# possible GPU upgrade (to R9 270X), will PSU hold?



## Wyverex (May 6, 2014)

So, there's a high chance I'll be upgrading my rig with a new GPU some time soon (options are either 2nd hand HD 6970 or a new R9 270X) and my concern is will the PSU I have hold (PSU upgrade in addition to GPU upgrade is unfortunately not an option).

GPU to be replaced is HD 4870 (512 MB version, not OCed)
PSU is Corsair VX 550W

Thank you for the answers


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## Constantine Yevseyev (May 6, 2014)

Your PSU is absolutely fine for everything up to Radeon R9 290. According to Max Combined Wattage value from its passport, it can handle cards that consume as much as appr. 300 W, which is far more than average R9 270X consumption (see it for yourself in TechPowerUp review: 135 W Peak).


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## NationsAnarchy (May 6, 2014)

It can handle the R9 270X fine I think, the same could be for the 6970


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## RCoon (May 6, 2014)

492W on the 12V rail @ 80% is about 390W, so you'll be fine running a 780ti if you wanted to.


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## Wyverex (May 6, 2014)

Awesome! thanks for the quick responses


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## okidna (May 7, 2014)

RCoon said:


> 492W on the 12V rail @ 80% is about 390W, so you'll be fine running a 780ti if you wanted to.



I'm sorry for asking this but I'm curious about "492W on the 12V rail @ 80% is about 390W".

What does "80%" means? Efficiency rate? Or something else?


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## EarthDog (May 7, 2014)

RCoon said:


> 492W on the 12V rail @ 80% is about 390W, so you'll be fine running a 780ti if you wanted to.


What does the efficiency have to do with it? (Hint: Nothing)

You are doing it wrong. The efficiency has to do with how much power the PSU is taking FROM THE WALL. You do not take a PSU's rated output and subtract the efficiency from it.



			
				NationsAnarchy said:
			
		

> hat 80% is the amount of power that you mostly need (in pretty much all situations) on that 12V rail. It's rare to use up more than that amount.


What are you talking about? Either I don't understand what you are trying to say or that statement is about as abhorrently off as I believe RCoon's post above.


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## NationsAnarchy (May 7, 2014)

lol, my head is fuzzing hard right now, just deleted that post and still someone is able to quote it back. My bad for saying that


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## RCoon (May 7, 2014)

NationsAnarchy said:


> lol, my head is fuzzing hard right now, just deleted that post and still someone is able to quote it back. My bad for saying that


 
Better to leave it so nobody else makes the same mistake  humble nature is always appreciated, just as much as being told the correct information.


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## NationsAnarchy (May 7, 2014)

I've been so tired these recent days, too much homework for college keeps me up too much that I don't have enough sleep. 
Somehow I hate being pointed out I'm mistaken on something, it just doesn't feel right. I know people make mistakes, but ...


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## EarthDog (May 7, 2014)

My apologies for the strong nature of my post. I am sure it could have been worded a bit better. But the key here, as RCoon mentioned is to make sure we are sharing the right knowledge with each other. 

Even though you deleted it, I had already quoted it so it doesn't matter.


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## NationsAnarchy (May 7, 2014)

EarthDog said:


> My apologies for the strong nature of my post. I am sure it could have been worded a bit better. But the key here, as RCoon mentioned is to make sure we are sharing the right knowledge with each other. Even though you deleted it, I had already quoted it so it doesn't matter.



Thanks for making my day just a bit off from worst, buddy  Appreciate it


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## Vario (May 7, 2014)

R9 270 doesn't use much power, you will have no problem. I am running a 7850 on 500 watts.  An R9 270 could even run on 400 watts (if its a reputable PSU).  R9 270 is a 7870.

550 watts is perfect.


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## okidna (May 7, 2014)

EarthDog said:


> What does the efficiency have to do with it? (Hint: Nothing)
> 
> You are doing it wrong. The efficiency has to do with how much power the PSU is taking FROM THE WALL. You do not take a PSU's rated output and subtract the efficiency from it.



This is what I'm trying to clarify, thanks EarthDog for pointing this out.


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## Dent1 (May 7, 2014)

Wyverex said:


> So, there's a high chance I'll be upgrading my rig with a new GPU some time soon (options are either 2nd hand HD 6970 or a new R9 270X) and my concern is will the PSU I have hold (PSU upgrade in addition to GPU upgrade is unfortunately not an option).
> 
> GPU to be replaced is HD 4870 (512 MB version, not OCed)
> PSU is Corsair VX 550W
> ...



The PSU should be fine.

With that CPU sitting at stock you won't get the most out of the GPU.

Saying that its a huge upgrade, definitely still worth doing as long as you acknowledge  you won't get the same level of performance as the reviews.


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## GhostRyder (May 7, 2014)

More than fine, your PSU would handle it just fine.  As far as the GPU is concerned, I would grab a newer R9 270X rather than grabbing an old HD 6970 as it is rated to be a better card and you get access to the new techs from the GCN architecture (Like mantle).


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## thebluebumblebee (May 7, 2014)

This is TPU.  W1zzard measures the power that video cards use.  No guesstimating.  
I'm going to list the power draw of the GPU's that you mentioned with *P*eak and *M*ax power levels.  You will never reach max during normal usage.
HD4870: P: 151, M: 207
HD6970: P: 185, M: 218
R9 270X: P: 135, M: 226
HD7950: P: 176, M: 200

But, really, you are bottlenecked by your CPU.

As others have pointed out, no problems with that PSU.


