Is 550W enough for a single 970?

[Kirtan Jagdish]

Hello, I have decided to buy a GTX 970 for my RIG. ATM i have a Rosewill Capstone 550W PSU. The rest of my Specs are here as listed:

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (Not added Yet so using Stock Cooler, But going add it soon because i want OC this CPU)

Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard

Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory

Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card (Maybe Add another one for 2 way SLI Later on)

Case Corsair: SPEC-03 Red ATX Mid Tower Case

Power Supply Rosewill Capstone 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply

So my main Question is would the 550 W PSU be enough to power this RIG, and also if i want to add another GTX 970 in 2 way SLI... Should i be Upgrading the PSU to a higher one? (Please do leave Recommendations)

Thank you! Will be looking forward to all the answers!

 

[TechyInAZ]

Yes a 550W PSU is more than enough for a single gtx 970 (500W minimum requirement).

However you need at least a 650-700W PSU for 2 GTX 970s.

 

[vagrantsoul]

For others reading this... that particular psu (as a Continuous 550) safely can, just as a sidenote, need to be careful that you get a quality psu, as PEAK is different than Continuous, and can lead to damage from what i've read. I personally have had bad experiences from both CM and Tt units biting it because the person went by the peak and not continual voltage rating, over stressing the psu and causing it to die.

Techy, please call me out if I am mistaken.

 

[plywrlw]

The Capstone is a really nice PSU and is a great choice for a single 970.

For an extra 970 in SLI you need to look at a 750W PSU like the EVGA B2 750W which is another nice PSU made by Superflower like your Capstone.

 

[TechyInAZ]

For others reading this... that particular psu (as a Continuous 550) safely can, just as a sidenote, need to be careful that you get a quality psu, as PEAK is different than Continuous, and can lead to damage from what i've read. I personally have had bad experiences from both CM and Tt units biting it because the person went by the peak and not continual voltage rating, over stressing the psu and causing it to die.

Techy, please call me out if I am mistaken.

Your exactly right on. Only thing i don't know is how to see what the peak and continuous wattages are.

 

[Kirtan Jagdish]

Yes a 550W PSU is more than enough for a single gtx 970 (500W minimum requirement).

However you need at least a 650-700W PSU for 2 GTX 970s.

Thank you so much for a quick reply! This is great info, for now ill stick with the 550 then since i wont be adding a new GPU anytime soon.

 

[Kirtan Jagdish]

For others reading this... that particular psu (as a Continuous 550) safely can, just as a sidenote, need to be careful that you get a quality psu, as PEAK is different than Continuous, and can lead to damage from what i've read. I personally have had bad experiences from both CM and Tt units biting it because the person went by the peak and not continual voltage rating, over stressing the psu and causing it to die.

Techy, please call me out if I am mistaken.

Is there a way to find out if the PSU is "Continuous" or "Peak"?

 

[TechyInAZ]

For others reading this... that particular psu (as a Continuous 550) safely can, just as a sidenote, need to be careful that you get a quality psu, as PEAK is different than Continuous, and can lead to damage from what i've read. I personally have had bad experiences from both CM and Tt units biting it because the person went by the peak and not continual voltage rating, over stressing the psu and causing it to die.

Techy, please call me out if I am mistaken.

Is there a way to find out if the PSU is "Continuous" or "Peak"?

I personally am not sure (Ill probably google it later when i have time), but i've pretty sure the platinum, and bronze certified PSUs that are 650W and 750W+ defiantly hold a continuous 650 or 750 watts.

 

[vagrantsoul]

rough guide and info from jonnyguru:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3987

for those that do not outright state the cont. ones... you can hamfist about 100 watts of play from the shown rating... advise reading the top post on that thread for better details, site isn't fully loading here at work.

 

[Zerk2012]

rough guide and info from jonnyguru:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3987

for those that do not outright state the cont. ones... you can hamfist about 100 watts of play from the shown rating... advise reading the top post on that thread for better details, site isn't fully loading here at work.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Rosewill-CAPSTONE-550M-Power-Supply-Review/1584/7
Thats a very high quality PSU made by Super Flower and will run the advertised watts and keep lower voltage fluctuation than is required.

 

[vagrantsoul]

wasn't calling the capstone out as being questionable, was talking more about random brands and some cheaper offerings from thermaltake and the like.