Is my PC sufficient for a 7950?

C

Coxey

New member
G'day fine people.

I come here today seeking advice regarding whether my current hardware is sufficient enough to support a 7950. Of which I mean compatibility, power efficiency, and so forth.

Current PC Specs:

CPU: i5 760 @ 3.8GHz

MOBO: Asus P7P55D-E LX

PSU: Hiper 580W.

RAM: XMS3 8GB 1600MHz

CASE: NZXT Phantom Enthusiast

COOLING: Basic, just fans - intake x2 / exhaust x2

A few notes:

PSU: I'm aware of the fact that the PSU isn't a super high standard, however that's what brings me here.

COOLING: However basic the cooling, the room of which the computer is in, is extremely cool at all times

GPU: Never planning on going crossfire. I just want a card that'll last me a good 2-3 years ( I am aware that it wont be maxing settings out that long, however I have survived a considerable time on low-mid end cards )

If it helps, either the Sapphire OC edition or Asus DirectCU edition are what caught my eye (most likely to choose one of those).

I'm also not worried if the graphics card is too advanced for my system (meaning my hardware is bottlenecking the GPU).

Thanks in advance, Coxey.
 
If you want to buy something expensive as the hd7950,last thing to go cheap on is the psu.If i googled correct,the hiper 580w dont even live up to 80plus specs.I would buy a corsair,seasonic,enermax or be quiet psu at 600-650w.
 
Youll be fine there mate, you have plenty of power to supply the Cpu and the Gpu just as long as your not running 25 HDD's and your cpu shouldnt bottle neck the 7950 cards.. What res are you playing at ?

Beware the DirectCu from Asus is gonna eat up both your middle pci-e slots as it is a three slot card and is a heavy card too / There has also been reports that its big brother the 7970 has some manufacturing faults on the cooler causing it to overheat.....

Gigabyte do a nice 3 fan 2 slot 7950 clocking 900mhz that looks pretty neat...

Kepler cards should be out soon though so if I was in your position I would wait to see what happens with prices when they are released then weigh up your options...
 
kilobravo said:
If you want to buy something expensive as the hd7950,last thing to go cheap on is the psu.If i googled correct,the hiper 580w dont even live up to 80plus specs.I would buy a corsair,seasonic,enermax or be quiet psu at 600-650w.
Click to expand...

My Neighbour has the XFX 7950 running on a crappy 580w no name Psu from china and it works fine with is i7 860 and a couple of sata drives... I wouldnt bother buying another PSU untill you have tried the card in your current system....
 
Thanks for the replies.

As much as you may not of heard of PSU, at it's time it was fairly decent, and still is solid, no signs of ware (erratic buzzing, dodgy fan, unstable power etc)

As for resolution, it'd be 1920x1080 (32").

Edit:

I feel somewhat comfortable with the power. Size isn't a matter.

So long as there aren't any things I'm missing like.. complete in-compatibility issues, then I shall procede researching which "sub-brand" of the 7950 to go for.

(apologies, I don't know the correct term for.. sub branding)
 
But to be on the safe side as kilobravo says you should invest in a 80+ certified PSU when using expensive hardware like the 7950 ...
 
kilobravo said:
If you want to buy something expensive as the hd7950,last thing to go cheap on is the psu.If i googled correct,the hiper 580w dont even live up to 80plus specs.I would buy a corsair,seasonic,enermax or be quiet psu at 600-650w.
Click to expand...

Or a Seasonic OEM PSU, Such as Antec high current gamer, XFX, PC power and cooling Silencer, or corsair (many are actually Seasonic oems, especially the lower end ones)

here is a nice list.

http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/psu_manufacturers
 
Just a little update regarding the dogdy Asus Cards I told you about, its actually the 7950 from asus that has problems and is not the 7970....
 
Hi, thanks for all the replies. I'm going to approach the situation wisely and not rush into anything stupidly.

I'll first chase up the power issue into more depth and get head-deep in research
wink.gif


Thanks once again.
 
E:Read it wrong

I agree probably better to get a tried and tested PSU for a big investment like that.
 
Like others have said, I would seriously consider getting a good 80+ psu if your going to be putting a 7950 in your system, the psu that you currently have might only be able to power the card at stock, but don't expect to be able to overclock the card. Also bear in mind that you have already overclocked your cpu, which will use up more amps on the 12V rail, then after that you will be adding a card that can use up to 225W on its own as it has two 6Pin connectors, which you don't have as standard on the psu, you would have to use Molex adapters and I hate them things with a passion.
 
I've taken on board all the advice and so on. I appreciate it and I'm going to look for another Power Supply.

But first out of curiosity I'm buying a Mains-Wattage-Monitor, just to see how much wattage my system currently pulls during idle/gaming load/extreme load.

Does anyone have a specific recommended model for a PSU? (I know this is the GPU forum, but it's still relevant to the subject)

From what I can gather a 'comfortable' situation would be an 80+ 600-650W, can anyone give their 2 pence piece about this?

I don't want to go for a powersupply that's over-kill for my system, as this graphics card will be the only change to my system for the next few years, so I just need something that could handle my current spec (op), except a 7950 rather than a 5770

Thanks.

E: I actually had my eyes on the HALE90 650W by NZXT, it has 80+ Gold and it also matches the aesthetics of my case.
 
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