Want to upgrade to a Radeon Hd 7970, have some questions about my PSU

[oasis5001]

My rig:
CPU:Intel Core i5 3350P @ 3.10GHz
RAM: 8.00GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 665MHz (
Motherboard: Intel Corporation DH67CL (SOCKET 0)
GPU: 1024MB ATI AMD Radeon HD 6870
PSU: Rosewill Stallion Series RD500-2DB 500W ATX12V

Budget Range: 250 for the gpu the one I'm looking at is the Radeon HD 7970, i'm willing to spend more if i need a new PSU

Parts to Upgrade: AMD Radeon HD 6870, possibly the PSU

Overclocking: no

SLI or Crossfire: no

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080,

I want to prepare for when games like watchdogs come out, and right now my rig is below the recommended settings. My cpu is below the recommended specs of 3.4, but I'd like to avoid upgrading it if i can since that is the most expensive.

I'm thinking of getting the Radeon HD 7970, but I'm not sure if my power supply is enough to power it. Will i be okay, or should I upgrade the PSU?

Also, in your opinion, how long do you think it will be until I would need to upgrade the 7970?

Thank you.

 

[HiTechObsessed]

Yeah, I would definitely upgrade the power supply before the 7970.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($47.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $47.99
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-14 17:06 EDT-0400)

The 7970 is a great card, and will get you Ultra/Max at 1080p, and the 3GB of VRAM will be good for longevity. Should at least get a few years out of it, maybe more, but it's hard to say.

 

[das_stig]

I wouldn't trust the PSU with an expensive and powerful GPU, the capacitors within are not from the best manufacturer.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story3&reid=32

 

[oasis5001]

Yeah, I would definitely upgrade the power supply before the 7970.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($47.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $47.99
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-14 17:06 EDT-0400)

The 7970 is a great card, and will get you Ultra/Max at 1080p, and the 3GB of VRAM will be good for longevity. Should at least get a few years out of it, maybe more, but it's hard to say.

I wouldn't trust the PSU with an expensive and powerful GPU, the capacitors within are not from the best manufacturer.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story3&reid=32

Do you have any PSU recommendations? Should I get a higher wattage than the one das_stig recommended?

 

[das_stig]

The XFX above is more than enough, the R7-250 needs about 181w at full load.