[SOLVED] Can my psu handle an RTX 3070?

Sep 13, 2019
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Hello.
Im wondering if my pc could handle an RTX 3070?
specs:
Psu: antec value power active pfc 12cm 600w
Motherboard: prime b460m-a
cpu:i710700
ram: hypxer x fury 2666mhz
All comments are helpful thanks
 
Solution
Do you have enough wattage? Probably.
Is the PSU good quality? No.

Even if it was a 700W i wouldn't pair it with a 3070. I'm assuming this is a VP-P PSU for example, but the VP is a budget line, most of which aren't really suitable for larger dedicated GPU systems. I'd absolutely recommend getting a better quality 650W unit lest you want to potentially run into issues or worst case, damage.

PC Tailor

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Do you have enough wattage? Probably.
Is the PSU good quality? No.

Even if it was a 700W i wouldn't pair it with a 3070. I'm assuming this is a VP-P PSU for example, but the VP is a budget line, most of which aren't really suitable for larger dedicated GPU systems. I'd absolutely recommend getting a better quality 650W unit lest you want to potentially run into issues or worst case, damage.
 
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Solution
Sep 13, 2019
6
0
10
Do you have enough wattage? Probably.
Is the PSU good quality? No.

Even if it was a 700W i wouldn't pair it with a 3070. I'm assuming this is a VP-P PSU for example, but the VP is a budget line, most of which aren't really suitable for larger dedicated GPU systems. I'd absolutely recommend getting a better quality 650W unit lest you want to potentially run into issues or worst case, damage.
My current gpu is rtx 2060 super and its working fine no issues dont you think that means something or is it different?
 

DSzymborski

Titan
Moderator
My current gpu is rtx 2060 super and its working fine no issues dont you think that means something or is it different?

Doesn't really mean anything because it's not something you can assert to be true; most of the damage a PSU can do to parts is invisible up until a catastrophic failure. It would be like saying that everyone who isn't dead is in great health.
 

PC Tailor

Illustrious
Ambassador
My current gpu is rtx 2060 super and its working fine no issues dont you think that means something or is it different?
Just like Dszymborski stated, just because it's running now, doesn't mean it won't fail later. Everyone could be healthy until they have a heart attack. The difference is, how well will your PSU cope with it? And poor quality PSUs can cause much more invisible damage underneath the surface should worst happen. It's precisely why we always recommend to never go poorer / lesser quality on PSUs.

Otherwise what happens related to point 1 on this guide: Top (Not so obvious) Mistakes in PC Build.s

Edit - partner came up with a beautiful analogy and I'm stealing it:

It's like a skydiver saying my parachute hasn't failed so far, so it must always be good. When in reality the problem is if it DOES fail, what will it then lead to? And if a parachute DOES fail, you want to make sure you have the good quality one that has a backup and extra measures in place to protect you.
 
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Hello.
Im wondering if my pc could handle an RTX 3070?
specs:
Psu: antec value power active pfc 12cm 600w
Motherboard: prime b460m-a
cpu:i710700
ram: hypxer x fury 2666mhz
All comments are helpful thanks
It's a $40-50 PSU made for a home office computer. Consider yourself lucky to have used it with a RTX2060S and not had any problems, that you know of. A cheap PSU can greatly accelerate the natural aging process of other components. Do yourself a favor and spend the money to get a PSU of sufficient quality that provides clean power. Think of it as insurance for a new $500 GPU.
 
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Sep 13, 2019
6
0
10
It's a $40-50 PSU made for a home office computer. Consider yourself lucky to have used it with a RTX2060S and not had any problems, that you know of. A cheap PSU can greatly accelerate the natural aging process of other components. Do yourself a favor and spend the money to get a PSU of sufficient quality that provides clean power. Think of it as insurance for a new $500 GPU.
Thanks for the info but is it really that bad of a psu because i looked everywhere before i bought it for gaming and it seemed fine.
And on their site it says 85% efficiency and it has a 3 year warranty.
 

DSzymborski

Titan
Moderator
Thanks for the info but is it really that bad of a psu because i looked everywhere before i bought it for gaming and it seemed fine.
And on their site it says 85% efficiency and it has a 3 year warranty.

Yes, it's an inappropriate PSU for this GPU.

It says "up to" 85% efficiency. Kinda like those diet commercials where you can lose UP TO 75 POUNDS!" And a three-year warranty is hilariously short by the standards of the industry.

You're free to do whatever you want. Use a cheap group-regulated power supply that can't even work below 200V power like every good power supply does on a $500-$600 GPU? Douse your genitals in hot sauce? Use a hang glider made out of a garbage bag and Amazon boxes? You're free to do all of these things. But you're not going to get any hobbyist to give a poor choice their blessing.

If you don't care about the lifespan of your $500-$600 GPU that's your decision and you're free to make it.
 

PC Tailor

Illustrious
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Thanks for the info but is it really that bad of a psu because i looked everywhere before i bought it for gaming and it seemed fine.
And on their site it says 85% efficiency and it has a 3 year warranty.
Again as Dsyzmborski states - you'd be amazed at what they can say, without any real substance behind it.

Myself and many others on this forum have plenty of cases of seemingly perfectly fine branded PSUs working for many years without issue - and we also have plenty of cases where the same PSUs go pop and you see smoke. Only not only has the PSU gone, but it's just taken out your GPU too, because the quality of how the PSU was made couldn't quite meet the need.

Difference is a good quality unit, if it does go bang (which it is much less likely to in the first place) it will be covered by warranty and will protect your components.

In regards to warranty, 3 years is the warranty standard nowadays often given to lower quality PSUs. Whilst in the past this might not have been the case, nowadays you can often generalise it:

1 year = Don't touch with a 100ft pole
3 year = Only use on low end systems, that generally don't have dedicated GPUs, in a gaming system, don't touch with a 10ft barge pole
5 year = Usually decent enough quality, give or take.
7 year = Usually good quality, now we're touching some great units.
10 years+ = Often the best quality
 
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Thanks for the info but is it really that bad of a psu because i looked everywhere before i bought it for gaming and it seemed fine.
And on their site it says 85% efficiency and it has a 3 year warranty.
PSU recommendations made here at Tom's are based on information dervived from component disassembly and analysis as well as thorough testing for performance. If you don't value this information you're free to do as you please. Good luck.