Can I use a gtx 580 with these specs?

[dezzil]

Will I be able to use a gtx 580 with my computer build.

P6T SE LGAI366 socket.. 3x pci express 2.0 x16 slots... 1x PCIe xl and 2x PCL 1333/1066 mhz

cpu is i7 950

4gb ram.. but I would like to get another 4gb ram.

and my power supply is 625 va... would I need a better power supply?

Right now I have a hd 5850.

Thanks for your help

[Coldchaos]

A) Yes you could use it.
B) You'd be much better off with SLI 560ti and a new PSU
C) You probably can keep your PSU and get a 580 and be fine, pending usage from the rest of your case/etc.

[taekvideo]

Your power supply is fine for a 580.
I recommend the Msi Twin Frozr or Msi Lightning.

[redmund]

B) You'd be much better off with SLI 560ti and a new PSU

560 Ti SLI and a new PSU would cost more than a 580. $220 per card for the 560 + the price of a GOOD PSU vs $460 ($420 after rebate) on Newegg for the 580. The performance is about the same, but the advantage goes to the 580 because you pretty much never have to worry about SLI compatibility. Also, the cheapest 560 Ti models are only 1GB, with the 2GB models being $270 at the cheapest. The 580 starts at 1.5GB and also has a 3GB option ($550 for the cheapest one of these). Whilst 3GB will most likely be overkill for the OP, 1.5GB is definitely worthwhile if you're running 1920x1080 or higher with high levels of AA. Even more so for very new games like BF3 etc..

[Coldchaos]

560 Ti SLI and a new PSU would cost more than a 580. $220 per card for the 560 + the price of a GOOD PSU vs $460 ($420 after rebate) on Newegg for the 580. The performance is about the same, but the advantage goes to the 580 because you pretty much never have to worry about SLI compatibility. Also, the cheapest 560 Ti models are only 1GB, with the 2GB models being $270 at the cheapest. The 580 starts at 1.5GB and also has a 3GB option ($550 for the cheapest one of these). Whilst 3GB will most likely be overkill for the OP, 1.5GB is definitely worthwhile if you're running 1920x1080 or higher with high levels of AA. Even more so for very new games like BF3 etc..

Benchmarks say otherwise, by a long shot. Also, I just don't know of any good brands that even make 625W PSUs anymore, which makes me wary about recommending it for a high end card.



P.S. Why are you even upgrading a 5850?

[redmund]

Benchmarks say otherwise, by a long shot. Also, I just don't know of any good brands that even make 625W PSUs anymore, which makes me wary about recommending it for a high end card.

P.S. Why are you even upgrading a 5850?

Yeah, sorry, I was thinking of 460 SLI which is what I run myself. There is a performance advantage to 560 SLI, but it's just not worth the hassle IMO. Extra cooling, fiddling with SLI profiles for new games when nVidia slack on updates, a total lack of any SLI for some games. RAGE even lost performance when SLI was enabled. For me, it'll be the last time I ever try SLI. Single card solutions are just so much simpler and more reliable.

[Coldchaos]

Yeah, sorry, I was thinking of 460 SLI which is what I run myself. There is a performance advantage to 560 SLI, but it's just not worth the hassle IMO. Extra cooling, fiddling with SLI profiles for new games when nVidia slack on updates, a total lack of any SLI for some games. RAGE even lost performance when SLI was enabled. For me, it'll be the last time I ever try SLI. Single card solutions are just so much simpler and more reliable.

The only real hassle I've found is setting alternate SLI rendering for games that have issues with it. Which newer games usually don't.
If I was going to buy a single card right now it would have to be the ASUS 570 with its huge cooler for overclocking.

[Fuzzeekee]

You should get an FSP aurum brand PSU if you are considering something that involves sucking a lot of power. They are on par with seasonic PSUs and cost 100-130$. DO NOT CHEAP OUT ON A PSU WITH A NICE GPU. Also you might or might not want to get crossfire/SLI, because it produces a lot of heat, and in the end if you're always running a machine, even if it's idling....It's going to be sucking a lot of power.
1.) What you should really think about is how long you want your GPU to last before you upgrade it, how much you want to pay on your power bill, are you buying a card with the reference design, is your computer going to become a space heater because of improper airflow?
2.) In the end it really just comes down to the durability of the rest of the parts in your computer when you add in SLI or a GPU that is expensive. Do you have the cash to upgrade to another super expensive card when your part becomes a slow space heater? How about in 3 years from now, will your GPU be power efficient enough that you're not thinking "god this is slow, the fans are making a lot of noise because it's producing so much heat to keep up with these games." when really if you got just a single card, you wouldn't ever think that, because there's far less air flow going through your case. (I can't even count how many times I've had to remove my HSF setups to clean them, or even fix issues.)
3.) Honestly #2 is so much info there to think about.