Power Supply for my 4870?

Thats really pushing it. The card loads almost 300W by itself.

I would go at least 550/600W with a quality brand.
 
Thats really pushing it. The card loads almost 300W by itself.

I would go at least 550/600W with a quality brand.

you need to read that again

For this test we hooked up our power supply to a UPM power meter that will log the power consumption of the whole system twice every second. In order to stress the GPU as much as possible we once again use the Batch Render test in 3DMark06 and let it run for 30 minutes to determine the peak power consumption while letting the card sit at a stable Windows desktop for 30 minutes to determine the peak idle power consumption.

Please note that after extensive testing, we have found that simply plugging in a power meter to a wall outlet or UPS will NOT give you accurate power consumption numbers due to slight changes in the input voltage. Thus we use a Tripp-Lite 1800W line conditioner between the 120V outlet and the power meter.
 
It's definitely gonna be pushed a lot, especially when gaming. It should be ok though if it can do 500W, and you will definitely find out just how good that Rosewill's build quality is.
 
How do you know if the power supply is not performing good?

Would it be obvious like the system would shut down?

Or would it be more subtle like frame rates starting to drop?

Please no speculation I want to see if someone has experienced an actual under performing power supply for their system..

Because if I pop in the 4870 and can play my games at a nice framerate with no reboots, etc, I should be good to go right? I mean, I dont have a ton of extra things in my system. I even use onboard sound and I dont overclock..

Thanks!
 
How do you know if it is not good? Would it be obvious like the system would shut down?

Or would it be more subtle like frame rates starting to drop? Please no speculation I want to see if someone has experienced an actual under performing power supply for their system..

Thanks!

if jonnyguru gave it a good review you will be fine. and yes the system would have issues and they would be noticeable. And I am not speculating. a bad psu caused my PC to shut off 10 seconds after booting. (why did you need the personal experience?) but if your that worried upgrade it.
 
Make sure the PS that johnnyGuru reviewed is the exact same (look at the pictures and specs...) as the one sold on newegg. Rosewill is just newegg rebadging stuff from a lot of manufacturers, they will often rebadge different things with the same paper specs with the same model number.

If you look at the spec chart on the side of the PS's, they're very different.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules/NDReviews/images/RP500-2/RP500-2_08.jpg

http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggImage/productimage/17-182-009-14.jpg
 
Cheapest PSU that I would use for a single 4870 is the Corsair 450VX. Get any Corsair PSU and be assured that it will work great.
 
Make sure the PS that johnnyGuru reviewed is the exact same (look at the pictures and specs...) as the one sold on newegg. Rosewill is just newegg rebadging stuff from a lot of manufacturers, they will often rebadge different things with the same paper specs with the same model number.

If you look at the spec chart on the side of the PS's, they're very different.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules/NDReviews/images/RP500-2/RP500-2_08.jpg

http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggImage/productimage/17-182-009-14.jpg

hum, I think I need to post this over at jonnyguru. if that is true he could have just about anything. we need the numbers off the PSU
 
And I am not speculating. a bad psu caused my PC to shut off 10 seconds after booting.

This is what I needed to know. Because If I can boot and play games for hours with no issues then I dont need to spend money on a new power supply.

However, if I am cruising along getting 40fps in a game when I can be getting 60fps AND DONT KNOW IT, then I have a problem and will spend the cash.

Basically I wanted to know if an underpowered power supply can lower frame rates or will it be more obvious like system shut downs, etc?
 
Basically I wanted to know if an underpowered power supply can lower frame rates or will it be more obvious like system shut downs, etc?

An underpowered PSU does not affect the performance of the system. However an underpowered or shit quality PSU will heavily affect the stability and safety of the system.

And the above is not speculation considering that I've had a shit-quality underpowered Apevia PSU kill a few drives. In addition all of this information could easily be gleaned from exploring the PSU subforum we have.

As for the particular Rosewill PSU you have, the UL number lists it as ATNG made. ATNG does make decent to excellent quality PSUs.
 
Thats really pushing it. The card loads almost 300W by itself.

I would go at least 550/600W with a quality brand.

The card has a TDP of just under 160W. Even the 4870X2 will only use a maximum of "only" 286W.

26A should be enough but you'll be pushing it. My 450W has got 33A and I would be wary of putting a 4870 in my system (allthough it would probably do fine).
 
