So currently i have a 260w PSU in my system currently, and im looking to upgrade to a gpu. so from the looks almost no matter what i need a psu upgrade, but i do have a older psu that is in a older pc i use rarely. It has enough wattage to power a smaller gpu and my system easy (500w). But being older i dont know if it will work right, and i do know that the white wire on psu's arnt used anymore, so i was wondering if i can safely run the psu or would it be better to get a new psu? As for a new psu, i would be going WAY overkill on it because i would rather buy one psu and then use it in the pc i plan to build over 2 psus. im not really sure if i trust these psu calc's tho... some have said around 900w and others 1000-1200.
AMD fx 9730
32gb ddr3 1866
3 ssds
5 hdds (4 in raid 10)
r9 290x (will be adding a 2nd one later on)
since there included on the psu calc, dl dvd burner, will be using atleast 4 usb powered items (dosent seem like alot..), 5 120mm fans, 2 140mm fans, 2 200mm fans.
So what size psu should i get if i cant use my old one?
It's always a good idea to get a reliable power supply. You could comfortably run all of that, with a single R9 290, on an XFX 550. Very inexpensive, good quality PSU. The older unit would probably work, but you shouldn't risk it. PSUs diminish over time.
For crossfire R9 290s, you should bump it up to 750W. You could certainly use less. But you might want the headroom. 650W with good efficiency (e.g gold) would be my lowest consideration.
This video shows that you don't need that much power for a high-end system. People often massively over-estimate the wattage needed to run various setups.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajiN9aVOv4A
1000-1200W would be massive overkill.
Well after reading up on the R9 290x, Toms Hardware shows that it hits a peak of 306w if pushed to 100% (on a single card). Then after going back to this http://extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine i noticed that they say "The recommended total Power Supply Wattage gives you a general idea on what to look for BUT it is NOT a crucial factor in power supply selection! Total Amperage Available on the +12V Rail(s) is the most important, followed by the +5V amperage and then the +3.3V amperage. " which ive noticed the amps seem like a more important factor over wattage. So i look around and their is nothing that rates anything with amps, its all wattage.
Also on the extreme psu calc it actually got my current system correct, and after puting everything in for what im building, shows a few watts under what my is rated for. Ive been told by two of my friends that i should go over kill to be on the safe side and have room later but said i should get a 850ish+. I do plan on overclocking the gpus, and i have no idea what kind of wattage that will take beyond 300, im told the 9370 takes around 250w at peak.
The exteme says min of 1k w, asus says 1.5k w (asus is high or something...), pcpartpicker says 471w without the gpus and goes to 1071w, new egg says 1225. Im just unsure on it because i see everyone say something different.
pcpartpicker build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3r0zW
toms hardware 290 review (shows 290x): http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-r9-290-review-benchmark,3659-17.html