Which PSU is best suited?...

[Dawelio]

Hey guys,

So long story short... I am planning on doing a build in the future, this is a build that I have been planning for a while and still am planning, it will be built over time.

These are the specs that I've thought of:

Intel i7 4790K
MSI Z97M-G43 or ASUS GRYPHON Z97 ARMOR EDITION
32GB Corsair Vengeance Pro 1866MHz
Sapphire Radeon R9 290 Tri-X
Corsair Neutron GTX 240GB
4TB Western Digital Caviar Black
Windows 8.1
Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 (Already got this one)

Now... I might actually go dual graphics card later on and just get a new case by then, as the Arc Mini R2 only has 4 PCI slots and dual graphics cards aren't ideal in this case, regarding airflow. Not unless you go watercooling.

So, my question for you guys are... I know that a Corsair HX750i would be enough for this system, but should I perhaps get the Corsair HX850i for "future proofness", ie have headroom for when, IF, getting a 2nd graphics card?...

Thank you,
Chrazey

 

[JR23]

As fitting two Tri-X's on an mATX board is gonna be kinda impossible getting a HX850i for CF doesn't seem worth it. I would get a HX750i for that actual rig or even an RM650. If you plan to make adjustments to your GPU setup in the future maybe go HX850i but it looks like flagship GPU power consumption is on the way down.

What have you 'picked' in stone so far. Those two motherboards look worlds apart and it seems like a slightly odd GPU choice for this point in time, guess it depends what resolution your anticipating, anyway won't go too off topic.

JR

 

[Dicehunter]

If you think you might go multi GPU in the future I would highly recommend a Superflower PSU, Even if you don't they are rock solid, They are fantastic, All the major benchmarkers and overclockers use them, And they look awesome ^_^

 

[Dawelio]

As fitting two Tri-X's on an mATX board is gonna be kinda impossible getting a HX850i for CF doesn't seem worth it. I would get a HX750i for that actual rig or even an RM650. If you plan to make adjustments to your GPU setup in the future maybe go HX850i but it looks like flagship GPU power consumption is on the way down.

What have you 'picked' in stone so far. Those two motherboards look worlds apart and it seems like a slightly odd GPU choice for this point in time, guess it depends what resolution your anticipating, anyway won't go too off topic.

JR

Thanks for your replies guys!... seeing you moderated the earlier posts in this thread.

Why do you see it's gonna be kinda impossible getting dual Tri-X's on an mATX board?... is it due to how big they are or what exactly?...

I would go RM, but it's yellow and will stand out quite alot... am quite picky over the black/blue colour theme here as I love it.
And an RM650?, will a 650 cut it?... since recommended for that specific card, in an entire system, is 750W?...

The last part I didn't get entirely, regarding picked in stone so far... Yes, that is true they look quite different and in price too. Seeing the Gryphon is twice as expensive.
I am not sure yet... I think I'll go for the MSI one though, for the black and blue colour theme on it, it's cheaper and since it looks like a single graphics card is the way to go, then that will most likely be it.
But as you maybe can hear, I am highly unsure and that is why I've made this thread to sort of get help in deciding which components will be best for this build.

Okay... First I thought you said slightly odd CPU, guess it depends what resolution I'm anticipating.
Basically, so far the major highlights for it, are these... it's black/blue, looks awesome, even has an LED on it that indicates the temperature of the card (even thoigh this isn't all that important, still a nice feature) and it has a feature which can shut two of the fans of while being idle, for more silent operation.

At this time, I'm running 3 x 24"... Although not Eyefinity. I will get an ASUS 144Hz monitor later on as well, and have another 2 monitors for different stuff on them. Not sure wether 2x24" or 1x24"+1x19".
So nothing major there really... I mean, I am running 3x24" now and running Battlefield 3/4 on the center screen at 1920x1080, with other stuff such as Teamspeak, Task manager, Corsair Link, Sprotify, images etc at around a solid 60FPS without an issue on an HD6950 2GB.

What other card(s) did you otherwise have in mind and would recommend for me and this build?...

If you think you might go multi GPU in the future I would highly recommend a Superflower PSU, Even if you don't they are rock solid, They are fantastic, All the major benchmarkers and overclockers use them, And they look awesome ^_^

Superflower PSU?... Never heard of it/them. Got any review videos of them?, what colour do they come in?...

Thanks again for your replies guys!

