Upgraded CPU+GPU+Mobo - is the Antec 750W still enough?

[nisargtheiceman]

Question: is my Antec 750W PSU enough (4 yrs old) ?

I recently upgraded some parts of my build because of good deals/trade with friends.

I upgraded my CPU to i5 3570K Overclocked
Motherboard to Asus Sabertooth Z77
2x Radeon 6970 in Crossfire Overclocked(reused 1 from prev. build)
4x 128GB Samsung 840 SSD/Crucial M4
Creative Sound Blaster Z
Swiftech H220 Water Cooling kit

Older parts I kept:
2x 2TB WD Caviar Black
HAF X case with a bunch of fans - 4x 200mm, 6x 120mm
4x 4GB Patriot Viper Extreme RAM
2 Optical Drives
Fan Controller, PCIe Sata Card, Wifi Card, USB Card, Memory Card Reader

Also to keep in mind, I will be going for a custom WC loop in the next 3~6 months.

Should I keep or upgrade my Antec 750W PSU?

 

[nisargtheiceman]

Bump?

 

[Y0GI]

According to THIS SITE You need at least 800W for 6790 CF.

Yogi

 

[nisargtheiceman]

According to THIS SITE You need at least 800W for 6790 CF.

Yogi

Thanks, do you think my other components are going to jack up the power requirements beyond 800 significantly? I'm unsure of how this scales with OverClocking and Water Cooling - however I only want to spend money if I need to

 

[Y0GI]

According to THIS SITE You need at least 800W for 6790 CF.

Yogi

Thanks, do you think my other components are going to jack up the power requirements beyond 800 significantly? I'm unsure of how this scales with OverClocking and Water Cooling - however I only want to spend money if I need to

You have a LOT of peripherals and fans, and OC'ed CPU and GPUs. I'd get an 850 Watt as a minimum PSU.

Yogi

 

[ko888]

For a system using two Radeon HD 6970 graphics cards in 2-way CrossFireX mode AMD specifies a minimum of an 800 Watt or greater system power supply. The power supply should also have a maximum combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of 63 Amps or greater and have at least two 6-pin and two 8-pin PCI Express supplementary power connectors.

Total Power Supply Wattage is NOT the crucial factor in power supply selection!!! Sufficient Total Combined Continuous Power/Current Available on the +12V Rail(s) rated at 45°C - 50°C ambient temperature, is the most critical factor.

Overclocking of the CPU and/or GPU(s) may require an additional increase to the maximum combined +12 Volt continuous current ratings, recommended above, to meet the increase in power required for the overclock. The additional amount required will depend on the magnitude of the overclock being attempted.

You never specified the brand and model of the graphics cards or the power supply unit. How much of an overclock is being done to the graphics cards?

 

[nisargtheiceman]

For a system using two Radeon HD 6970 graphics cards in 2-way CrossFireX mode AMD specifies a minimum of an 800 Watt or greater system power supply. The power supply should also have a maximum combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of 63 Amps or greater and have at least two 6-pin and two 8-pin PCI Express supplementary power connectors.

Total Power Supply Wattage is NOT the crucial factor in power supply selection!!! Sufficient Total Combined Continuous Power/Current Available on the +12V Rail(s) rated at 45°C - 50°C ambient temperature, is the most critical factor.

Overclocking of the CPU and/or GPU(s) may require an additional increase to the maximum combined +12 Volt continuous current ratings, recommended above, to meet the increase in power required for the overclock. The additional amount required will depend on the magnitude of the overclock being attempted.

You never specified the brand and model of the graphics cards or the power supply unit. How much of an overclock is being done to the graphics cards?

The 2 GPUs are a stock MSI Radeon 6970 and a Dual-Fan Sapphire Radeon 6970, both air-cooled. The OCs are:
Core 880MHz -> 910MHz
Memory 1375Mhz -> 1410 Mhz

The CPU is i5 3570K, water-cooled.
OC is up to 4.3GHz

Current PSU is an Antec True Power 750W(~4 yrs old):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371025

 

[nisargtheiceman]

Correction, my 3570k is on order. Currently I'm using i5 2500k OC'ed to 4.7 Ghz

 

[ko888]

Correction, my 3570k is on order. Currently I'm using i5 2500k OC'ed to 4.7 Ghz

I think you're right on the edge of being sufficient with that CPU and its overclock and with the two graphics cards overclocked.

If you don't run any GPU stress testing like FurMark you should be fine with that Antec PSU.

 

[nisargtheiceman]

Correction, my 3570k is on order. Currently I'm using i5 2500k OC'ed to 4.7 Ghz

I think you're right on the edge of being sufficient with that CPU and its overclock and with the two graphics cards overclocked.

If you don't run any GPU stress testing like FurMark you should be fine with that Antec PSU.

Yes, I could feel that 'edge' decision too.

Thanks, maybe I'll look for a good deal on a PSU with Black Friday approaching to delay purchasing till then. I have a Seasonic 1000w in mind, but will wait this out.

 

[nisargtheiceman]

I haven't opened my case in a long time - let's hope the PSU has 2x 6 pin and 2x 8 pin connectors as well....

 

[ko888]

I haven't opened my case in a long time - let's hope the PSU has 2x 6 pin and 2x 8 pin connectors as well....

Antec's specs for that PSU says it does.

• OEM: Seasonic
• +12V1, 12V2, 12V3, 12V4 max. load: 62A(744W)
The continuous maximum total output power shall not exceed 750W.
• 2 x 6+2 PCI-E (hard wired cables)
• 2 x 6 Pin PCI-E (modular cables)

 

[nisargtheiceman]

Thanks ko888 and Y0GI

 

[nisargtheiceman]

I haven't opened my case in a long time - let's hope the PSU has 2x 6 pin and 2x 8 pin connectors as well....

Antec's specs for that PSU says it does.

• OEM: Seasonic
• +12V1, 12V2, 12V3, 12V4 max. load: 62A(744W)
The continuous maximum total output power shall not exceed 750W.
• 2 x 6+2 PCI-E (hard wired cables)
• 2 x 6 Pin PCI-E (modular cables)

Another question - is there any way to figure out that the PSU is insufficient - since I'm in the middle area of power availability, is there any chance that my components will be harmed if my PSU is not providing enough juice?
Will they stop working altogether or just perform poorly?

 

[ko888]

Another question - is there any way to figure out that the PSU is insufficient - since I'm in the middle area of power availability, is there any chance that my components will be harmed if my PSU is not providing enough juice?
Will they stop working altogether or just perform poorly?

That PSU does have OPP (Over Power Protection) and OCP (Over Current Protection) so you may end up triggering one of those protection circuits if your system draws enough to exceed the pre-determined set-point limits. The power supply should shut down to protect itself and the attached devices.