Building a new PC need some help

[Rando1710]

Hey guys building a new PC, here is what I am putting together....

EVGA SuperClocked GeForce GTX 580

2 x G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)


Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

ASUS P8Z68-V PRO LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

COOLER MASTER Storm Sniper SGC-6000-KXN1-GP Black Steel, ABS Plastic, Mesh bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm sleeve CPU Cooler

Now my only problem is that I am trying to decide on the video card...I'd love to go crazy and get Nvidia 590, but it is just way too expensive at the moment. However, I am not deciding going for the 570 or 580 or if anyone has any thoughts on any other cards please feel free to let me know! By the way any question or anything better that I am missing please let me know!

[Blackemperor]

Standard questions such as what do you plan on playing and what do you currently play?
What power supply (unless I missed it)? 580+'s need mad power. I have 2 x gtx 580s with a 1200w power supply just in case lol

[Rando1710]

Well I plan on playing everything new on max settings like BF3 and Skyrim and whatever else may come about! Just don't about power supply because I am unsure of what video card...I am leaning towards Crossfire 6970s but it seems like its going to be crazy expensive. Really just look to spend $500 or less.

[OhpUldum]

Best option available to you right now would be to purchase a single GTX580 and a power supply capable of running SLI. Then when the funds permit you pick up a second GTX580.

Now if you don't like that option then you can do the same but with Radeon HD6970's. Or Crossfire from the get go. However in most games the GTX580's in SLI are scoring better than CF HD6970's.

[Rando1710]

What kind of power supply would I need ?

[Milkshake86]

Id say 900w for an SLI/CFX setup minimum. Getting a 2600k and Aftermarket cooler says overclocking so 950w probably safe w/ 750w for single 580. ATI Radeon 6970 consumes a bit less power.

[taekvideo]

Id say 900w for an SLI/CFX setup minimum. Getting a 2600k and Aftermarket cooler says overclocking so 950w probably safe w/ 750w for single 580. ATI Radeon 6970 consumes a bit less power.

You're overestimating the power needs. 2x580's can be run on 750w... a single can be run on 550w. That's including potential overclocks.

Best option available to you right now would be to purchase a single GTX580 and a power supply capable of running SLI. Then when the funds permit you pick up a second GTX580.

Now if you don't like that option then you can do the same but with Radeon HD6970's. Or Crossfire from the get go. However in most games the GTX580's in SLI are scoring better than CF HD6970's.

Well of course, 6970's are comparable in price and performance to 570's not 580's silly :P

[bigbaddan]

You're overestimating the power needs. 2x580's can be run on 750w... a single can be run on 550w. That's including potential overclocks.



Well of course, 6970's are comparable in price and performance to 570's not 580's silly :P

You're underestimating the power needs. Of course they CAN be run on a 750w, but you shouldn't. Overclocked 580s? No way should you be using a 750. At that point you should be picking up a 1000w+. The absolute lowest you should be running 2x580s (non-oc) on is an 850, but it would be terribly inefficient. Each card can peak at 275-300w and the i7 around 125w. That gets you to 675-725 pretty quickly. Add in the rest of the computer and you are maxing+ your 750 or having a poorly running 850.

Considering power supplies run most efficiently in the 50-70% range, you'd be crazy to get anything less than a 1000w.

[taekvideo]

You're underestimating the power needs. Of course they CAN be run on a 750w, but you shouldn't. Overclocked 580s? No way should you be using a 750. At that point you should be picking up a 1000w+. The absolute lowest you should be running 2x580s (non-oc) on is an 850, but it would be terribly inefficient. Each card can peak at 275-300w and the i7 around 125w. That gets you to 675-725 pretty quickly. Add in the rest of the computer and you are maxing+ your 750 or having a poorly running 850.

Considering power supplies run most efficiently in the 50-70% range, you'd be crazy to get anything less than a 1000w.

580's peak at 250w when not overclocked... and an i7-2600k peaks at 100w when not overclocked. That's 600w. A 750w psu leaves 150w for overclocking and/or buffer zone, which is plenty. Bumping it to 850w would be better for the extra buffer zone, but 1000w is way overkill.

[bigbaddan]

580's peak at 250w when not overclocked... and an i7-2600k peaks at 100w when not overclocked. That's 600w. A 750w psu leaves 150w for overclocking and/or buffer zone, which is plenty. Bumping it to 850w would be better for the extra buffer zone, but 1000w is way overkill.

Wow, your peak numbers are quite a bit off, but it looks like you are simply trusting the manufacturers as opposed to reading independent tests. It's time to read up a bit. Again, as I said power supplies run most efficiently at 50-70% off their max wattage. 600 of 750 is 80%, and you haven't taken into consideration the rest of the components. 600 of 850 is 70.5%, but again that's just three items. You'd probably be ok, but it's pushing it. Common sense says if you are running two 580s and an i7, you'd better be getting a 1000 watt psu. Base your decisions around the manufacturer's numbers if you want, but it will only lead to trouble.

But let's use the actual numbers for these items...580s can hit 350+ peak and the i7 will hit 125. There are several websites that have tested power consumption and all hit about the same. That's 825 without any overclocking. So again, let's step back and apply a bit of common sense here. If three items can hit 800+ at peak, would you buy a power supply that can't even provide that much power?

[taekvideo]

Wow, your peak numbers are quite a bit off, but it looks like you are simply trusting the manufacturers as opposed to reading independent tests. It's time to read up a bit. Again, as I said power supplies run most efficiently at 50-70% off their max wattage. 600 of 750 is 80%, and you haven't taken into consideration the rest of the components. 600 of 850 is 70.5%, but again that's just three items. You'd probably be ok, but it's pushing it. Common sense says if you are running two 580s and an i7, you'd better be getting a 1000 watt psu. Base your decisions around the manufacturer's numbers if you want, but it will only lead to trouble.

But let's use the actual numbers for these items...580s can hit 350+ peak and the i7 will hit 125. There are several websites that have tested power consumption and all hit about the same. That's 825 without any overclocking. So again, let's step back and apply a bit of common sense here. If three items can hit 800+ at peak, would you buy a power supply that can't even provide that much power?

The nvidia/amd/intel TDP ratings are accurate for stock settings.
Wherever you're getting your numbers from is wrong.
Mind linking one of these 3rd party tests that you're basing your information off of?
350+ doesn't even seem possible... especially considering the pci-e specification only allows a maximum of 300w (75 from the pci-e socket itself, 75 from the 6-pin power connector, and 150 from the 8-pin power connector).