 

[Dicehunter]

Totally forgot Tom did a great written and video review on Superflower, They do come in lower wattages and colours FYI -

http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/power_supply/super_flower_leadex_platinum_1200w_review/1

Plus you have to take 1 thing into consideration, These PSU's are used a lot by some of the worlds top overclockers and benchmarkers were performance and reliability is key.

 

[Dawelio]

Okay, thanks for the links! Will deffinitely check that one out later on today!...

But regarding the Corsair HX's ones and this rig... you guys say and recommend I'd go with the HX750i on this one rather than HX850i?... Due to flagship cards coming down in power consumption.

 

[Dicehunter]

Okay, thanks for the links! Will deffinitely check that one out later on today!...

But regarding the Corsair HX's ones and this rig... you guys say and recommend I'd go with the HX750i on this one rather than HX850i?... Due to flagship cards coming down in power consumption.

All depends really, You really don't need a huge PSU now due to everything being so efficient but it never hurts to have more when it comes to a PSU just incase you want to go multi GPU in the future and it's always good to have breathing room when it comes to wattage

 

[MacLeod]

Agree that the Superflower built PSU's are superb. I bought my EVGA Supernova G2 750 which is a Superflower Leadex unit based on the absolutely stellar reviews for them.

If you're planning on going with dual 290's then you'll want at least a 850 quality PSU. A pair of those things will suck down a lot of juice.

 

[WillSK]

Agree that the Superflower built PSU's are superb. I bought my EVGA Supernova G2 750 which is a Superflower Leadex unit based on the absolutely stellar reviews for them.

If you're planning on going with dual 290's then you'll want at least a 850 quality PSU. A pair of those things will suck down a lot of juice.

Bought my brother one of those EVGA 750 G2's.. Lovely unit and what an amazing price point. I literally don't think there is a better PSU out there for the money at the moment.

 

[Dicehunter]

Agree that the Superflower built PSU's are superb. I bought my EVGA Supernova G2 750 which is a Superflower Leadex unit based on the absolutely stellar reviews for them.

If you're planning on going with dual 290's then you'll want at least a 850 quality PSU. A pair of those things will suck down a lot of juice.

Yes and no, An 850w PSU would enable him to have it long term and not swap it out for a good long while but 2 x 290's draw just shy of 500w total so a 750w would be fine considering he's got a 4790K which is very efficient

 

[Dawelio]

So the HX750i would be plenty then?... as I don't want to go overboard with it either as I want as good efficiency out of it as I possibly can.
And since newer cards get more and more efficient and consumes less and less power, would I not get away with an HX750i for a good while?, IF I even go dual graphics card in the future?...
As I'm thinking IF, won't a 850i unit be less efficient due to the extra wattage?...

I'm not argueing here guys, just asking since when it comes to PSUs, wattages etc... I'm all out of my zone here, I suck at this, just know some very basic "sort of" guidelines in terms of wattage. Ie 550~750 for single and 850 for dual. Not more than that, so just asking to try and get the most information and most out of the PSU I end up getting.

 

[Dicehunter]

So the HX750i would be plenty then?... as I don't want to go overboard with it either as I want as good efficiency out of it as I possibly can.
And since newer cards get more and more efficient and consumes less and less power, would I not get away with an HX750i for a good while?, IF I even go dual graphics card in the future?...
As I'm thinking IF, won't a 850i unit be less efficient due to the extra wattage?...

I'm not argueing here guys, just asking since when it comes to PSUs, wattages etc... I'm all out of my zone here, I suck at this, just know some very basic "sort of" guidelines in terms of wattage. Ie 550~750 for single and 850 for dual. Not more than that, so just asking to try and get the most information and most out of the PSU I end up getting.

The 850w will be more efficient due it having to draw less than it's peak output, the way I got it explained to me and I'm happy to be corrected, The closer you get to peak and the longer it is at load near peak the less efficient the PSU becomes, I'm paraphrasing somewhat but you get the idea ^_^

In short I'd get the 850w as then you have some nice breathing room as well as options for future expandability

 

[JR23]

So the HX750i would be plenty then?... as I don't want to go overboard with it either as I want as good efficiency out of it as I possibly can.
And since newer cards get more and more efficient and consumes less and less power, would I not get away with an HX750i for a good while?, IF I even go dual graphics card in the future?...
As I'm thinking IF, won't a 850i unit be less efficient due to the extra wattage?...

I'm not argueing here guys, just asking since when it comes to PSUs, wattages etc... I'm all out of my zone here, I suck at this, just know some very basic "sort of" guidelines in terms of wattage. Ie 550~750 for single and 850 for dual. Not more than that, so just asking to try and get the most information and most out of the PSU I end up getting.

