PSU - Really? That low?

[kburn]

Hi all,

 

My build:

 

Gigabyte Z87X-UD3H

i5 4670k

Gigabyte GTX 760

Kingston HyperX 3k SSD

 

I plugged all this info into the PSU calculator at eXtreme Power Supply.  I added 4 high performance fans and 6 USB devices.  The recommended power supply wattage came out to 370W???  This is under 90% load as per default. 

 

Really?  Is there something I missed?  I at first though that it was the wattage required by the setup at 90% load, and that if I want to have my power supply run at 50-60% under load I need a 500-650W supply, but it's the recommended psu wattage, so I'm confused. 

 

At some point I may add a liquid cpu cooler, and may overclock the GPU and CPU (but only moderately) for fun.  Would appreciate any insight someone can give.  I don't want to buy a PSU that's going to run at an inefficient percentage of full capability. 

 

Up until this point I'm considering the Corsair RM550.

 

Thanks for any input!

[WhatTheQuack]

That seems about right, modern GPUs and CPUs really don't use that much power, also nor do single GPU setups. The RM 550 is an excellent choice, (I have an RM650) its silent up until 40% load, and even when the fan turns on you can barely hear it. Also 550w is a good wattage as it allows you to upgrade your system in future without needing to change your PSU. 550w should even be able to power 2 GTX 760s in SLI I think.

[kburn]

Oh, and I realize the GTX 760 has a minimum wattage of 500W specified on their site with a 30A 12V rail, so I chose the RM550 based on that.

[nj4ck]

Oh, and I realize the GTX 760 has a minimum wattage of 500W specified on their site with a 30A 12V rail, so I chose the RM550 based on that.

Any good 450W PSU would do just fine, the recommendations set by the GPU manufacturers are to be taken with a grain of salt.

[jezza39]

Did you play with the OC my CPU and Capacitor ageing (that's what I think it's called)? These will increase the estimated output. I would go with 550 instead though just for longevity and spending more time at the <30% load for silent operation.

[dragoon20005]

That seems about right, modern GPUs and CPUs really don't use that much power, also nor do single GPU setups. The RM 550 is an excellent choice, (I have an RM650) its silent up until 40% load, and even when the fan turns on you can barely hear it. Also 550w is a good wattage as it allows you to upgrade your system in future without needing to change your PSU. 550w should even be able to power 2 GTX 760s in SLI I think.

In sli the gtx760 is more power hungry than a single gtx780ti.

You will need 600watts and above if you don't want to overload the psu. I think 700watts just to be on the safe side.

[Ryan Leech]

That seems about right, modern GPUs and CPUs really don't use that much power, also nor do single GPU setups. The RM 550 is an excellent choice, (I have an RM650) its silent up until 40% load, and even when the fan turns on you can barely hear it. Also 550w is a good wattage as it allows you to upgrade your system in future without needing to change your PSU. 550w should even be able to power 2 GTX 760s in SLI I think.

SLI 760s on 550W would be a little sketchy, not to say that it cannot be done though

[Pokahontas]

 Recommended or minimum? I think you got mixed up there.

[kburn]

 Recommended or minimum? I think you got mixed up there.

 

The recommended was 370.

[kburn]

Thanks for the replies.

 

I like things to run at their most efficient, which would put me with an RM550, but I never thought of SLI, and the RM550 only has 1 6pin and 1 8pin, so I'd have to upgrade if I want to do that.  I'll have to decide whether I'll want to upgrade to a new single GPU later, or add a second 760.  If the latter, I'll have to get the RM650.

[WoodenMarker]

The rm450 is already more than enough if you don't plan to sli. Systems use less power than you would think and graphics card psu recommendations on their site page are heavily inflated--ignore them.