I was wondering if this power supply I bought a year ago will hold up for my 4870:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182009

It is a single rail, +12V@26A.

I use an onboard sound card, currently have an 8800gt, and I am only getting one 4870, not too.

Should I be okay?



DUDE SERIOUSLY??? your going to shell out three hundred bucks for a top notch video card only to risk frying it with a cheap ass power supply from rosewill????
Power supply is not an area where you should be skimping on quality. Try Seasonic, Enermax, PC Power and Cooling units of at least 600 watts and preferably with a SINGLE 12v rail.

I also suggest you review the power requirements for a 4870 card.

If youre not spending a hundred bucks to a hundred fifty min. on a power supply then you are most likely buying a ticking time bomb.


DO A GOOGLE FOR " Johnny Guru" his website does detailed reviews of power supplies and you will find alot of useful information there.
 
The problem is, there are a lot of varying opinions.

I have a very good quality 500w with 26A on the +12V

If I fire up my 4870 and the performance is nice, I should not have anything to worry about correct?
 
The problem is, there are a lot of varying opinions.

I have a very good quality 500w with 26A on the +12V

If I fire up my 4870 and the performance is nice, I should not have anything to worry about correct?

500 watts is plenty if its a good PSU. it seems to be one. and yes if PSU will not handle it you will know.

This is why everyone love corsair. There is no question. you can't recommend a bad corsair PSU. If your worried about spend the 85 dollars and get a Corsair 750XT. you could run anything you wanted up to two 4870X2
 
I'm also considering a 4870. I was wondering if my PSU will be enough? Its a Neopower 480 from like 2004 and has 2 12v rails. They are 18a and 16a. Not sure if thats enough though. They're something like 384 watts combined. Thanks!
 
The problem is, there are a lot of varying opinions.

I have a very good quality 500w with 26A on the +12V

If I fire up my 4870 and the performance is nice, I should not have anything to worry about correct?

26a is just AVERAGE amps for the 12v rail, if memory serves the 4870 specs for more than 26 amps though I could be wrong, in any case if you arent just under what you need then you certainly arent over what about other hardware needing 12 volts? you have NO room to play with and if you have more than one 12v rail then your not getting a full 26 amps on either of them.
 
I'm also considering a 4870. I was wondering if my PSU will be enough? Its a Neopower 480 from like 2004 and has 2 12v rails. They are 18a and 16a. Not sure if thats enough though. They're something like 384 watts combined. Thanks!

NOPE NOT ENOUGH SORRY check the specs for the ati cards
 
Maybe this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182062

Everything has dual rails now, so I get balk when i see +12V1@19A, +12V2@19A

Should I count this as 38??


CERTAINLY NOT it doesnt work that way, you can only count the amps on a single rail and in the case of multi rails you might as well subtract 3 a from the spec becuase you will lose amps due to the split rail. This power supply WILL NOT MEET YOUR NEEDS for a 4870 card. Again I caution you to buy a good name brand power supply and increase your budget for this item to 100 to 150 bucks. I highly recommend seasonic and pc power and cooling check the JOHNNY GURU website for important information about power supplies, there are ONLY a small handful of companies who actually make them. Anyhow check out that site and learn a thing or two about power supplies before rushing out to buy one...........Penny wise.........POUND FOOLISH! or in other words save a buck now and spend alot more bucks when a cheapo supply blows and takes some of your hardware out with it.
 
CERTAINLY NOT it doesnt work that way, you can only count the amps on a single rail and in the case of multi rails you might as well subtract 3 a from the spec becuase you will lose amps due to the split rail. This power supply WILL NOT MEET YOUR NEEDS for a 4870 card. Again I caution you to buy a good name brand power supply and increase your budget for this item to 100 to 150 bucks. I highly recommend seasonic and pc power and cooling check the JOHNNY GURU website for important information about power supplies, there are ONLY a small handful of companies who actually make them. Anyhow check out that site and learn a thing or two about power supplies before rushing out to buy one...........Penny wise.........POUND FOOLISH! or in other words save a buck now and spend alot more bucks when a cheapo supply blows and takes some of your hardware out with it.

So you are gonna tell me this wont work right?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182150

It has 22A on each rail and it wont work? The 4870 has 2 pin connectors that would each have their own line to different rails..

Again mixed opinions all over the place. Although the people that threaten doom and gloom are perhaps trying to justify the $150 they overspent on a power supply.
 
