Is my PSU enough for an upgrade?

[James Souvie]

Hiya, I'm new to Tom's Hardware.

Basically Im running a AMD 7870 2gb with a 600w corsair PSU coupled with 16 gb of ram and an i7 3.49 gb processor.
I have a Coolermaster V6 GT heat sink.

My question is I'd like to upgrade that graphics card to a GIGABYTE GV-N770OC-4GD GeForce GTX 770 4GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready WindForce 3X 450W. Will my 600w PSU be able to handle it with room to spare??

 

[Z-Tech]

The minimum requirement for that card is 600W so that doesn't give you room to spare, but it will work.
Two months ago, I was using the exact same graphics card and PSU, with 16GB of ram, two sata drives, a ssd, and a sound card. I upgraded the psu because I needed it in my SteamBox, but it did run everything without a problem.

 

[James Souvie]

The minimum requirement for that card is 600W so that doesn't give you room to spare, but it will work.
Two months ago, I was using the exact same graphics card and PSU, with 16GB of ram, two sata drives, a ssd, and a sound card. I upgraded the psu because I needed it in my SteamBox, but it did run everything without a problem.

Awesome, thanks for the reply. I'm new to PC gaming (EX-console kid) but I do that that messing with the PSU and pushing it to the max is NEVER a good idea. I might just switch over to a 2gb version. I know its a matter of opinion, but would I notice any kind of a difference switching over to a GTX770 2gb? Also, will that be under my 600W cap?

 

[Z-Tech]

No, no difference. Still 600W:
http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4685#ov

 

[James Souvie]

No, no difference. Still 600W:
http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4685#ov

So is getting that close to the 600W cap a bad idea? Im a pretty heavy gamer as far as the amount I play and the long stretches I play. Im pretty afraid of something burning out like my processor or even PSU.

 

[chris987]

well 770 is faster than 7870 and you will se difference in your performance but not huge difference(always depending on game). about the psu 770 has a 42A recommendetion for the 12v rail and a 600w psu. actually 42x12=504w so any true 600w psu's can deliver that power. so with your corsair you are good to go.

 

[enemy1g]

The 4GB and 2GB versio will likely use about the same amount of power; if you're playing at 1080p, there's absolutely no reason to go with the 4GB version. Well one reason, if you plan on using nvidia surround, and adding a second 770, while upgrading your PSU.

But, simply, a 2GB 770 is more than enough for 1080p.

Also, the GTX 770 requires a PSU that can supply at the very least, 42A to a 12V rail. Assuming you have the CX600, it provides 46A to a 12V rail, which is enough for your system. Although one thing of note, I would likely stay away from overclocking heavily. Other than that, the 600W psu should do just fine.

 

[James Souvie]

So its not a huge difference for the $300+ price tag? hmmmmm
I feel like Im missing out on some pretty nifty physx features. But if its only going to be a marginal upgrade I might just wait then.

 

[James Souvie]

The 4GB and 2GB versio will likely use about the same amount of power; if you're playing at 1080p, there's absolutely no reason to go with the 4GB version. Well one reason, if you plan on using nvidia surround, and adding a second 770, while upgrading your PSU.

But, simply, a 2GB 770 is more than enough for 1080p.

Also, the GTX 770 requires a PSU that can supply at the very least, 42A to a 12V rail. Assuming you have the CX600, it provides 46A to a 12V rail, which is enough for your system. Although one thing of note, I would likely stay away from overclocking heavily. Other than that, the 600W psu should do just fine.

No, Im not interested in overclocking. Yes, it is a CX600. So it looks like I may bypass the upgrade or just get a 2GB GTX if I'm feeling like I want to be an Nvidia guy. =)