PSU Required for OC 2500k and 6950?

[iBriian]

Hey guys,
I'm currently looking at new build from different components at TigerDirect. I have my eyes on a barebone kit with a i5 2500k and a 550W Power Supply Unit. (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=93097&sku=B69-1306)

I was wondering if the 550W Power Supply Unit that comes with the kit would be enough to handle a i5 2500k OC'd to 4.0 GHz and a Radeon 6950 very lightly overclocked.

[On a side note, I hear that liquid cooling doesn't fit in mid size cases very well. Is this true?]

Thanks!

 

[AdrianPerry]

500w PSU would be plenty for a single GPU. If you wanted to SLI at any point though 750w+ would be recommended. Also ideally look for a good quality PSU, something of a known brand, with an 80 PLUS rating.

As for watercooling, mid tower cases can house watercooling however the mounting points generally arent there as standard so the case would probably require some modification.

 

[genghiskron]

the problem is thats not really a 550w psu, because it only has 30A on its 12V rail (360W), not to mention its a piece of junk.

this is a superior combo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.644166

which will handle the i5 and 6950 overclocked. the problem with liquid cooling in mid size cases is fitting the radiators.

 

[iBriian]

500w PSU would be plenty for a single GPU. If you wanted to SLI at any point though 750w+ would be recommended. Also ideally look for a good quality PSU, something of a known brand, with an 80 PLUS rating.

As for watercooling, mid tower cases can house watercooling however the mounting points generally arent there as standard so the case would probably require some modification.

Thanks for the reply!

AMD's website says the requirement for the Radeon HD 6950 is a 500W PSU. I do hear that they often overestimate though and the "true" wattage requirement is often much lower. So a 550W PSU should be more than enough for an overclocked i5 2500k and a Radeon 6950?

[And back on the watercooling side note, if I were to overclock an i5 2500k to 4.0 GHz, would buying liquid cooling be a good idea, or would a fan be good enough?]

Thanks!

 

[nd_hunter]

Tom's did an article about multi-GPU scaling. They had an i7-2600k overclocked to 4.0GHz with two 2GB 6950s in Crossfire (not overclocked) pulling 432 watts from the wall with an 80+ Gold rated PSU.

The fan/heatsink that comes with the CPU is good enough for 4.0. However, to extend the life of the CPU and to keep the noise level down, an aftermarket cooler is recommended. The Coolermaster Hyper 212+ is the gold standard for price/performance, allowing stable overclocks to 4.5GHz or more with very good temps. Plus, I can't hear it in my HAF 912 case. It comes with thermal paste, so don't worry about purchasing that seperately.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

 

[AdrianPerry]

Thanks for the reply!

AMD's website says the requirement for the Radeon HD 6950 is a 500W PSU. I do hear that they often overestimate though and the "true" wattage requirement is often much lower. So a 550W PSU should be more than enough for an overclocked i5 2500k and a Radeon 6950?

[And back on the watercooling side note, if I were to overclock an i5 2500k to 4.0 GHz, would buying liquid cooling be a good idea, or would a fan be good enough?]

Thanks!

Yes your right about that. From what ive seen about the forums an i5-2500k and a 6950 only actually draws about 320w of power under full load or somthing like that. Manufacturers leave alot of headroom to cater for multiple fans, optical drives, HDD's ect ect. And of course not all PSU's are 80 PLUS rated meaning they actually give alot less power than they say they can so they have to cater for this aswell.

Generally PSU recommended brands are: OCZ, XFX, Corsair, Antec, SeaSonic (probably a few others too but thats off the top of my head)

 

[iBriian]

Tom's did an article about multi-GPU scaling. They had an i7-2600k overclocked to 4.0GHz with two 2GB 6950s in Crossfire (not overclocked) pulling 432 watts from the wall with an 80+ Gold rated PSU.

The fan/heatsink that comes with the CPU is good enough for 4.0. However, to extend the life of the CPU and to keep the noise level down, an aftermarket cooler is recommended. The Coolermaster Hyper 212+ is the gold standard for price/performance, allowing stable overclocks to 4.5GHz or more with very good temps. Plus, I can't hear it in my HAF 912 case. It comes with thermal paste, so don't worry about purchasing that seperately.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

Thanks a bunch! That helps tremendously.

So just to make sure, I can use a Hyper 212 with a mid size case with an i5 2500k overclocked to 4.0 GHz?

 

[iBriian]

Yes your right about that. From what ive seen about the forums an i5-2500k and a 6950 only actually draws about 320w of power under full load or somthing like that. Manufacturers leave alot of headroom to cater for multiple fans, optical drives, HDD's ect ect. And of course not all PSU's are 80 PLUS rated meaning they actually give alot less power than they say they can so they have to cater for this aswell.

Generally PSU recommended brands are: OCZ, XFX, Corsair, Antec, SeaSonic (probably a few others too but thats off the top of my head)

Yeah, I was planning on buying a Corsair 750 Watt.

Many thanks for your help!

 

[AdrianPerry]

The Hyper 212+ measures (i think 169mm high) or something very close to that.

Its recommended to have at least an 18-19cm (180-190mm) wide case, and even wider if you wish to have side fans on the inside of your case. It is BIG and can be a tight squeeze (depending on your choice of case)

 

[nd_hunter]

Depends on the case, though most newer cases are wide enough.

 

[iBriian]

The Hyper 212+ measures (i think 169mm high) or something very close to that.

Its recommended to have at least an 18-19cm (180-190mm) wide case, and even wider if you wish to have side fans on the inside of your case. It is BIG and can be a tight squeeze (depending on your choice of case)

Ah... That's alright, I expected it to be big. Thanks for the warning though, I think I'll buy a full tower case to fit it!

 

[iBriian]

Best answer selected by iBriian.

 

[AdrianPerry]

Full tower cases dont always mean wider. Some just mean taller.

Which ever case you choose, just double check the width of it before buying