[SOLVED] What is the ideal power supply for Intel Core i7 4770k (Haswell) 4000ghz with GTX-970 (4gb) GPU?

Oct 25, 2020
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I have recently updated my old PC and now wondering if my current power supply can serve well enough.
My current build is
  • 12gb DDR 1600 RAM
  • MSI GTX 970 - 4gb
  • Intel Core i7 4770k (Haswell) 4000ghz (hasn't got an optimal cpu cooler yet)
  • some hdd/ssd
I am looking to either upgrade or downgrade my power supply as I believe it could be a bit of an overkill, but my worry is that I still have to find an optimal cooling system for my CPU which could again increase the required minimum power. With the current cooler ( unbranded piece of metal ) my CPU runs around 60-70 degree celsius but under performance can easily jump up to 100 or even shut down/reboot. ( at the moment underclocked so it doesn't cook itself )
I'm not much of a heavy gamer but time to time I would like to put it under pressure - play Battlefield 1 or other new gen games.
What would be the most ideal CPU cooler with the current power supply, so I can keep its temperature around 60-70 during heavy use?
If I upgrade ( I must ) the CPU cooler, would I need to do the same with the power supply?
Any suggestions are welcome :)
 
Solution
I see, well I can say I've got plenty of room in my case and I'm using this motherboard for my stack, but this very cooler seems a good option based on customer reviews.

The case can accommodate a 160mm CPU cooler. The Hyper 212 is not really that great... cheap, but not good at all in terms of value.

That 4770k is quite a hard to cool CPU, that's caused by the TIM between the heatspreader and the die. They slightly improved it with the 4790k.

Just noticed the H81 motherboard... so OCing won't be a thing anymore.

This will perform far better than the 212:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU Cooler: Scythe Mugen 5 Rev. B 51.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($48.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $48.99...
Firstly, that PSU is a great quality model... no problems there.

Getting a new CPU cooler won't increase power draw. The fans on the CPU cooler are the only ones that actually draw power and it's an insignificant amount.

With a new CPU cooler you'll be able to run your CPU at stock(no undervolt) or even OCed (you won't be able to, H81 chipset)... drawing more power is what, I'm assuming, worries you about the PSU not being enough. Nothing to worry though... your total system power consumption will be waaaaaaaaay under 750W even OCing everything to the limit... also, the PSU is a great quality model and that helps too.

Efficiency(power consumed by your system/power drawn from the wall) wise the RM750 uses a design that even with lower power draw the unit still remains highly efficient.

For the cooler recommendation, you'll need to look for what your case supports in terms of height (of the CPU cooler) first, before making any decisions.
 
Last edited:
Oct 25, 2020
4
0
10
Many thanks for the swift response! This was really helpful. At first I got a bit scared of my power supply as the fans aren't actually working under low usage, It theoretically should only turn on when used performance heavy.
In terms of CPU cooler, I've found a this list of all supported coolers, here's the link if you have any recommendations. ( please do :unsure:)
Budget wise I wouldn't mind not spend a fortune on it, but as long as keeps my CPU healthy I'm okay to pay. ( water cooling out of sight as this build in my opinion is not worth the hassle. After all I've only got "midlevel" stuff in my PC.
 
Many thanks for the swift response! This was really helpful. At first I got a bit scared of my power supply as the fans aren't actually working under low usage, It theoretically should only turn on when used performance heavy.
In terms of CPU cooler, I've found a this list of all supported coolers, here's the link if you have any recommendations. ( please do :unsure:)
Budget wise I wouldn't mind not spend a fortune on it, but as long as keeps my CPU healthy I'm okay to pay. ( water cooling out of sight as this build in my opinion is not worth the hassle. After all I've only got "midlevel" stuff in my PC.

Compatibility of the cooler with the motherboard is not the problem here... all coolers do have a LGA1150 mounting bracket.

I asked you about the case and SPECIFICALLY the maximum CPU cooler height that it can accommodate. With these single/dual tower coolers height is a big concern... if the cooler is too high for your case you'll basically need to run with the side panel off.

Do include the case model or at least the maximum CPU cooler height for it, as I can't really make you any recommendations without them.
 
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Oct 25, 2020
4
0
10
Compatibility of the cooler with the motherboard is not the problem here... all coolers do have a LGA1150 mounting bracket.

I asked you about the case and SPECIFICALLY the maximum CPU cooler height that it can accommodate. With these single/dual tower coolers height is a big concern... if the cooler is too high for your case you'll basically need to run with the side panel off.

Do include the case model or at least the maximum CPU cooler height for it, as I can't really make you any recommendations without them.

I see, well I can say I've got plenty of room in my case and I'm using this motherboard for my stack, but this very cooler seems a good option based on customer reviews.
 
I see, well I can say I've got plenty of room in my case and I'm using this motherboard for my stack, but this very cooler seems a good option based on customer reviews.

The case can accommodate a 160mm CPU cooler. The Hyper 212 is not really that great... cheap, but not good at all in terms of value.

That 4770k is quite a hard to cool CPU, that's caused by the TIM between the heatspreader and the die. They slightly improved it with the 4790k.

Just noticed the H81 motherboard... so OCing won't be a thing anymore.

This will perform far better than the 212:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU Cooler: Scythe Mugen 5 Rev. B 51.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($48.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $48.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-10-25 11:57 EDT-0400


If you want even better cooling performance, the dual heatsink Scythe Fuma 2 is really great at its price:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU Cooler: Scythe FUMA 2 51.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $59.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-10-25 12:12 EDT-0400
 
Last edited:
Solution
Oct 25, 2020
4
0
10
The case can accommodate a 160mm CPU cooler. The Hyper 212 is not really that great... cheap, but not good at all in terms of value.

That 4770k is quite a hard to cool CPU, that's caused by the TIM between the heatspreader and the die. They slightly improved it with the 4790k.

Just noticed the H81 motherboard... so OCing won't be a thing anymore.

This will perform far better than the 212:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU Cooler: Scythe Mugen 5 Rev. B 51.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($48.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $48.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-10-25 11:57 EDT-0400


If you want even better cooling performance, the dual heatsink Scythe Fuma 2 is really great at its price:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU Cooler: Scythe FUMA 2 51.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $59.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-10-25 12:12 EDT-0400
Many thanks for it. I'll probably go with the Mugen 5 for now. I think with this basic mobo would be a bit of an overkill to use something like Fuma 2. If I had a bit heftier CPU I definitely would but with the Mugen 5 I should be okay to fix this issue.
Many thanks for your help :)