lowest wattage PSU that could power a system

[cmdrdredd]

If I took the system in my sig and did SLI GTX 670s, what is the lowest wattage PSU I should consider? I tried the PSU calculator but it doesn't list the GTX 670 and I'm not 100% sure how close to the GTX 680 it is and lets say the videocards were overclocked too. The calculator doesn't account for that but it recommended 800w. This sound right?


I know I wouldn't need 1000w of course. I bought more than I needed when I built, but since this isn't for me I'm not going to go overboard. I'd probably stick with Corsair or Seasonic as I am very familiar with them and confident in their quality.

I'm kind of out of the loop on PSU tech lately, having more than I need for myself I haven't been looking so I don't know who is building what units for each vender. Is corsair build by seasonic still or do they have different OEMs for their different lines (their new AX line is unfamiliar to me).

 

[Zap]

It would potentially run on a top notch 650W PSU.

Corsair has always had different OEMs. AFAIK they were never "Seasonic only."

AnandTech Bench gaming power draw

The power draw from the wall for a system with two GTX 680 in SLI is 536W.

Since a single GTX 670 draws 45W less than a single GTX 680, let's extrapolate by subtracting 90W from the GTX 680 SLI wattage, giving us 446W from the wall.

Hmmm, doesn't quite sound right, but might be in the ballpark. Consider that a system with a single GTX 690 draws 473W, and the clockspeeds are similar.

Just find a decent quality PSU that has the requisite four PCIe power plugs.

 

[lehtv]

A Corsair/Seasonic/similar 650W will run it fine. During gaming, an Ivy + 670 SLI system typically consumes 400W DC or so.

Just find a decent quality PSU that has the requisite four PCIe power plugs.

This is good advice. Any PSU from a reputable manufacturer which has the required connectors will run it. That said, most 650W units, excepting XFX 650w and Seasonic X650, have only two connectors even if they're powerful enough, so you might just go for 750W to avoid having to use adapters.

 

[Zap]

Corsair AX650 and HX650 have four.
FSP Aurum Gold 650 has four.
Seasonic M12II 650 has four.
Rosewill Capstone 650 and 650M have four.

I think there are also a couple of super expensive options, but at that point may as well buy a cheaper and higher wattage model.

This $20 AR PSU also has four but I would not recommend it. D:

More choices open up once you hit 700-750W. At the lower 650W, seems as if only the PSUs that are usually considered top notch in quality support 4 PCIe plugs.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Ok, so 750w would give a bit of headroom it seems for later. Thanks.

 

[ElFenix]

based on bench, it seems a high quality 500W would be at <80% capacity for dual 670s.