[SOLVED] Can upgrade to high end GPU ?

Rui Neves

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I bought a Bitfenix formula gold of 550w Power supply that was recommended here for my build , and the things that I´ve read about the PSU were really good in fact , but a few days ago I read that could be some issues on GTX 1080 TI GPU and other 2 High end GPU´s , source : https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/1116640-psu-tier-list-40/ , which let me think if it was a good choice if I want to upgrade my GPU for something better that I have right now , I know that on CPU nowadays I will not have troubles since the TDP have became lower ... Should I be worried or the GTX 1080 ti could be 1 GPU that will fail in another 1000 that will work fine ? and I am not saying that i want the GTX 1080 ti in the future ... probably I will upgrade my cpu first anyway , but I maybe could want to make an GPU upgrade one day ...

My build :
MB:MSI a88xm-e35 ,
CPU:AMD a8 6600k,
GPU:XFX GTS XXX RX 580 4gb
RAM: 2x 4gb corsair xms3 1666mhz
PSU:Bitfenix formula gold 550w
 
Solution
Yes, your PSU can handle a better GPU. Graphics cards get more efficient every year, so getting a better GPU doesn't necessarily mean getting a more power hungry GPU. You can already get cards that perform much better than an RX 580 while drawing roughly the same power, e.g. RX 5700 (XT) or RTX 2070 (Super).
Hey there,

No, I advise, you stick with what you have. Your current CPU already is not a great match for your current GPU. Getting any GPU upgrade now, is not a good idea at all. In fact it would be waste of money.

The PSU you bought is a pretty good one.

Ideally what you should do is save maybe 600$ and get a new mobo, ram and CPU, then you will have a really decent 1080p 60-90hz/fps gaming machine.

Something like this:
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($174.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Best Buy)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx (2018) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $489.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-03-17 13:26 EDT-0400


Sell the rest of your PC to offset the cost of buying this.
 
I bought a Bitfenix formula gold of 550w Power supply that was recommended here for my build , and the things that I´ve read about the PSU were really good in fact , but a few days ago I read that could be some issues on GTX 1080 TI GPU and other 2 High end GPU´s , source : https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/1116640-psu-tier-list-40/ , which let me think if it was a good choice if I want to upgrade my GPU for something better that I have right now , I know that on CPU nowadays I will not have troubles since the TDP have became lower ... Should I be worried or the GTX 1080 ti could be 1 GPU that will fail in another 1000 that will work fine ? and I am not saying that i want the GTX 1080 ti in the future ... probably I will upgrade my cpu first anyway , but I maybe could want to make an GPU upgrade one day ...

My build :
MB:MSI a88xm-e35 ,
CPU:AMD a8 6600k,
GPU:XFX GTS XXX RX 580 4gb
RAM: 2x 4gb corsair xms3 1666mhz
PSU:Bitfenix formula gold 550w
Depends on several factors. First, it is recommended that you have a 650w power supply. It appears a 1080ti only pulls about 70 watts more than a 580. The big outlier is your CPU. With a 9900k or similar CPU, no it won’t work. If you get a good 65watt CPU then you should be fine.
 
Judging from your current specs when the time comes to upgrade the CPU you would really be looking at a complete new build.

General rule of thumb for PSUs is if it doesn't have the power connector then it wasn't designed to provide that level of power.
Take for example the GTX 1080 ti you mention. Nvidia spec recommends 600W minimum, with 6-pin and 8-pin power connectors. Slight variations from board partners are to be expected. I would personally err on the side of caution.
 

Rui Neves

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Sep 20, 2014
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Judging from your current specs when the time comes to upgrade the CPU you would really be looking at a complete new build.

General rule of thumb for PSUs is if it doesn't have the power connector then it wasn't designed to provide that level of power.
Take for example the GTX 1080 ti you mention. Nvidia spec recommends 600W minimum, with 6-pin and 8-pin power connectors. Slight variations from board partners are to be expected. I would personally err on the side of caution.
So my psu was a bad choice ? That's a brand new PSU bacause my other PSU was bad .
I am planning to change my CPU + MB + RAM first . So you think that I could only stick to mid range GPU 's with this PSU ?
 

Rui Neves

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Sep 20, 2014
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Hey there,

No, I advise, you stick with what you have. Your current CPU already is not a great match for your current GPU. Getting any GPU upgrade now, is not a good idea at all. In fact it would be waste of money.

The PSU you bought is a pretty good one.

Ideally what you should do is save maybe 600$ and get a new mobo, ram and CPU, then you will have a really decent 1080p 60-90hz/fps gaming machine.

Something like this:
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($174.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Best Buy)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx (2018) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $489.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-03-17 13:26 EDT-0400


Sell the rest of your PC to offset the cost of buying this.
You say that my PSU is pretty good but you have listed another PSU , so my PSU was a good choice or not ? I will change the cpu , mobo and Ram , yes I know my CPU is weak .
I was only saying thath I could change the GPU too in the future , so I am asking if my PSU will be good enough to run a newer and better gpu in the future , let's say like 2 or 3 years
 

TJ Hooker

Titan
Ambassador
Your PSU is good. Rather than getting a 1080 Ti you could get a more recent card that is just as good but uses less power, won't need to worry about your PSU. If you can still return in for a full refund and you really wanted to 'future-proof', I guess you could go for a 650W instead. But IMO you're much better off keeping your current PSU focusing on your CPU/motherboard/RAM.
 

Rui Neves

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Sep 20, 2014
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Your PSU is good. Rather than getting a 1080 Ti you could get a more recent card that is just as good but uses less power, won't need to worry about your PSU. If you can still return in for a full refund and you really wanted to 'future-proof', I guess you could go for a 650W instead. But IMO you're much better off keeping your current PSU focusing on your CPU/motherboard/RAM.
yes of course I said 1080 ti because it was an example , the main question is if a 550w power supply like this could handle a beter gpu in the future , i don´t know if I can get another PSU since this one it´s working , anyway I think I will keep it now ... I´ve seen so many people saying that 550w can handle most card´s that I never had think about get a PSU with more watts but only a good 550w PSU .
And yes I will do an upgrade CPU/motherboard/RAM, and I was thiking on AMD R5 1600 AF , so on CPU I will drop around 35w on load
 

TJ Hooker

Titan
Ambassador
Yes, your PSU can handle a better GPU. Graphics cards get more efficient every year, so getting a better GPU doesn't necessarily mean getting a more power hungry GPU. You can already get cards that perform much better than an RX 580 while drawing roughly the same power, e.g. RX 5700 (XT) or RTX 2070 (Super).
 
Solution

Rui Neves

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Sep 20, 2014
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Yes, your PSU can handle a better GPU. Graphics cards get more efficient every year, so getting a better GPU doesn't necessarily mean getting a more power hungry GPU. You can already get cards that perform much better than an RX 580 while drawing roughly the same power, e.g. RX 5700 (XT) or RTX 2070 (Super).
thank you , that´s what i wanted to know .
 
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