Questions about 970 SLI

[crypticuz]

First off let me share with you all my current spec's:

MSI 970

16gb RAM

MSI Z97 Gaming 5 Mobo

Core i7 4.0ghz 4790k

550w EVGA G2 Supernova Modular PSU

 

I want to SLI 970s, as an upgrade and i have some concerns. First concern being, on pcpartpicker.com it said that if i keep my PSU i would need another 6 pin pci power plug (Not sure if it means an extra plug or plug spot in the psu) Is this even an issue that would happen with my current PSU? My tech-savvy friend said it shouldn't be an issue. Secondly, pcpartpicker says that my rig will use 496w in sli.. my psu being only 550w; would it be recommended to upgrade to 650 or 750 anyways?

[Tedster]

I'd personally get a higher wattage PSU.

[Enderman]

psu calculators always overestimate wattage

970 SLI will use far less than 500W

 

 

if your power suply does not have enough 6 pin connectors you can use a molex to 6 pin adapter

[crypticuz]

psu calculators always overestimate wattage

970 SLI will use far less than 500W

 

if your power suply does not have enough 6 pin connectors you can use a molex to 6 pin adapter

 

Ah that's the answer i was looking for, thank you! As for the last part of your response. I'm not incredibly tech savvy so could you explain to me what a molex to 6 pin adapter is and how it works? And how much would one cost/can order off newegg?

[suchamoneypit]

First off let me share with you all my current spec's:

MSI 970

16gb RAM

MSI Z97 Gaming 5 Mobo

Core i7 4.0ghz 4790k

550w EVGA G2 Supernova Modular PSU

 

I want to SLI 970s, as an upgrade and i have some concerns. First concern being, on pcpartpicker.com it said that if i keep my PSU i would need another 6 pin pci power plug (Not sure if it means an extra plug or plug spot in the psu) Is this even an issue that would happen with my current PSU? My tech-savvy friend said it shouldn't be an issue. Secondly, pcpartpicker says that my rig will use 496w in sli.. my psu being only 550w; would it be recommended to upgrade to 650 or 750 anyways?

the connectors are the physical connectors off your PSU that power the graphics card. You are powering one card, but your PSU needs to have two of these cables if its non-modular, or have the ports to have an extra cable to power the 2nd card. On a modular power supply the connectors look like this :

as far as wattage your PSU should be fine.

[Enderman]

Ah that's the answer i was looking for, thank you! As for the last part of your response. I'm not incredibly tech savvy so could you explain to me what a molex to 6 pin adapter is and how it works? And how much would one cost/can order off newegg?

some GPUs already come with these adapters in the box, idk if yours will

 

basically you can use the molex plugs from your PSU (which you probably have extra of) to power the extra graphics card

[crypticuz]

Thank you all so much for your quick and insightful replies!

[crypticuz]

Sorry to bring this topic back up but..

 

I just had a huge debate the other day on the Vindictus forums about whether or not 970 SLI was too much for my 550w PSU. Their argument was because my GPU is an MSI 970, not Nvidia's reference model and because it's clocked higher it uses up more wattage, therefore if i go SLI my PSU won't be able to handle it, even though it could handle 970 SLI reference models.. Question - their argument, true or untrue?

 

Also i was pondering my thoughts a bit, and i have another question - Will i need more fan(s) when i go SLI? I currently have 2 120mm fan's.

 

Lastly, if there's anything that might be worth mentioning regarding upgrading with another MSI 970, please do share.

[Curufinwe_wins]

Sorry to bring this topic back up but..

I just had a huge debate the other day on the Vindictus forums about whether or not 970 SLI was too much for my 550w PSU. Their argument was because my GPU is an MSI 970, not Nvidia's reference model and because it's clocked higher it uses up more wattage, therefore if i go SLI my PSU won't be able to handle it, even though it could handle 970 SLI reference models.. Question - their argument, true or untrue?

Also i was pondering my thoughts a bit, and i have another question - Will i need more fan(s) when i go SLI? I currently have 2 120mm fan's.

Lastly, if there's anything that might be worth mentioning regarding upgrading with another MSI 970, please do share.

It's possible but not particularly likely esp if you don't jack up power target on the card.

As to fans... You don't need them, but additional airflow is always better and sli runs way hotter than a single card does.

[FruitBasketSilex]

psu calculators always overestimate wattage

970 SLI will use far less than 500W

if your power suply does not have enough 6 pin connectors you can use a molex to 6 pin adapter

Loving the fact that those two graphs show completely different numbers for 290CF.

Also, 425w is not "far below" 500w

[Enderman]

Loving the fact that those two graphs show completely different numbers for 290CF.