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## suraswami (May 7, 2014)

I run a FX 4130 OCed to 4.6 with 1.46v + Sapphire 7870 OCed (GPU - 1150, mem 1450) on a CoolerMaster 500W PSU.  While mining (full GPU only load), the PC eats about 220W and while gaming when both CPU and GPU are used I see it sometimes hit 250 to 260w, max 280w.  The PSU is hardly 70% efficient, so with a 80+ efficiency the power load will most likely be lower.

I think you will be fine.


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## EarthDog (May 13, 2014)

You have an 85% efficient PSU suraswami... 

http://mail.ultraproducts.com/product_details.php?cPath=97&pPath=632&productID=637


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## thebluebumblebee (May 13, 2014)

RCoon said:


> 492W on the 12V rail @ 80% is about 390W, so you'll be fine running a 780ti if you wanted to.





suraswami said:


> I run a FX 4130 OCed to 4.6 with 1.46v + Sapphire 7870 OCed (GPU - 1150, mem 1450) on a CoolerMaster 500W PSU.  While mining (full GPU only load), the PC eats about 220W and while gaming when both CPU and GPU are used I see it sometimes hit 250 to 260w, max 280w.  *The PSU is hardly 70% efficient, so with a 80+ efficiency the power load will most likely be lower*.
> I think you will be fine.





EarthDog said:


> You have an 85% efficient PSU suraswami...
> http://mail.ultraproducts.com/product_details.php?cPath=97&pPath=632&productID=637


Not sure what is being said here, so I feel like I need to say the following for clarification: (I'm trying to say this as humbly as I can and I am not trying to embarrass anyone.)
Efficiency has to do with how much of the electricity drawn from the wall is turned into electricity that the computer can use.  I think RConn was trying to show that the OP would not exceed 80% of rated capacity of his PSU, which is a commonly accepted sizing practice.
suraswami, the load of components is exactly the same no matter the efficiency of the PSU, but the draw from the wall will be different.  I think you were trying to say that your system, which is very similar to what the OP is asking about, pulls well within the capacity of either of your PSU's, even though your less efficient PSU (CoolerMaster, not the Ultra in your system specs) will use more electricity to do so.
Again, efficiency has nothing to do with a PSU's rated  capacity, but rather how much electricity it will use to deliver that power. (although it seems like some of the really cheap PSU might be rated this way)


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## suraswami (May 13, 2014)

thebluebumblebee said:


> Not sure what is being said here, so I feel like I need to say the following for clarification: (I'm trying to say this as humbly as I can and I am not trying to embarrass anyone.)
> Efficiency has to do with how much of the electricity drawn from the wall is turned into electricity that the computer can use.  I think RConn was trying to show that the OP would not exceed 80% of rated capacity of his PSU, which is a commonly accepted sizing practice.
> suraswami, the load of components is exactly the same no matter the efficiency of the PSU, but the draw from the wall will be different.  I think you were trying to say that your system, which is very similar to what the OP is asking about, pulls well within the capacity of either of your PSU's, even though your less efficient PSU (CoolerMaster, not the Ultra in your system specs) will use more electricity to do so.
> Again, efficiency has nothing to do with a PSU's rated  capacity, but rather how much electricity it will use to deliver that power. (although it seems like some of the really cheap PSU might be rated this way)



That is what I meant.  Thanks for clarifying.



EarthDog said:


> You have an 85% efficient PSU suraswami...
> 
> http://mail.ultraproducts.com/product_details.php?cPath=97&pPath=632&productID=637



That ULTRA PSU is in my main gaming rig.  I have another spare system with coolermaster PSU and that is what I was talking about.


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## EarthDog (May 13, 2014)

thebluebumblebee said:


> Not sure what is being said here, so I feel like I need to say the following for clarification: (I'm trying to say this as humbly as I can and I am not trying to embarrass anyone.)
> Efficiency has to do with how much of the electricity drawn from the wall is turned into electricity that the computer can use.  I think RConn was trying to show that the OP would not exceed 80% of rated capacity of his PSU, which is a commonly accepted sizing practice.
> suraswami, the load of components is exactly the same no matter the efficiency of the PSU, but the draw from the wall will be different.  I think you were trying to say that your system, which is very similar to what the OP is asking about, pulls well within the capacity of either of your PSU's, even though your less efficient PSU (CoolerMaster, not the Ultra in your system specs) will use more electricity to do so.
> Again, efficiency has nothing to do with a PSU's rated  capacity, but rather how much electricity it will use to deliver that power. (although it seems like some of the really cheap PSU might be rated this way)


If Rcoon meant it differently than it was written, he didn't mention it after I corrected the statement.


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## thebluebumblebee (May 13, 2014)

EarthDog said:


> If Rcoon meant it differently than it was written, he didn't mention it after I corrected the statement.


I would be dumbfounded if RConn meant it the way that you are interpreting it. The biggest reason is that the VX550 is more than 80% efficient as shown on a chart on the same page where the 492 watt figure comes from.(one of the things that I find fascinating in life is how different people can look at the same thing and come up with completely different interpretations)


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## EarthDog (May 13, 2014)

Its possible I missed the context, sure. He is also one that, if he is not wrong, will (normally) say otherwise... that said, I am surprised that he would say that as well as I thought he would know better.

When actually looking at the PSU and its wattage, your explanation makes complete sense. 

Anyway, I digress.


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## RCoon (May 13, 2014)

I'm confused, whatever EarthDog said is what is correct, he corrected me in the first place.


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## Wyverex (Jun 10, 2014)

So, I finally got the R9 270X DirectCU II and it works like a charm. Thank you all for the help / advice / info


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## GreiverBlade (Jun 10, 2014)

i used a R9 270X with a Athlon X4 760K (4.2 OC) on a 530w PSU with no issues at all so i think yes it will hold (as many alread confirmed it xD )


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