Maybe this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182062

Everything has dual rails now, so I get balk when i see +12V1@19A, +12V2@19A

Should I count this as 38??

So you are gonna tell me this wont work right?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182150

It has 22A on each rail and it wont work? The 4870 has 2 pin connectors that would each have their own line to different rails.

First of all, you don't add up the rails to get the total amperage. You determine the amperage on the +12V rails by first finding out what's the total combined, max load, combined or max wattage aside for the +12V rails/section alone. Then divide that total by 12 and you get how much amps the PSU has on the +12V rail.

So in the case of the first PSU you link to, that PSU has 35A on the +12V rail, according to the Rosewill website:
http://www.rosewill.com/products/753/productDetail.htm

The second PSU you listed has 480W on the +12V rail. So divide that by 12 and you get a total of 40A on the +12V rail. However I wouldn't go with either Rosewill PSU since there are better quality PSUs in their price range like the Corsair 450VX. If those Rosewill PSUs were confirmed to be of good quality, then yes they'll be just fine for your system. However, their quality has not been confirmed by reputable source with a proper PSU testing methodology.

And no your current Rosewill PSU is a confirmed good quality unit either. The Rosewill PSU in the JonnyGuru review may share the exact same name and model but there's one major difference: Yours has one rail whereas the tested model had two rails. That's a design change and, despite what you hear, single rails are not automatically better than muli-rail designs. So all of the Rosewill PSUs link in this thread so far are of unconfirmed quality.

Hence why everyone is voting against the Rosewill. Not because they don't have enough power but because their quality is not assured.

And I'll address some of conghelach's misguided statements (he has a few) a bit later when I have more time.
 
500 watts is plenty if its a good PSU. it seems to be one. and yes if PSU will not handle it you will know.

This is why everyone love corsair. There is no question. you can't recommend a bad corsair PSU. If your worried about spend the 85 dollars and get a Corsair 750XT. you could run anything you wanted up to two 4870X2

You cannot run two 4870 x2, you can run 4870 x2 or 2x 4870, but not that. Not to say it won't run at all, but there will be zero headroom and may be very over strained.
 
You cannot run two 4870 x2, you can run 4870 x2 or 2x 4870, but not that. Not to say it won't run at all, but there will be zero headroom and may be very over strained.

Not really. See this review:
http://hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTUzMSw5LCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==

Yes HD4870X2 does use 686W of power but that's measured at the wall. The actual power output by the power supply once you factor in 80% efficiency, which the Corsair 750TX does have, is 549W. So the 750TX will still have plenty of headroom left after HD4870X2 CF.
 
I'm also considering a 4870. I was wondering if my PSU will be enough? Its a Neopower 480 from like 2004 and has 2 12v rails. They are 18a and 16a. Not sure if thats enough though. They're something like 384 watts combined. Thanks!

Should work fine as long as you distribute the load evenly between the two rails. The 4870 will use up about 13A on its own.

ATI sais the 4870 requires a "500 Watt power supply".. but they don't mention any brands or specifications. There's a huge difference between a 500W generic discount brand PSU and a 500W high quality PSU. A cheap 500W PSU is more like a 300W quality PSU.

There's a misconception that everything these days requires like a 650W PSU. For most users, something in the 450W-550W range is perfectly fine unless you're going to Crossfire/SLI two high-end cards. Videocards have become a bit more power hungry but CPUs and other components are using less power than before except for the highest-end quad-core processors and the 90nm Athlon X2's. I think there's two reasons for this misconception.
1. PSU marketing: PSU manufacturers want you to buy the most expensive PSU because that means more profit for them. Many have even dropped the <550W PSUs from their product range. Only a few like Corsair still market quality PSUs in this range.

2. There are a lot of really crap, cheap PSUs in this range. If someone tries to use the cheap 450W PSU that came with the case and it fails, they won't go out and buy a 500W PSU - they'll go with a 700W just to be sure, even though a high quality 500W would probably have been enough. That cheap PSU was probably about as capable as a high quality 280W PSU...
 
Not really. See this review:
http://hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTUzMSw5LCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==

Yes HD4870X2 does use 686W of power but that's measured at the wall. The actual power output by the power supply once you factor in 80% efficiency, which the Corsair 750TX does have, is 549W. So the 750TX will still have plenty of headroom left after HD4870X2 CF.