Generally a bigger PSU will be more efficient as the efficiency peaks at around 55% load, but the differences are really small, I wouldn't worry. An oversize PSU will generally be quieter as it probably won't ever need to spin the fan.

Sorry my first comment was a little confusing, I edited it down after realizing you probably weren't watercooling a pair of 290X's, I was sleepy. I presume you mean that you want a Sapphire 290 Vapor X, because it's blue rather than orange. Anyway they are 2.5 slot cards so there is no way you could fit two on a motherboard with 2-slot spacing unless you watercooled them which would be so expensive it's not worth considering.

JR

 

[Dawelio]

Okay then, well I think that both of you (Dicehunter and JR23) have answered my question then basically. I'll get the Corsair HX850i, for more breathing room and for more flexibility in terms of updrading in the future.

@JR23 - No worries dude, I know what you mean. I guess it's the Sapphire 290 Vapor X, since on my resellers site it says Tri-X. They probably have done a typo there
But here's the card I'm on about, just for information and to clarify: https://www.komplett.se/sapphire-radeon-tri-x-r9-290-4gb-gddr5/808300

And would it be so expensive it's not worth considering?, how do you mean now and why wouldn't it be worth considering, due to the cards being a bit old now?...

Which motherboard would you guys get then?... considering the case I have and only getting one GPU (for now)?...

Speaking of R9's, do you guys know if AMD is releasing a new line of GPUs soon?, as the R9's have been out for a while now and NVIDIA has released their 900 series already.

Thanks lads!

 

[barnsley]

Okay then, well I think that both of you (Dicehunter and JR23) have answered my question then basically. I'll get the Corsair HX850i, for more breathing room and for more flexibility in terms of updrading in the future.

@JR23 - No worries dude, I know what you mean. I guess it's the Sapphire 290 Vapor X, since on my resellers site it says Tri-X. They probably have done a typo there
But here's the card I'm on about, just for information and to clarify: https://www.komplett.se/sapphire-radeon-tri-x-r9-290-4gb-gddr5/808300



Speaking of R9's, do you guys know if AMD is releasing a new line of GPUs soon?, as the R9's have been out for a while now and NVIDIA has released their 900 series already.

Thanks lads!

AMD will probably release something in the new year and if you're planning on watercooling I'd not recommend the Vapor-X, as it has a custom PCB, as opposed to the Tri-X, which is reference.

 

[Dawelio]

AMD will probably release something in the new year and if you're planning on watercooling I'd not recommend the Vapor-X, as it has a custom PCB, as opposed to the Tri-X, which is reference.

Okay, so there aren't any words out if/that they will release something new?...

Yes, you are correct sir. If I'd go watercooling, I would just buy the cheaper reference coolers of the R9 290's. Rather than this aftermarket cooler one, which looks bigger due to having 3 fans on it, rather than 1 or 2
Sorry, just trying to sound tech smart here lol :laugh1:

 

[barnsley]

Okay, so there aren't any words out if/that they will release something new?...

Yes, you are correct sir. If I'd go watercooling, I would just buy the cheaper reference coolers of the R9 290's. Rather than this aftermarket cooler one, which looks bigger due to having 3 fans on it, rather than 1 or 2
Sorry, just trying to sound tech smart here lol :laugh1:

The issue is currently you can't fit any AMD 290s without watercooling in your mATX case without getting into heat issues. For the money you might as well get a 295x2 if you're after AMD. mATX isn't ideal for more than one card unless you're moving straight to doing a custom loop imo.

 

[Dawelio]

The issue is currently you can't fit any AMD 290s without watercooling in your mATX case without getting into heat issues. For the money you might as well get a 295x2 if you're after AMD. mATX isn't ideal for more than one card unless you're moving straight to doing a custom loop imo.

So what, not even a single 290 in my Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 will do? ...

 

[barnsley]

So what, not even a single 290 in my Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 will do? ...

A single one will be fine. I was saying if you're planning to get two cards you might be better off looking at a 295x2 if you're not keen on watercooling.

 

[Dawelio]

A single one will be fine. I was saying if you're planning to get two cards you might be better off looking at a 295x2 if you're not keen on watercooling.

Ohh right, missread the "mATX isn't ideal for MORE THAN ONE CARD"... sorry my bad

And no, not really yet... I know some stuff of watercooling, just not much regarding fittings, tubing etc etc...