Gigabyte GTX570 OC + Antec 620 HCG - Enough juice?

[TedC]

The card is listed as needing 600W PSU: GIGABYTE - Graphics Card - NVIDIA - PCI Express Solution - GeForce 500 Series - GV-N570OC-13I (rev. 1.0)
PSU: Antec.com - Product: HCG-620


Wondering if I will have enough power to run the GPU. I have searched around and found a few rigs where people are running this setup. I don't need to run it 24/7 I just need to know if the system should boot.

[wazza300]

if your system isnt overclocked you just might scrape through

[TedC]

The card is rated for 600w on the gigabyte website, and looking at "real" power draw figures my system should stay below 500 at load with the 570. The Antec HCG psu is made by seasonic so it should be fairly stable.

Does anyone else have experience with the GTX 570 OC (maybe a 580?) and power supplies?
What would I need to run gtx 570 OC SLI? 900w? 1000w? 1200w?

Thanks!

[profJim]

Check out eXtreme Power Supply Calculator to see how much power your system will need, based on the detailed information that you enter. As long as your psu output is less than 80% of its rated output you won't have a problem.

A little math:

• 80% of 620 watts = 496 watts (D.C. output)
• 500 watts divided by 83% = 602 watts (A.C. input from the electrical outlet)
  This assumes that your psu has 83% efficiency when 500 watts is provided by your psu.
• Most (but not all) video card and motherboards reviews report how much A.C. electrical power is drawn from the electrical outlet.

We can best help you after you create a detailed hardware list in the PC Specs portion of your
forum profile http://forums.tweaktown.com/profile.php?do=editprofile at the bottom of the
profile page or in your forum signature http://forums.tweaktown.com/profile....=editsignature.
Be sure to include brand names and model numbers.

[TedC]

Check out eXtreme Power Supply Calculator to see how much power your system will need, based on the detailed information that you enter. As long as your psu output is less than 80% of its rated output you won't have a problem.

A little math:

• 80% of 620 watts = 496 watts (D.C. output)
• 500 watts divided by 83% = 602 watts (A.C. input from the electrical outlet)
  This assumes that your psu has 83% efficiency when 500 watts is provided by your psu.
• Most (but not all) video card and motherboards reviews report how much A.C. electrical power is drawn from the electrical outlet.

We can best help you after you create a detailed hardware list in the PC Specs portion of your
forum profile http://forums.tweaktown.com/profile.php?do=editprofile at the bottom of the
profile page or in your forum signature http://forums.tweaktown.com/profile....=editsignature.
Be sure to include brand names and model numbers.

Thankyou very much Jim. I apologize for not listing all my hardware components, it just seemed unnecessary at the time but I have updated my signature =) I have gone through the calculator thoroughly and the result is - Minimum: 437W, Recommended: 487W using the 580 instead of the 570 OC.

I haven't found the exact details of the power draw for a system running a 570 OC yet, but this page Gigabyte GeForce GTX 570 Super Overclock Review - Page 13 shows the draw using a 570 SOC (higher model card) @ 337W under load. Another page shows it as 419W under load.

The PSU has 48A on the 12v rail. I can't find the requirements for the 570 OC but the 580 is listed as needing 42A on the 12v rail(s).

Mostly I am just curious if it should at least post and boot, rather than run under full load. Also does the 4+4 pin ATX12V draw amps from the same rail as the 2xPCIe(6+2) connectors? I am guessing this might be where I am running into problems even though the Gigabyte page lists a 600w PSU as the requirement.

Thanks again!

[profJim]

From the link you provided:

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. We have also included several other tests as well.

In plain English, their power meter is measuring A.C. watts consumed from the wall outlet for all hardware inside the computer case. The 337 and 419 watt figures are probably A.C. watts, so if their psu was running at 83% efficiency, the actual D.C. power provided by the psu would be ~ 298 or 348 watts.

You need to look closely at what program was running during each of their tests. In a different GTX 570 review, running Crysis while overclocked required 197 watts for the video card, but running FurMark required 298 watts for the video card. TechPowerUp has special test equipment where they can accurately measure the total power drawn by the video card; but this information is next to useless if your need to know what the total system power requirements would be.

It looks like your psu calculator results are for a system that isn't overclocked.
Check out MSI N460GTX Hawk (1GB) Overclocking Results, post #85 for the A.C. wattage requirements for my overclocked P35/E6300(R0)/GTX 460 tests.

