PSU Recommendations for ASUS EAH6850

[nekov4ego]

Hey all! It's been quite a while since I posted here but I need some piece of advice now and I think I can find it here.

I will need -- or at least I think so -- a new PSU in addition to a ASUS EAH6850 GPU for my PC. My current one is 460W. I don't know for sure if it's enough but I really doubt and this current PSU is so comes-with-the-case that I don't want to risk damaging ANY of my components.

My last target was Corsair TX650 but it literally disappeared from all of the stores I buy from. The available Corsair PSUs are 750W or more, which is the reason why they are expensive, and I am certain I don't need that much power. And ... there are Corsair 500CX and 600CX but they seem to be old models, and the newer aren't that different when it comes to price but are better as of quality and reliability ... although, if some of you are more pro's than I when it comes for PSUs (and I am sure you are many) and suggest me buy one of these, I will consider it enough for my PC.

So basically that's what I need -- a PSU for my GPU upgrade. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Useful links & info:
ASUS EAH6850 DC/2DIS/1GD5/V2

Price limit: ~$110, ~€75

I live in Europe.

 

[MvdB]

Some of this is up to very personal opinion.... have you tried an online calculator like: eXtreme Power Supply Calculator

 

[LiquidSnak]

EXDISPLAY Antec EarthWatts 650W PSU - 80Plus Certified.. | Ebuyer.com

Check out my specs, and you might notice that I have a similar system

 

[boogieboy]

I'm running my XFX 6850 Black Edition which is factory OC'ed on a 585W PSU which has 36amps on dual 12v. HD 6850 require's just 1 6pin and it's not a power hungry card at all infact it consumes less power than a AMD 6790 which is slower in performance and 6790 consumes less power than GTX 550Ti and 6850 even consumes less power than a GTS 450 and rest you do the math and most of all 6850 beats all of the mentioned cards single handedly. So with a 500W you'll be good to go.

 

[nekov4ego]

Thank you all for the replies! The calculator says I will need a 340W PSU but why would AMD recommend a 500W or more if I need 340W?

I will look for 500-600W but I need you to recommend me reliable manufacturers with high-quality PSUs. I know for example that Corsair are one of the best, but if you can recommend me more, I will look for them and have more products to choose from.

 

[sygnus21]

Thank you all for the replies! The calculator says I will need a 340W PSU but why would AMD recommend a 500W or more if I need 340W?

I will look for 500-600W but I need you to recommend me reliable manufacturers with high-quality PSUs. I know for example that Corsair are one of the best, but if you can recommend me more, I will look for them and have more products to choose from.

The two big ones are Antec and Corsair, howevrr they aren't the only game in town.

Info on power supplies …

- Recommended Power Supplies | silentpcreview.com
- Everything You Need to Know About Power Supplies | Hardware Secrets
- How to Buy a Power Supply - wikiHow

 

[boogieboy]

Thank you all for the replies! The calculator says I will need a 340W PSU but why would AMD recommend a 500W or more if I need 340W?

they recommend 500w psu coz they not only talking about the GPU but all the other pc components such as HDD, Fans, Motherboard etc. Which takes power from the PSU and on idle the GPU only takes few watts from PSU but when gaming the GPU consumes more power from the PSU. So they consider about overall load coz everybody using different machines with billions of configurations

You can get PSU's from ASUS, Corsair, ThermalTake, CoolerMaster, Antec they all are good one's. XFX also got into PSU but im not sure about them yet.

 

[nekov4ego]

@sygnus21 Thanks about the links of those articles. Really useful. I may buy the 600W Corsair I mentioned in one of my previous posts. Even tho it's an old model it seems to be reliable since it's Corsair. Or I may look for Antec.

@boogieboy I calculated the power my entire PC, all components included, will need and the calculator said 340W. If it will draw that little with the Radeon HD6850 then I don't need a new PSU, since mine's about 460. Not that it has malfunctioned but it came with the PC case and I don't think it's reliable xD

The topic's open to further advice and opinions about brands. I prefer opinions based on real experience. Thank you to all that helped me, I will add rep to all of you.

 

[Wishmaster]

550-650W of a Quality PSU will be plenty, with room to spare.

I too would say look at Corsair, Antec, or Seasonic.

