Can I still use this PSU?

[mehuporsas]

Im upgrading my old phenom system with a FX 6300 and Asrock 970 extreme4 (8gb ram) I bought used. I will still keep my 4870 for atleast a year. My question is, will my OCZ GameXstream 700w still be good for this while it's almost 8 years old? I don't want to buy a new psu as my budget is tight.

 

[cub_fanatic]

If it is still working and you haven't experienced any problems like sudden shut downs and it isn't making any weird noises then I don't see why not. OCZ makes (actually made, they went bankrupt a few years ago) pretty good quality PSUs.

 

[vmem]

at 700W on those components you shouldn't be stressing the PSU much. while it's not exactly the best PSU in the world I don't see a problem with keeping it for now. perhaps get a new one when you get a GPU upgrade?

 

[mehuporsas]

If it is still working and you haven't experienced any problems like sudden shut downs and it isn't making any weird noises then I don't see why not. OCZ makes (actually made, they went bankrupt a few years ago) pretty good quality PSUs.

Have not heard any noises or stuff so I should be good right? What about if I buy the R9 280x in about a year. Will this handle?

 

[cub_fanatic]

If it is still working and you haven't experienced any problems like sudden shut downs and it isn't making any weird noises then I don't see why not. OCZ makes (actually made, they went bankrupt a few years ago) pretty good quality PSUs.

Have not heard any noises or stuff so I should be good right? What about if I buy the R9 280x in about a year. Will this handle?

It should be able to handle a 280x. That PSU has a 6-pin and a 6+2 pin PCIe connector which is what a standard 280x needs. The only thing that I don't like about that PSU is that it has multiple +12v rails. You would be better off with a modern PSU that only has a single +12v rail. I wouldn't recommend a crossfire 280x setup, for example, but if it can run a 4870 (which actually requires 32 amps on the +12v rail and a min. of 500 watts), then you can also run a single 280x on it (30 amps on +12v rail & 550 watts). I'd look at it as a temporary solution, though, once you get the 280x. You should eventually swap in a single rail unit asap.

 

[FearfulSPARTAN]

If it is still working and you haven't experienced any problems like sudden shut downs and it isn't making any weird noises then I don't see why not. OCZ makes (actually made, they went bankrupt a few years ago) pretty good quality PSUs.

Have not heard any noises or stuff so I should be good right? What about if I buy the R9 280x in about a year. Will this handle?

It should be able to handle a 280x. That PSU has a 6-pin and a 6+2 pin PCIe connector which is what a standard 280x needs. The only thing that I don't like about that PSU is that it has multiple +12v rails. You would be better off with a modern PSU that only has a single +12v rail. I wouldn't recommend a crossfire 280x setup, for example, but if it can run a 4870 (which actually requires 32 amps on the +12v rail and a min. of 500 watts), then you can also run a single 280x on it (30 amps on +12v rail & 550 watts). I'd look at it as a temporary solution, though, once you get the 280x. You should eventually swap in a single rail unit asap.

I used to think single rails are better but contrary to popular belief its the opposite https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWtKSHT2od8 but either is fine. For the op though with still being an 8 year old psu I would still consider a new one pretty soon, I personally dont like going past 5 years on any psu just to be safe.

 

[cub_fanatic]

I used to think single rails are better but contrary to popular belief its the opposite https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWtKSHT2od8 but either is fine. For the op though with still being an 8 year old psu I would still consider a new one pretty soon, I personally dont like going past 5 years on any psu just to be safe.

If you are looking at ultra high end modern PSUs like the 1000w Corsair in that video, then it is better to have multiple rails if you are using something like 295x2 in Crossfire or 3 Titan-X's in SLI. That is a PSU which was designed in 2015 for modern high end, high power GPUs. The one the OP has was designed in 2006 when PCIe was still in its infancy and like the guy said at the beginning of the video, these PSUs were basically old designs with the PCie connectors slapped on to them. This OCZ unit also doesn't have 40 amps on 8 separate rails, it has 15 amps on each of its 3 rails. (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/GameXStream700W/) It is far from a modern PSU. This sort of rule of thumb still applies if you are talking about PSUs from that era and comparing them to modern single rail units.

 

[mehuporsas]

Alright I guess Im going to use this for now and upgrade my psu once I get the 280X! Thanks guys!