Gigabyte Releases First Xtreme Gaming Series Power Supply

Status
Not open for further replies.

jonroberts26

Honorable
Sep 18, 2013
83
0
10,630
Why do we need a 1200 watt psu? Is it only for 2+ gpus? My Seasonic 860 watt psu is overkill even if I were to get a second 980ti. Aren't the new graphics cards even more power efficient?
 

NeatOman

Distinguished
Jun 2, 2009
73
1
18,635
I kinda got why some people would have got a 1200 watt PSU in the before time when a GPU could suck down well over 350 watts. Now the most powerful GPU (GTX 1080) only has a 180 watt TDP and only allows two-way SLI. Then paired with best "Gaming" CPU the i7-6700k i can't see the system using more than 500 watts total :/ making a 650 watt PSU more than capable enough for a heavy overclock but 750 watt to be safe.

Which is why i got a PC Power & Cooling Silencer MkIII 850, 7 year warranty and never having to think about a PSU ever again. Even with the new Titan P which is rumored to use up to 300 watts it's still way overkill for an SLI setup.
 


As Hardware Seller, buyers come to the market arguing 'More watts better performance'. :spamafote:
 

commandermuffin

Distinguished
Dec 29, 2010
40
0
18,540
TDP isn't the same as power consumption, so not sure if the 180W figure is actual TDP or if you're just referring to wattage requirement. Either way, yeah most SLI setups don't need a 1200W PSU. However, keep in mind that most PSUs are not the most efficient at or near capacity or on the lower end. If you look at PSU efficiency curves, you want to be around the middle most of the time, so if you only need 500W, having a 850-1000W PSU isn't a bad idea, plus it allows you to upgrade to more power-hungry components (or overclock) in the future if desired.
 

Kenneth Barker

Reputable
Aug 17, 2015
378
0
4,860
This is a high end PSU. The 1080 and the 6700K are not high end components. Many systems require larger PSUs for any number of reasons.

Running actual high end cards (Which float in the TDP range of 300 or more watts) a high end CPU (The Enthusiast lineup with higher TDPs) RAM, HDDs/SSDs, Fans, Lights, Water cooling pumps, drives, the list can go on, require large amounts of power. If you OC, which many users do these days, the power requirements can go up 50% or more.

You can very easily hit 1000-1100 watts on a true high end rig.

Also, as stated above, there is nothing wrong with having a higher end PSU that will use less than its maximum rated power output. All throwing a 1200W PSU into a rig that needs only 500-600 will do is make the PSU more efficient, and have a longer life. On top of giving you the overhead for plenty of growth and expansion.
 

Shankovich

Distinguished
Feb 14, 2010
336
0
18,810
To get a higher wattage PSU so you can game/work in the region of highest efficiency doesn't work. The premium you pay for high wattage outweighs the, let's be honest, very small amount of power you'll save.
 

tfman22

Commendable
Jul 7, 2016
3
0
1,510
I need to agree with Kenneth on this. A 1200W PSU is not for your average at home gamer. For high end applications, you can see systems running 2 or even 4 way SLI Titan X cards. With 4 Titan X's, you actually would need 1500W.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.