I have a 650W Corsair powering the hardware in System Specs below, and its more than enough power.

And a GTX 570SC pulls much more power than a 6850, so youd have plenty of headroom.

 

[sygnus21]

The topic's open to further advice and opinions about brands. I prefer opinions based on real experience. Thank you to all that helped me, I will add rep to all of you.

Well I've been using Antecs since 1999 and have had great success with them

And though I've never used other brands Corsair models are also pretty good. One thing I will say is stay away from the bottom rungs of either company though.

Look for a good quality model that'll last - this is where reviews come in. I have this baby in my older system and it's still running nice, quiet, and cool - Antec Neo HE 550 power supply. Too bad they don't make this one anymore or else I'd highly recommend it. And BTW it will perform like a 650.

Anyway my point is to find something solid like the one above, or the one I have, though mines an Antec SG-850 (850 watt) @ $230 dollars, but I frickin love this thing

Anyway you don't need to spend that type of money to get a good performing power supply. Also don't get caught up in the gotta have a mega watt power supply - unless you're running a super duper high end performance rig with top end video cards in a crossfire/SLI configuration I seriously doubt you'll need anything more than an 850 watt, and even then that may be too much for most systems today.

And for the record that Antec 550 I linked to powered my system untill I moved to my 850, which I bought purely for asthetics, build, and the reviews it recieved.

My two cents.

Good luck.

 

[essenbe]

I agree with sygnus and Wishmaster. Go with Corsair, Antec or Seasonic. I have a Corsair 650 and 750. They have both powered several systems and have not missed a beat.

 

[nekov4ego]

The TX650 from Corsair showed up again and if I have the money I'll get it (it's about $150/€100) but I've got a question. Would a modular PSU improve the airflow so much that it's worth the money? Because if it would, I will look for something with less power like 550W but modular unlike the TX650.

 

[LiquidSnak]

The Antec BP550 is a modular power supply, I have two of my three computers I have built recently using them, and I use the earthwatts 650 in mine.

 

[essenbe]

Modular makes installation very easy. If you have no place to store cables out of the way, it can help airflow. But, as far as I am aware they do not make a modular PSU smaller than a 650W. But, the TX650 is an excellent choice and you could store cables in an unused CD/DVD drive bay if there is not room behind the motherboard.

 

[boogieboy]

Dont forget to check out OCZ PSU's as well

 

[sygnus21]

The TX650 from Corsair showed up again and if I have the money I'll get it (it's about $150/€100) but I've got a question. Would a modular PSU improve the airflow so much that it's worth the money? Because if it would, I will look for something with less power like 550W but modular unlike the TX650.

Not really, especially if you practice good wire management. The only thing modular PS's are good for in my opinion is helping reduce wire clutter, but again, good wire management can overcome that.

My two cents.

But, as far as I am aware they do not make a modular PSU smaller than a 650W.

I don't know if they still do, but my Antec 550 was modular - Antec Neo HE 550 power supply

 

[LiquidSnak]

Newegg.com - Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

 

[nekov4ego]

Thanks... so modular PSUs aren't that beneficial. It depends on the money tho. If I find a modular PSU at a reasonable price, I'll buy it.

@LiquidSnak I love how this model is $120 in my country but I've already seen it and added it to my list.

@boogieboy I think OCZ are so high-quality they aren't available in my country.

 

[LiquidSnak]

Thanks... so modular PSUs aren't that beneficial. It depends on the money tho. If I find a modular PSU at a reasonable price, I'll buy it.

@LiquidSnak I love how this model is $120 in my country but I've already seen it and added it to my list.

@boogieboy I think OCZ are so high-quality they aren't available in my country.

That is a shame, it is antec's affordable quality line...

 

[nekov4ego]

Thanks... so modular PSUs aren't that beneficial. It depends on the money tho. If I find a modular PSU at a reasonable price, I'll buy it.

@LiquidSnak I love how this model is $120 in my country but I've already seen it and added it to my list.

@boogieboy I think OCZ are so high-quality they aren't available in my country.

That is a shame, it is antec's affordable quality line...

Well the EAH6850 is $240 in my country whereas it's $180 at Newegg, so everything is sort of more expensive here and Newegg don't ship to Europe.

For $240 at Newegg I'd have bought both PSU and the EAH6850 but here it is $360 xD