan they have. Aparrntly every 10c increase in temps halves the lifespan of electronics. So obviously the closer to the limit a psu is working, the hotter it gets.

 

[ZeeTech]

Possibly, what model do you have exactly?
Ideally you want your psu supplying about half the wattage it id rated for as it is usually most efficient between 40%-60%, plus if you run components to hot, the shorter lifespan they have. Aparrntly every 10c increase in temps halves the lifespan of electronics. So obviously the closer to the limit a psu is working, the hotter it gets.

I have a Thermaltake SMART Series SP-550PCBUS 550W ATX 12V 2.3 SLI CrossFire 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
to be exact

 

[Deders]

Possibly, what model do you have exactly?
Ideally you want your psu supplying about half the wattage it id rated for as it is usually most efficient between 40%-60%, plus if you run components to hot, the shorter lifespan they have. Aparently every 10c increase in temps halves the lifespan of electronics. So obviously the closer to the limit a psu is working, the hotter it gets.

 

[ZeeTech]

Possibly, what model do you have exactly?
Ideally you want your psu supplying about half the wattage it id rated for as it is usually most efficient between 40%-60%, plus if you run components to hot, the shorter lifespan they have. Aparently every 10c increase in temps halves the lifespan of electronics. So obviously the closer to the limit a psu is working, the hotter it gets.

I have a Thermaltake SMART Series SP-550PCBUS 550W ATX 12V 2.3 SLI CrossFire 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supplyto be exact

 

[ZeeTech]

Sorry connection error

 

[Ranulf]

750 powersupply is overkill, dont you think?

Even the Power supply calculator recommends less than that.

Oh, its definately playing it safe but look at the power load numbers in the anandtech review. 600w would probably be ok. I prefer to give myself some wiggle room for future additions or transfer to a new system down the road.

 

[ZeeTech]

So the conclusion is 550 would probably work , but its risky.
And 750 is playing safe
And 600 is the sweet spot.
Am I right friends?

 

[Deders]

You basically have 500w of 12v power at your disposal. This will mostly consist of cpu and gpu power. Basically make sure you have some overhead to spare. I'd day at least 100w.

I upgraded from a 670 that demanded about half what my psu could supply, to a 780 that leaves me with about 100w, but then my psu i'd rated to run at 50c, yours is rated for 40c.

 

[ZeeTech]

Okay, thanks for evetything.
You guys really helped me out for my first thread in this site.
I've already decided that I would buy a brand new power supply.
You guys can recommend which brand if you want.

Thanks again.

 

[Ranulf]

One of the best places for psu info/reviews is http://www.jonnyguru.com/

I've been partial to corsair over the past few years but I currently use seasonic and evga ones as well.

 

[TemjinGold]

Wait, you guys realize that Anand review says the WHOLE SYSTEM even under FURMARK (which is much higher than the OP will ever use in normal use) is only 360 watts, right? That's not the card alone. That is the whole system. A quality 550w is more than enough and already includes lots of wiggle.

 

[ZeeTech]

Wait, you guys realize that Anand review says the WHOLE SYSTEM even under FURMARK (which is much higher than the OP will ever use in normal use) is only 360 watts, right? That's not the card alone. That is the whole system. A quality 550w is more than enough and already includes lots of wiggle.

Is it safe?

 

[richaron]

Wait, you guys realize that Anand review says the WHOLE SYSTEM even under FURMARK (which is much higher than the OP will ever use in normal use) is only 360 watts, right? That's not the card alone. That is the whole system. A quality 550w is more than enough and already includes lots of wiggle.

This is 469W (at the wall but in a different system).

I take "normal use" into account when considering efficiency. But to spec a PSU you look at maximum system power. Then you consider power draw isn't a nice flat line, it spikes well above what's usually measured. Then you add a bit for a few years aging and/or more system devices. Then you add your safety margin.

So...

550W is a bit too small to be safe, even brand new from a good quality manufacturer. It will probably work of course, but you'll be running without much of a safety margin.

Edit: If you were really against buying another PSU, or if you were concerned with efficiency, you could of course change the clocks on the GPU back to more sane levels. Maybe undervolt the CPU a touch as well.

 

[coffeejunkee]

So...don't run Furmark with this card. 100W extra for looking at a furry donut is just insane.

Under Metro power use is 340W. That 550W Thermaltake psu is made by CWT so far from complete crap. Should be able to do the job.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

100W extra for looking at a furry donut is just insane.

LOL. Some benchmarks are power hogs and not really representative of real world conditions.

The 8350 can draw alot of juice though system total power consumption around 200w

For the load testing in Metro LL we probably need to add around 50 watts to equate for the difference in FX-8350 vs the i7-4960X used for the following test:

Still seems like the 550 watt PSU would do the job.

 

[DigDog]

can we put things in perspective for a second?

the man has a tri-x, he can surely afford to spend TEN BUCKS more on a good psu.

EVGA has a great 750w unit which will handle 500w for ten years while emitting zero noise and zero heat, all the while keeping a 92% efficency.

i think thats worth the few $$ more it costs, also considering a possible upgrade path later on.

 

[coffeejunkee]

Because I dont want to buy another power supply if not trully needed.

Assuming you mean the SuperNova 750 G2: yep good psu, but also costs $120 so I'm not sure what you mean by 'ten bucks'.

Point is, his current psu should be able to do the job. It provides 500W on the 12V line. It will probably be noisy, but it won't kill his pc or burn the house down.

If OP does decide to run Prime95 and Furmark at the same time and his pc shuts down: it's probably the psu.

 

[temp4]

500 watts should be enough.