Also, 425w is not "far below" 500w

yeah one is on uber mode the other is not

also they are different games

 

and yes 425W is far below 550W

that's over 100W difference

and these power measurements are AT THE WALL

that means you need to account for the PSU inefficiency, and the actual wattage the PC is using will be about 85-90% of 425W

[FruitBasketSilex]

yeah one is on uber mode the other is not

also they are different games

and yes 425W is far below 550W

that's over 100W difference

and these power measurements are AT THE WALL

that means you need to account for the PSU inefficiency, and the actual wattage the PC is using will be about 85-90% of 425W

Never said you were wrong. I actually like that you posted them, as it gives me hope of running a 390x CF configuration without changing out my RM750.

But you did change now and say 425 is far below 550, rather than 500. That's a 66% difference in wattages that we're talking about. Regardless, thank you for the info.

[Enderman]

Never said you were wrong. I actually like that you posted them, as it gives me hope of running a 390x CF configuration without changing out my RM750.

But you did change now and say 425 is far below 550, rather than 500. That's a 66% difference in wattages that we're talking about. Regardless, thank you for the info.

it was a typo

 

you would know if you read OPs post

 

because he has a 550W PSU

[FruitBasketSilex]

it was a typo

you would know if you read OPs post

because he has a 550W PSU

I did read OPs post. No need to be so aggressive. Just didn't figure you meant 550.

[crypticuz]

So does that answer my question, even though they're MSI cards that are clocked higher (which use more wattage (yes/no?)) the 550w STILL will be efficient enough? Note: Will be doing no extra tuning to my GPU(s) aside from the little bit MSI does.

[crypticuz]

So I contacted both Nvidia and MSI about this query. Nvidia suggest using a 650w+ PSU and MSI recommends using a 750w PSU. Can anyone who's already given information about this thread, please explain why they're telling me different information than i've been given by you? How can i guarantee that if i don't upgrade PSUs, nothing bad will happen. Also, Nvidia says do NOT use molex adapters, which would be another problem if i don't upgrade PSUs, they say it lessens the power to the GPU which lessens performance and over time can/will damage the card. Please, i'm begging for more information on how all of this pans out/what my options are before i order what i have to next week..

[Jumper118]

Sorry to bring this topic back up but..

 

I just had a huge debate the other day on the Vindictus forums about whether or not 970 SLI was too much for my 550w PSU. Their argument was because my GPU is an MSI 970, not Nvidia's reference model and because it's clocked higher it uses up more wattage, therefore if i go SLI my PSU won't be able to handle it, even though it could handle 970 SLI reference models.. Question - their argument, true or untrue?

 

Also i was pondering my thoughts a bit, and i have another question - Will i need more fan(s) when i go SLI? I currently have 2 120mm fan's.

 

Lastly, if there's anything that might be worth mentioning regarding upgrading with another MSI 970, please do share.

i have run 2 gigabyte g1 gaming overclocked on a be quiet power zone 650w fine for ages. i wouldn't use one of those molex things at all though. i would just sell your psu and get a 650 or 750g2 2nd hand for around the same price

[crypticuz]

i have run 2 gigabyte g1 gaming overclocked on a be quiet power zone 650w fine for ages. i wouldn't use one of those molex things at all though. i would just sell your psu and get a 650 or 750g2 2nd hand for around the same price

if i do upgrade i'd be getting the supernova g2 750w, which is 109 rather than 80. But where can i go about selling my old psu?

 

Still need to hear back to see what's up with those charts being way different from what Nvidia and MSI are saying

[Jumper118]

if i do upgrade i'd be getting the supernova g2 750w, which is 109 rather than 80. But where can i go about selling my old psu?

 

Still need to hear back to see what's up with those charts being way different from what Nvidia and MSI are saying

you can sell your old psu on eBay, Craigslist locally. Anywhere you like

[crypticuz]

you can sell your old psu on eBay, Craigslist locally. Anywhere you like

was hoping there were other options oh well, and still need to hear back why those charts are so different from what nvidia and msi are saying...

[Jumper118]

was hoping there were other options oh well, and still need to hear back why those charts are so different from what nvidia and msi are saying...

because they have factory overclocks and will boost much higher due to better cooling

[Bhav]

My current 850w PSU is probably enough for tri SLI 970s, but it only has 4 power connectors. I bought a 1300 watt overkill Antec HCP because it was on offer for £150, but it died and I still havnt gotten it replaced because I dont even need to. Im waiting for it to become discontinued so I can change it for a better one, its got 7 years warranty anyway. Or if my 850 watt one dies cos its out of warranty now.