Antec Neopower 550w power a pair of 8800 gt cards?

[tyler87]

Hey there,

I'm buying a new system here soon and I could use some advice. I really want to SLI a couple of 8800gt's without upgrading my current power supply due to cost restraints. My PSU is an Antec NeoPower 550w ... I think its got 3 12v rails with 18 amps on each. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817103941 I know it would be just fine with one but I think two might be pushing it.

The rest of my system would be a Q6600 (probably gonna oc), 2x2gb of g.skill ddr2 800 ram, either an evga 780i or 680i motherboard, two harddrives (one sata one ide) and your standard dvd writer etc.. I'm throwing all of this into a coolermaster stacker case so I'll have about 7-9 120 mm fans... don't know if thats terribly important or not but I thought I'd rather be safe than sorry. Any advice on the matter would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[ComputerCustomizer]

I'd get a new PSU. Something like the Corsair 520 or the PC Power and Cooling 610. Both around 100 on Newegg. Antec power supplies aren't very good, especially if you plan on SLI'ing.

 

[ricktavius]

The antec neopower, corsair, and PC P & C are all seasonic made p/s's.
The "antec" seasonic will be just fine, but I'd recommend a peak at the actual Seasonic line on Newegg. They're cheaper in price but identical in quality. I have the seasonic es-500 which was $70 dollars, it's the best 500watt, $70 p/s on the market.

 

[chookman]

Antec power supplies aren't very good, especially if you plan on SLI'ing.

Where are you getting your information from for a statement like that?

Ive had nothing but Antec PSU's and had no issues what so ever.

The Antec Neo 550w has a combined 42Amps over the three 12v Rails which according to EVGA website here:

"Minimum 450 Watt for SLI mode system.
(Minimum recommended power supply with +12 Volt current rating of 24 Amp Amps.) "

http://www.evga.com/products/moreInfo.asp?pn=512-P3-N807-AR

The Neo 550W should be more than enough to handle 2x8800GT's... considering these also use alot less power than there G80 counterparts.

 

[nukemaster]

/\_Agreed

 

[tyler87]

Thanks for all the input... I've had nothing but fantastic experiences from Antec's PSUs. I figured I had enough amps but I just wanted to make sure. But really, the psu is HEAVY, modular cabling, super quiet and every decent review I've seen of the thing gives it a 5 star rating. Until Antec fails me, I'm sticking with them. Anyway, thanks for all the input guys!

 

[co_gts]

I run two 8800 GTS 512's [G92] and I did see the online link about using a 450W. In the evga 680i motherboard guide it says however....

"The power supply requirement is dependent upon the power and the number of the GPUs you install. If you are going to SLI two graphics cards, you are going to require more power. As a rule, for one GPU you need a minimum of a 350 W power supply. If you have two GPUs in an SLI configuration, you will need a minimum of a 500 W power supply. To
calculate the power you are are going to require for your specific configuration,go to www.slizone.com."

Then on page 105 in "table 6" they drop this bomb in the following graph:

"SLI System Type Minimum Recommended PCI Express Power Supply
High-End: EVGA GeForce 8800 GTX 750W and up, +12V @ 40A
Mid-Range: EVGA GeForce 7950 GT 500W–550W, +12V @ 30A
Entry-Level: EVGA GeForce 7600 GT 350W–420W, +12V @ 20A"

When I saw this last bit I worried if the 700W I had purchased for the system would be enough but have had no issues whatsoever. I think this is because I'm running the G92 chip instead of the G80.

Let us know how it goes with the 550W.