ax1200i 4 gtx 980 g1's?
- Thread starter matthewa
- Start date
Doomslayer
New member
PSU calc might be your best bet to start 
Dark NighT
New member
I see dream pc and immediately think of some obscure over the top gaming machine, if so please dont waste your money on quad sli, or the 2011 stuff 
Kaapstad
New member
The Corsair AX1200i is one of the worst PSUs you can get and I think the OP could have problems.
Even the 1500i is cutting it a bit fine for 4 GPUs but may be just enough.
I use the 1200i myself (I have got 4 of them) and have found a 3970X and 3 x 290Xs when overclocked could flatten a single unit very easily so I have to use dual PSUs in my quadfired 290X system.
I also blew up a 1200i the other day (I think it was a dud) in my 980 x 4 system and all I had connected to it was the 5960X and two of the cards, the other two cards were on the other PSU.
OP if you go quad SLI with these cards for long term use and system stability water cooling is a must. Also if you use G1 cards I would be surprised if you can even get it to run on air as the coolers will toast everything in Quad SLI.
Even the 1500i is cutting it a bit fine for 4 GPUs but may be just enough.
I use the 1200i myself (I have got 4 of them) and have found a 3970X and 3 x 290Xs when overclocked could flatten a single unit very easily so I have to use dual PSUs in my quadfired 290X system.
I also blew up a 1200i the other day (I think it was a dud) in my 980 x 4 system and all I had connected to it was the 5960X and two of the cards, the other two cards were on the other PSU.
OP if you go quad SLI with these cards for long term use and system stability water cooling is a must. Also if you use G1 cards I would be surprised if you can even get it to run on air as the coolers will toast everything in Quad SLI.
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You do realize with 4 290x the 1200i would already almost be at its limit the 290x's can use up to 300W, then there is the 3970x which can use around 150W, I do not know what your processor is running at so that number is an estimate based on TDP. There is quite literally no power to go around to your other components considering you are already using almost 1200W with the GPU's alone
Granted your 290x's probably wouldnt be using 300W, though the wattage isnt all that counts.
OP's desired system would only be using ~1000W worst case scenario.
Granted your 290x's probably wouldnt be using 300W, though the wattage isnt all that counts.
OP's desired system would only be using ~1000W worst case scenario.
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Wattage wise you couldnt be more wrong tbh - its only the cables that make things complicated
Quad SLI is just a Giant n000b badge tbh - its about benching and people that think they need to spend loads of money.
Well if your gonna dream, dream big right? Though I am quite pleased with my tri-sli setup, scaling is decent in the games I play. I do not like that its only 4GB and on a 256-bit bus too.
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Sometimes chucking money at a problem just creates more problems....
Sorry what I was implying was that a dream is meant to be something big or something like that haha, cant explain it myself. Absurd sounds like a good one ^_^
Kaapstad
New member
Average power consumption on the 980s is very good but they also have very high spikes in power use, using 4 and an overclocked CPU stand a very good chance of knocking a Corsair 1200i over.
You need specialised equipment to measure the power spikes on the 980s but when tested the peaks are no better than the old kepler cards and in some cases are getting close to the 290 series. What the new Maxwell architecture allows the cards to do is save a lot of power when the cards are not under maximum load.
I do agree that quad 980s is about benching @1080p (I will post some scores when I have watercooled mine) and for gaming at ultra high resolutions there are faster/cheaper options out there. The 8gb 290Xs in multi GPU combinations are a serious contender for this.
4 x G1 980s would be a Giant n000b badge as I hinted at earlier unless you can get water blocks for them.
Tom is right on this as using 4 cards means a lot more to consider than just installing them.
Watercooling is a must
The right case with at least 8 expansion slots and room for 2 PSUs
Getting the right cards, 4 x 980s are not great @4K and are out performed by cheaper 290Xs for example.
Sometimes the drivers are not good, TR on the 290Xs is total crap.
Using the right CPU/mobo.
4gb cards are not enough for 4 way @4K
And the list goes on.
When it works it is nice though.
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They actually dont. Ive had two 980's maxed out in a full system pulling 550w - Im sorry dude but youre just wrong on that watts and AMP's the only issue is cables - END.
If he wants to watercool he will need to buy ref cards - tbh its not worth buying 4 anyways its retarded
Kaapstad
New member
+1
For gaming there are better and at high resolutions faster options.
I bought mine for benching @1080p which they are very good at but I knew that they were not the best option for 4K where I game on other cards.
Wooooo guys. i wanst going to buy 4 gtx 980's on lauanch. i agree that is a massive waste of money. i was thinking of buying 1 or 2 them at launch, then in a few yrs when they slowly come down i might 3 or 4.. that is why i was looking at a power supply that could run 4.
i probaly should have made that clear..
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i was going to get 1 or 2 to start then when the yrs go on upgrade to 3 or 4 because i want a tri monitor setup with 1440p. eg. if i have 2 680's right now i might get a 3rd or 4th because they are only a few hundred. get what i mean?
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ohh and ill be waiting untill the 8gb cards come out
i probaly should have made that clear..
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i was going to get 1 or 2 to start then when the yrs go on upgrade to 3 or 4 because i want a tri monitor setup with 1440p. eg. if i have 2 680's right now i might get a 3rd or 4th because they are only a few hundred. get what i mean?
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ohh and ill be waiting untill the 8gb cards come out
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Wraith
Bettyswollocks
Wow! A triple post 
Always use the edit button to add more information, rather than posting consecutively, it keeps the forums neat and prevents the mods having a fit. :lol:
As for your dilemma I'd go dual SLI or Crossfire for now then decide later if you want to add more cards, I'd say go for the Corsair AXi 1500W though to be on the safe power side.. Things will hot up around Feb-March time in the NVIDIA/AMD camps, so it might be worth a wait
Always use the edit button to add more information, rather than posting consecutively, it keeps the forums neat and prevents the mods having a fit. :lol:As for your dilemma I'd go dual SLI or Crossfire for now then decide later if you want to add more cards, I'd say go for the Corsair AXi 1500W though to be on the safe power side.. Things will hot up around Feb-March time in the NVIDIA/AMD camps, so it might be worth a wait
ok thx, im new to the posts.
The problem i am having is that some people like u are saying i need more than 1200 to be safe but then some people are saying 1000 is more than enough and that even 900 would be good enough. i can't find a really good answer that every one agrees on...
The problem i am having is that some people like u are saying i need more than 1200 to be safe but then some people are saying 1000 is more than enough and that even 900 would be good enough. i can't find a really good answer that every one agrees on...
Wraith
Bettyswollocks
900W!?! Nah it'll never work, I put together a system in part picker and it reaches 951W (Estimate) the problem is these estimates don't take into account actual real world wattage figures there just ball park, I could see a quad 980 G1 system peaking at around 1100 ish. But then you have to also take into account the load stress on the PSU and Voltage ripple.. watch a few of TTLs reviews when he tests PSUs you'll see, just because a PSU is rated at say 1000W it's probably only effectively capable of 900 - 950W at full load.
To be honest you would be better off just ditching 2 980s by the time you upgrade to 3 or 4 in a few years time.
With regards to the PSU selection you have provided: AX1200i and 1500, the 1500 is your best bet after reading that article that was linked.