My MSI N460GTX SLI system runs fine using my Antec TP-750 New 80 plus bronze rated 750 watt psu.
If you have an overclocked system with higher end overclocked dual video cards, your safest bet is go use an 850 - 900 watt psu.
I prefer spending more money for a silver or gold rated power supply, due to the use of higher quality psu components. Depending how much you use your system, you might save money over the long run with a more efficient psu.

[profJim]

Mostly I am just curious if it should at least post and boot, rather than run under full load. Also does the 4+4 pin ATX12V draw amps from the same rail as the 2xPCIe(6+2) connectors? I am guessing this might be where I am running into problems even though the Gigabyte page lists a 600w PSU as the requirement.

With a single 12 volt rail, all you need to do is look at the maximum 12 capacity. 42 amps X 12 volts = 504 watts maximum 12 volt output. When a power supply has multiple 12 volt rails, you need to look at the maximum OCP (over current protection) rating for each 12 volt rail. A properly designed multi-rail 12 volt setup does not present any issues with proper load balancing for each rail.

Spend a little time reading some of the excellent power supply topics when you do a web search using: psu buying guide
If you live in the U.S.A., Newegg currently has an excellent price on a Seasonic X-750 psu for $120.
I bought my Seasonic X-650 several years ago when it was on sale for $100.
I won't buy a psu if its warranty is for less than 5 years.

I prefer power supplies that are made by Seasonic.
According to Antec High Current Gamer M 620 W Power Supply Review | Hardware Secrets:

The three models from the “M” series are manufactured by Seasonic. On the original series, the models from 400 W to 620 W are also manufactured by Seasonic, but the 750 W and 900 W models are manufactured by Delta.

Antec power supplies are usually very good to excellent, but a different review site reported some quality control issues with two samples of one of the recent Antec models.

[TedC]

With a single 12 volt rail, all you need to do is look at the maximum 12 capacity. 42 amps X 12 volts = 504 watts maximum 12 volt output. When a power supply has multiple 12 volt rails, you need to look at the maximum OCP (over current protection) rating for each 12 volt rail. A properly designed multi-rail 12 volt setup does not present any issues with proper load balancing for each rail.

Spend a little time reading some of the excellent power supply topics when you do a web search using: psu buying guide
If you live in the U.S.A., Newegg currently has an excellent price on a Seasonic X-750 psu for $120.
I bought my Seasonic X-650 several years ago when it was on sale for $100.
I won't buy a psu if its warranty is for less than 5 years.

I prefer power supplies that are made by Seasonic.
According to Antec High Current Gamer M 620 W Power Supply Review | Hardware Secrets:
Antec power supplies are usually very good to excellent, but a different review site reported some quality control issues with two samples of one of the recent Antec models.

Thankyou again, I have read the PSU buying guide and there is A LOT of information in it, I have to admit I have forgotten a great deal, use it or lose it! So I am guessing that it's not even worth trying with the Antec HCG 620w + GTX 570 OC?

Thanks for the recommendation of the x-750 but I am in Australia and computer parts are always more expensive. That model is $199-$230 even with the dollar almost at parity. What are some of the more reliable brands apart from Seasonic? I know a psu isn't something that you should skimp on but I might be able to find better value searching in Australia with another brand. Perhaps some in the same "range" as the one you recommended.

For future reference, if I were to SLI 2x gtx 570's what would you recommend?

[profJim]

Your 620 watt power supply should be fine for an overclocked system with your GTX 570 at stock settings.
With your video card moderately overclocked, you psu will probably still be OK.

Many name brand power supplies have quality issues with some of their models, ranging from barely adequate to mediocre to excellent.
Most models from Seasonic, Antec, Corsair, Enermax, Superflower (Kingwin), or XFX are very good to excellent.
Some of the best psu review sites are HardOCP, Jonnyguru, HardwareSecrets, TechPowerup and PcPer.
I always check the reviews from these sites before I buy a new power supply.

Seasonic, CWT, and Delta are the major manufacturers of power supplies for many companies such as Antec, Corsair, XFX and others. Many of these units are based on existing products that are modified to some extent, sometimes better, sometimes not as good. OCZ and Thermaltake quality varies quite a bit.

Newer video card models from Nvidia and AMD are more energy efficient than older video card models. You need to decide whether it's best to SLI your GTX 570 or go with newer models with a single or dual card setup. PSU efficiency is usually optimal when your power supply is providing 40% to 60% of its rated power output most of the time. Running your psu for extended periods of time above 80% of its rated capacity should be avoided. Better power supplies will have a 5 to 7 warranty.

Check out TweakTown's List Of Australian Online Retailers for pricing information.