Crossfire R9 290

[AdmiraalSmit]

I've been thinking about upgrading to an crossfire R9 290 setup for a while. At the moment by budget is enough to buy a second hand card. This is going to be my first crossfire/sli setup and i have some questions.

 

It would be great if someone could answer them for me!

 

PC Specs:
Intel Core i5-3350P

32 GB DDR3-1600

AsRock Extreme4 Z77

Sapphire R9 290 4GB Tri-X

OCZ ModXSteam Pro 700W 80Plus

2 SSD's and 1 HDD

 

The power supply only has 1 6-pin and 1-8 pin so i have to buy molex to pin adapters. 

 

Here are my questions:
 

• Question 1 : Can my power supply power my system with 2 r9 290's?
• Question 2 : Since i have a Sapphire R9 290 4GB Tri-X do i need to buy another one or can i buy lets say an XFX R9 290 4GB Core Edition(Other brand card)?

I would love to read a response.

 

With kind Regards,
AdmiraalSmit

 

[Altecice]

The power supply only has 1 6-pin and 1-8 pin so i have to buy molex to pin adapters. 

 

No you're going to have to buy a new PSU. If it doesnt have the correct pins it sure as hell wont have the correct amps on its +12v for two cards. (resulting in random crashing... if it works at all)

[AdmiraalSmit]

No you're going to have to buy a new PSU. If it doesnt have the correct pins it sure as hell wont have the correct amps on its +12v for two cards. (resulting in random crashing... if it works at all)

Dear Altecice,

Thank you for the quick answer. Then i'll first invest in a new PSU! Is there any PSU/Wattage you recommend?

 

With kind regards,

AdmiraalSmit

[Altecice]

Dear Altecice,

Thank you for the quick answer. Then i'll first invest in a new PSU! Is there any PSU/Wattage you recommend?

 

With kind regards,

AdmiraalSmit

 

For peace of mind I would be wanting a 750+. Something with an 80+ rating would be what you are looking for (Seasonic/XFX etc)

[R_Golden]

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/5853/his-radeon-r9-290x-4gb-in-crossfire-video-card-review/index23.html

I would get a new PSU.

For the second question, yes you can mix and match brands.

[R_Golden]

Dear Altecice,

Thank you for the quick answer. Then i'll first invest in a new PSU! Is there any PSU/Wattage you recommend?

 

With kind regards,

AdmiraalSmit

I would recommend this, good price.

http://m.newegg.com/Product/index?itemnumber=17-438-030

[Glenwing]

750 from a good brand will do, but it will be pretty close. Might want 850 for some extra headroom. The SeaSonic X850 would be my recommendation although the price is maybe not as good a value as some other ones. Really excellent unit though. The M12II 850 would be another good option if you're looking for a cheaper one.

 

And no, brand won't matter for CrossFire, should work just fine with any 2 R9 290/290Xs

[SeanBond]

Dear Altecice,

Thank you for the quick answer. Then i'll first invest in a new PSU! Is there any PSU/Wattage you recommend?

 

With kind regards,

AdmiraalSmit

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-220g20850xr

 

750w is the bare minimum with 2 290s in crossfire but if you upgrade you should get a real upgrade. The evga g2 is the best power supply you are going to find at 850w gold rated. It also happens to be priced much lower than what it is worth, especially after rebates. Not only does it's electrical performance beat everything else it competes with it comes with a 10 year warranty. It's built like a tank.

 

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=377 The johnny guru review (one of if not the best power supply reviewers)

[SkilledRebuilds]

FYI - I could very well be wrong... someone will correct me

 

Some brands...

Higher % of PSU load = more fan noise from PSU also.

So grabbing more headroom can also keep it quiet... as some PSU's only ramp the fan up past 50% usage, some before, some later... best to check via 'reviews' and such.. if they have been made.

 

Not that you'd notice much PSU fan noise over 2x fully loaded 290's running.

[AdmiraalSmit]

I want to thank you all for the informative and excellent responses. To be honest this wasn't really what i expected. I live in the Netherlands so the problem is i can't buy an PSU from any American/Canadian retailers. I'll try to find something that is the same. What blew my mind is that the G2 is €155,- .....

 

With kind regards,
AdmiraalSmit