That's ONE review, most reviews out there shows 4870 x2 CF system use around 750 W or more. One review shows 780W with what they call a bare minimum system.
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/1541/17/sapphire_radeon_hd_4870_x2_in_crossfirex/index.html
And Hard clearly pointed out they did not try to max system's power usage. Also this review clearly shows you some 3D app use less power.

http://www.legitreviews.com/article/766/11/

I strongly advise against use a 750W for 4870 x2 CF.
 
I strongly advise against using two 4870X2 cards. :p Waste of power and money. But if you absolutely must use them, it looks like you need 850W or so to be on the safe side. Note that all single-GPU configurations (possibly even the CF/X2 configurations) shown here would work fine with a quality 450W-550W PSU.
 
That's ONE review, most reviews out there shows 4870 x2 CF system use around 750 W or more. One review shows 780W with what they call a bare minimum system.
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/1541/17/sapphire_radeon_hd_4870_x2_in_crossfirex/index.html
And Hard clearly pointed out they did not try to max system's power usage. Also this review clearly shows you some 3D app use less power.

http://www.legitreviews.com/article/766/11/

I strongly advise against use a 750W for 4870 x2 CF.

Keep in mind; it tests the complete system

778 * .8 = 622.4 A corsair 750XT would and could power that. add another hundred for extra components your still good. Corsairs will run at the rated power. I would of course like more head room then that but still if I was only gaming on occasion I would not see an issue. A 1Kwatt PSU is very H but largely necessary if you buy a quality PSU
 
Bare in mind, they are not running staff like Interburntest for 3D( I am not aware any such thing exist). So none of them can claim that's the Max power usage, but rather the power usage they got when running some 3D app. So with 750w not only you will have close to no headroom. You may very well be overdrawing.

You may not gaming much, but the game you play might be use more power, looking at the COD4/cysis, I would not doubt there may be games use more power than CoD4.
 
you need to read that again

For this test we hooked up our power supply to a UPM power meter that will log the power consumption of the whole system twice every second. In order to stress the GPU as much as possible we once again use the Batch Render test in 3DMark06 and let it run for 30 minutes to determine the peak power consumption while letting the card sit at a stable Windows desktop for 30 minutes to determine the peak idle power consumption.

Please note that after extensive testing, we have found that simply plugging in a power meter to a wall outlet or UPS will NOT give you accurate power consumption numbers due to slight changes in the input voltage. Thus we use a Tripp-Lite 1800W line conditioner between the 120V outlet and the power meter.

Glad someone posted this before everyone went haywire.
 
So someone mentions that X power supply wont work in 2x4870 crossfire and now this thread has been hijacked into a crossfire power suppy thread?

Please lets keep this thread about a power supply for ONE 4870.

Thanks
 
Should work fine as long as you distribute the load evenly between the two rails. The 4870 will use up about 13A on its own.

ATI sais the 4870 requires a "500 Watt power supply".. but they don't mention any brands or specifications. There's a huge difference between a 500W generic discount brand PSU and a 500W high quality PSU. A cheap 500W PSU is more like a 300W quality PSU.

There's a misconception that everything these days requires like a 650W PSU. For most users, something in the 450W-550W range is perfectly fine unless you're going to Crossfire/SLI two high-end cards. Videocards have become a bit more power hungry but CPUs and other components are using less power than before except for the highest-end quad-core processors and the 90nm Athlon X2's. I think there's two reasons for this misconception.
1. PSU marketing: PSU manufacturers want you to buy the most expensive PSU because that means more profit for them. Many have even dropped the <550W PSUs from their product range. Only a few like Corsair still market quality PSUs in this range.

2. There are a lot of really crap, cheap PSUs in this range. If someone tries to use the cheap 450W PSU that came with the case and it fails, they won't go out and buy a 500W PSU - they'll go with a 700W just to be sure, even though a high quality 500W would probably have been enough. That cheap PSU was probably about as capable as a high quality 280W PSU...

Sweet! I guess I'll give it a shot and see what happens!
 
So someone mentions that X power supply wont work in 2x4870 crossfire and now this thread has been hijacked into a crossfire power suppy thread?

Please lets keep this thread about a power supply for ONE 4870.

Thanks

No doubt.
 
I don't recall seeing it, but were the complete system specs listed? I know the video card is the single most power hungry piece of equipment, but it certainly isn't the only relavent piece of hardware in determining PSU requirments.
 
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