Question Question about a possible tight fit for gpu power on a multi rail PSU

[SteveGrabowski]

I have a BitFenix Formula 450W Gold which is supposed to be a pretty decent power supply capable of delivering its full power at 46C (per TomsHardware's review) and I just ordered an RX 6700 XT. However the psu has three +12V rails, that are each rated 25 amps. From Techpowerup's testing they show the 6700 XT I ordered (Powercolor Red Devil) spiking to 312W in Furmark but doesn't look like it spikes above 240W in their gaming tests. According to the Tom's Hardware review this psu trips OCP on the vga's +12V rail at 34.24A (so about 411W) which seems to be way above the Furmark spikes much less the spikes in their gaming tests. Should I be concerned about running this 6700 XT at the tested stock clocks on this psu? It would be paired with an i5-12400F on a B660 board. The psu has two 6+2 pin PCIE connectors so it makes me think they're not too worried about you using a 225W gpu on it.

Techpowerup's power consumption measurements for the specific card I ordered

PowerColor Radeon RX 6700 XT Red Devil Review

Red Devil is PowerColor's flagship design for the Radeon RX 6700 XT Series. In our testing, we saw excellent performance from the card's triple-slot, triple-fan cooler. It offers whisper-quiet acoustics and much better temperatures than the AMD reference design.

www.techpowerup.com

Review of this psu

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/bitfenix-bf450g-power-supply,5614.html

 

[mindless1]

Based on the info it should work, but I would not expect as long a further lifespan out of the PSU, as you'd have with equal quality, higher wattage PSU.

I like to have a spare PSU so if I were you and this is the only modern PSU you have, I'd replace it with a higher wattage PSU and keep the BitFenix as a spare, unless this isn't your main use system so you can accept downtime if you have to order and wait for a PSU delivery if that situation arises.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

Based on the info it should work, but I would not expect as long a further lifespan out of the PSU, as you'd have with equal quality, higher wattage PSU.

I like to have a spare PSU so if I were you and this is the only modern PSU you have, I'd replace it with a higher wattage PSU and keep the BitFenix as a spare, unless this isn't your main use system so you can accept downtime if you have to order and wait for a PSU delivery if that situation arises.

Thanks. I'll probably buy a larger but still quality PSU within the next few weeks, just don't really want to spend money this minute. I do have a spare 620W Antec Neo Eco 620C (based on the Seasonic S12II) but it's like 8 years old and I haven't even turned it on for maybe three years since getting the Formula 450 Gold. Bought that PSU back when midrange cards like the 970, 1060, and 1070 didn't use too much power and thought that would be a continuing trend haha and figured a 450W quality unit would be way more than enough. Will probably roll back the factory overclock to reference clocks just to be on the safe side until I replace the psu.

 

[mindless1]

If you mean the Neo Eco is 8 but only has 5 years use on it, I'd jumper it on with a minimum load (like an old HDD or whatever) to reform the capacitors for a few hours, then use it and keep the BitFenix as a backup.

I'm wondering why you replaced it with a lower wattage PSU unless you needed to keep a primary rig running while you built its replacement. I used to do that a lot, is another reason it's nice to have a spare PSU, case, etc.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

If you mean the Neo Eco is 8 but only has 5 years use on it, I'd jumper it on with a minimum load (like an old HDD or whatever) to reform the capacitors for a few hours, then use it and keep the BitFenix as a backup.

I'm wondering why you replaced it with a lower wattage PSU unless you needed to keep a primary rig running while you built its replacement. I used to do that a lot, is another reason it's nice to have a spare PSU, case, etc.

I just saw a really good deal on the Formula 450 Gold and mistakenly thought gpus were going to keep trending towards lower power consumption. Plus I figured I'd replace it before there were any problems.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

Based on the info it should work, but I would not expect as long a further lifespan out of the PSU, as you'd have with equal quality, higher wattage PSU.

I like to have a spare PSU so if I were you and this is the only modern PSU you have, I'd replace it with a higher wattage PSU and keep the BitFenix as a spare, unless this isn't your main use system so you can accept downtime if you have to order and wait for a PSU delivery if that situation arises.

After running a bunch of benches (Firestrike, Heaven, Time Spy, Valley) and playing Cyberpunk at 1440p and 4k the card seems to run 200-205W while holding boost clocks when at full load. Wonder if PowerColor gave the card a factory undervolt since reference is supposed to be around 220W in gaming. No problems running Heaven for 3 hours straight last night either.

 

[igor_kavinski]

No problems running Heaven for 3 hours straight last night either.

Do you feel bold enough to try Furmark?

By the way, Furmark proved useless for my stress testing. What destroyed my gaming rig was VR.

(sorry for repeating this tired old story over and over)

Pi Max VR utility running in the background. Launched Edge browser and GPU went nuts, fans at hyper speed. PC froze. Rebooted and RX 580 GPU didn't work anymore. Found out later that my Z77 mobo's PCIe lanes got fried. It pulled extra power through the PCIe slot.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

Do you feel bold enough to try Furmark?

By the way, Furmark proved useless for my stress testing. What destroyed my gaming rig was VR.

(sorry for repeating this tired old story over and over)

Pi Max VR utility running in the background. Launched Edge browser and GPU went nuts, fans at hyper speed. PC froze. Rebooted and RX 580 GPU didn't work anymore. Found out later that my Z77 mobo's PCIe lanes got fried. It pulled extra power through the PCIe slot.

Ouch. Nah I'm gonna pass on Furmark since it doesn't seem a realistic gaming load.