PSU Recommendation for GPU upgrade (R9 270x)

[DWk]

Hi guys,

I'm thinking of upgrading my video card to an AMD R9 270x in the next couple of months. I don't believe I have enough power for it, so probably also need to consider a PSU upgrade - naturally, I come to you for suggestions and recommendations to this. 

Future scenario: I don't overclock and don't expect to do any SLI in the future (although might be good to have the option for multi-GPU). I could also consider an additional hard drive, but very likely I would only replace one of the older ones. I do however, might like to have a PSU in case I do decide to do a computer upgrade in 2-3 years (hoping my current setup can get me so far!  )

From the calculations I've done with the different online PSU calculators (on some, using the HD 7870 as the R9 270x isn't yet available, which I believe is the closest), the answer varies: it goes from as low as 379W to a recommendation of a 700W PSU.

I also have a BFG Tech 550-Watt LS-550 PSU lying around that I bought a few years ago (unused, still boxed), so if that would be enough let me know.

Overall, I'd prefer not to go over $100 for one.

Here is the list of my current components:

• Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (2.4GHz)
• ARCTIC Freezer 7 Pro
• Asus P5K Deluxe
• Crucial 8GB DDR2 PC2-5300 (4x2)
• VisionTek ATI Radeon HD 4850 512 MB GDDR3
• Western Digital Caviar SE WD2500JS 250GB 7200 RPM
• 2x Western Digital 500 GB Caviar Blue SATA 3 Gb/s 7200 RPM (WD5000AAKS)
• Thermaltake Purepower W0100RU 500W V2.0
• Antec Three Hundred case
• Asus VH242H 23.6-Inch Monitor
• Logitech Z-2300 Speakers

Thanks for your help guys!

[Andre S. Veteran]

The R9 270X is not a power hungry card as you can see here: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-r9-280x-r9-270x-r7-260x,3635-18.html - it probably consumes less power than your current video card, so you should be fine even with your current PSU.

[LaP]

Pretty sure 550 watt is enough for a 270x.

[DWk]

Thanks for the replies.

 

I don't think it consumes less than my current one though (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-4850,1957-20.html)? It does seem to consume less than nVidia's though...

 

If I do want to upgrade the PSU (for the computer upgrade in the future), any recommendations? What setup are you guys running?

[psionicinversion]

Thanks for the replies.

 

I don't think it consumes less than my current one though (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-4850,1957-20.html)? It does seem to consume less than nVidia's though...

 

If I do want to upgrade the PSU (for the computer upgrade in the future), any recommendations? What setup are you guys running?

 

Depends if you may want to do sli/crossfire in the future, if you do and want to cover yourself upto high end cards then probably get a 1000w PSU. but im running an i7 950 12GB ram and overclocked 280x (uses upto 360watt under load) on a 650watt but maybe get a 750 watt cus the lower the percentage of the PSU's max power is used the longer itll last

[yowanvista]

It wouldn't be a good idea to upgrade the GPU considering that your old Q6600 will bottleneck performance. 

[MindTrickz]

Your CPU is definitely going to bottleneck your performance. You should look to upgrade that first. But that would require a new motherboard along with new ram.

[DWk]

Yes, I agree it will be a bottleneck considering the components available nowadays. However, I'm not expecting to do that upgrade just yet (because that would be another $400-$500 that I don't want to spend just yet.

 

I simply want to stay current, not really expecting the max out of the components.

[Andre S. Veteran]

Thanks for the replies.

 

I don't think it consumes less than my current one though (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-4850,1957-20.html)?

Make sure your PSU has 2x6pin PCI-E connectors: http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/R9/Pages/amd-radeon-hd-r9-series.aspx#5

[WildWayz]

Make sure your PSU has 2x6pin PCI-E connectors: http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/R9/Pages/amd-radeon-hd-r9-series.aspx#5

 

1 x 6pin and 1 x 8 pin :P

 

Do they have to be on different rails? My PSU had a 2 x 8 pins (well, 2 pins + 4 pins x 2) on a single rail, but had a cable to provide another pair (for 2 x GPUs).