[SOLVED] Am I asking too much from my power supply?

[ezhanson2002]

Hey guys! I just had a strange thought. I consider myself semi good with building PCs. So I have built my previous 2 PCs, and a couple for friends in the past, and I'm gonna be honest, I cheap out on my power supplies. I know, I know, what a stupid idea, I could fry a whole build. I have yet to see a power supply fail (probably a miracle at this point), but I had the thought that i'm asking a bit too much from mine. I'm gonna go ahead and list my specs.

I'm running;
i7-6700k (shes running 4.7 at 1.35v)
16GB of DDR4 2666
two ASUS Strix 1070s (SLI) (2.2ghz core, 8350 mem)
1 SSD, 3 HDDs, 6 Fans, and a PCIe 1x Wifi Card
the power plant is a Thermaltake SMART 700

My question, am I asking way too much from this 70$ PSU? I've noticed that the GPU's are voltage limited in GPUZ (I'm assuming because they are running off of the same rail). Is this a ticking time bomb? Should I invest in a nice 80+ Gold (Platinum?), or am I just paranoid?

 

[DSzymborski]

Hey guys! I just had a strange thought. I consider myself semi good with building PCs. So I have built my previous 2 PCs, and a couple for friends in the past, and I'm gonna be honest, I cheap out on my power supplies. I know, I know, what a stupid idea, I could fry a whole build. I have yet to see a power supply fail (probably a miracle at this point), but I had the thought that i'm asking a bit too much from mine. I'm gonna go ahead and list my specs.

I'm running;
i7-6700k (shes running 4.7 at 1.35v)
16GB of DDR4 2666
two ASUS Strix 1070s (SLI) (2.2ghz core, 8350 mem)
1 SSD, 3 HDDs, 6 Fans, and a PCIe 1x Wifi Card
the power plant is a Thermaltake SMART 700

My question, am I asking way too much from this 70$ PSU? I've noticed that the GPU's are voltage limited in GPUZ (I'm assuming because they are running off of the same rail). Is this a ticking time bomb? Should I invest in a nice 80+ Gold (Platinum?), or am I just paranoid?

Yes, that's a pretty low quality power supply, not one I'd be running a quality GPU on. Certainly not two of them and realistically, there's no real reason to be using multi-GPU solutions in gaming in 2020. You don't need some crazy Platinum-rated PSU, but I wouldn't do something like this without at least a Corsair RMx, SeaSonic Focus, EVGA G3, etc.

It's useful to remember that a lot of the damage from a poor PSU is invisible. PSUs can fail violently and quickly, but they can also simply slowly damage your components long-term.

 

[Deicidium369]

Yes, that's a pretty low quality power supply, not one I'd be running a quality GPU on. Certainly not two of them and realistically, there's no real reason to be using multi-GPU solutions in gaming in 2020. You don't need some crazy Platinum-rated PSU, but I wouldn't do something like this without at least a Corsair RMx, SeaSonic Focus, EVGA G3, etc.

It's useful to remember that a lot of the damage from a poor PSU is invisible. PSUs can fail violently and quickly, but they can also simply slowly damage your components long-term.

Depends on which Corsair (the one several years ago made by Seasonic is the only one I would use) Would not even use anything from EVGA to hold a door open. Seasonic is the only way to go - I have Seasonics in use continuously for 10 years - I have several dead Antec and 1 dead Corsair... IF they don't make it themselves don't buy it.

Your PS is the single most important component in your computer period.

 

[jonnyguru]

Seasonic is the only way to go

Seriously? Well... I guess everyone else should just shut their doors and get out of the business then.

This is starting to sound like a Ford vs. Chevy thread.

 

[ezhanson2002]

If budget isn't a limitation, what would you recommend? And of course what wattage PSU should fit my system with the overclocks?

 

[jonnyguru]

If budget isn't a limitation, what would you recommend? And of course what wattage PSU should fit my system with the overclocks?

The Thermaltake Smart is a garbage series. And you don't even need a 700W.

So instead of getting a garbage PSU, get something lower wattage (450W to 550W should be fine) that's not complete garbage.

Essentially, take the price of the Smart 700 and apply that same $$$ to 450W and 550W and see what comes up.

 

[Archaic59]

The Thermaltake Smart is a garbage series. And you don't even need a 700W.

So instead of getting a garbage PSU, get something lower wattage (450W to 550W should be fine) that's not complete garbage.

Essentially, take the price of the Smart 700 and apply that same $$$ to 450W and 550W and see what comes up.

OP states he has GTX 1070 SLI setup. Is 450W-550W enough for that?

 

[Wolfshadw]

The ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1070 has a single 8-pin PCIE power port; meaning it's power requirement is up to 225 watts. For two cards, that increases to 450 watts. The Inte Core I7-6700K is a 91 watt CPU, but overclocked, I'm not sure what the power requirement is. I'd say a 700 watt power supply is about at the minimum edge of what you need.

If you're overly concerned about it, I'd say a quality 750 watt power supply would be more than sufficient for your needs. Given this filtered PC Part Picker US - Power Supply List and sorted by price, I'd say your least expensive options are going to be the Seasonic Focus Plus series (don't know about the Prime series yet).

-Wolf sends

 

[jonnyguru]

OP states he has GTX 1070 SLI setup. Is 450W-550W enough for that?

I missed that (the SLI part). But that makes using Thermaltake's cheapest PSU offering an even worse idea.