Which PSU should I buy?

Unless the client has already checked out sites like PriceGrabber.😬

http://www.nabava.net/search.php?tp=...world+LPK19-30

By the way, regarding this link, finding actual specs for Linkworld online is nearly impossible. And we all know why: they claim 12V - 23A—which is basically a "600" w 🙏 🤣
rating.

Honestly, I suppose it doesn't even matter what I end up doing with my old power supply; I might just toss it in a river somewhere and call it a day 😁. But more importantly, I wanted to circle back to my original question regarding what would be best for a CrossFire setup—specifically looking for two Vapor-X NVIDIA GeForce GT 730 cards, provided the total stays under $200... My current rig is running an Intel Core i5-650 on a P55 motherboard, paired with 4 GB of XMS3 RAM, two 500 GB Seagate Barracuda hard drives, and those two Vapor-X NVIDIA GeForce GT 730 units
. Thanks so much

http://www.diskont24.com/product.php...cat=396&page=1

So, how much are you planning to shell out for that second NVIDIA GeForce GT 730? I haven't seen them listed for less than $167.
Look, I'm being straight with you—just sell yours for 400
. As for the power supply, you don't necessarily have to swap it out. If it handled the NVIDIA GeForce GT 730 just fine, it should be able to manage the new NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti too.
XFX AMD Radeon R7 260X 1GB DDR5 $293
CORSAIR Power Supply, Builder Series CX 80+ Bronze, 430 Watt $113
$405
Once you sell your current card for 400, the net cost will actually be lower. Plus, in about eighteen months, you'll find it much easier to offload an R7 260X than trying to move two separate NVIDIA GeForce GT 730s... but hey, it's your call. You seem pretty set on CrossFire, which, aside from being used hardware, ends up costing more than a modern single card that pulls half the power. For every 100 hours of gaming, you're looking at a higher electricity bill$3.25 based on standard US utility rates; averaged out over a year, you're looking at roughly $49 extra, especially since your idle power draw will jump too. You won't see any real savings after two years. Honestly, your best bet is just praying one of those NVIDIA GeForce GT 730s doesn't give up the ghost; running them in CrossFire means higher temps due to poor dissipation and having a second heat source right there. Even then, the R7 260X runs about 20-30% cooler than an NVIDIA GeForce GT 730, and in a CrossFire setup, you can expect temperatures to be about 10% higher.

Signature, honestly? Just forget about CF and grab a beefier GPU instead. You'll get less heat, less noise, and way fewer headaches. Plus, most games don't even support CF anymore, or if they do, they don't handle it that well...

Well, I really appreciate all the help from everyone here..........

Honestly, I’ve been staring at power supply options for about two months now—just circling the drain. I read so many reviews, and it feels like everyone has their own little theory or preferred setup. At first, I was leaning toward an EVGA SuperNOVA, then maybe an EVGA BR, but my final move is probably going to be the EVGA XTR, either the 650W or the 750W version.
If you're thinking long-term, it's just smarter to grab something beefier and higher quality from the jump.
I get that a lot of people hate dropping serious cash on a PSU—there are folks out there for whom $267 is way too much to sink into a power supply—but let's be real, this is basically the most critical component in your rig, and you really shouldn't cut corners here.
In my experience, a cheap unit has fried my entire system before, and I know plenty of people who had something like an EVGA 600W unit fail and take everything else down with it.
It’s better to invest in quality now; upgrading a GPU later is easy, but recovering from a dead PC isn't.

I mean, I guess the real question is whether you actually need a power supply that beefy...

I'm looking to pick up a new rig soon—something with a beefier GPU—just so I have a solid foundation to build on. Eventually, I'll probably want to throw in a few more hard drives or maybe swap out the graphics card again down the road. Honestly, I’d much rather have an extra 50 or 100 watts of headroom than run everything right on the edge. Tight margins just aren't my style.

Hard drives don't really matter when you're looking at power consumption; the CPU and GPU are the heavy hitters here by a long shot. You might only need to worry about beefing up your PSU if you're running a high-end SLI setup.

So, a buddy of mine gave me some bad advice—told me I should be factoring in the hard drives and the optical drive too. My bad. Anyway, if I went with this AMD FX 6300 paired with a GTX 760... say, if I decided to slap another identical card in there in about a year, would a 650W power supply actually cut it? Or am I just asking for trouble?

They're just making noise at this point, but they don't really matter—it's all just empty talk.

Standard practice is to check the reviews to see what the entire rig pulls under a full load.
For instance, a GTX 760 SLI setup according to ers hits a peak of 449 watts, and their CPU was an Intel Core i7 3960X (130W).With overclocked versions of the GPU, they hit 478W in FurMark (though likely less during actual gaming), paired with an i7-3770K @ 4.0 GHz. Essentially, you just need to ensure the unit can handle that much on the 12V rail while leaving some breathing room.

And obviously, you want a high-quality power supply—look for reputable brands, various 80+ certifications, read the reviews, and so on.
In short, an SLI setup could probably run on a 550W unit, so a 650W would be more than enough.



But honestly, instead of messing with SLI, you're better off just getting one single, more powerful card.

Alright then. I’m sticking with the XFX 650W XTR. Appreciate the deep dive on this—it was helpful.

Hard drives pull maybe 5W, and it's the same story with SSDs, optical drives, fans, and so on. You might want to look into swapping out that AMD FX 6300 for an AMD FX 8320, or perhaps replacing the GTX 760 with something like an R9 270X that's roughly 200-$100 cheaper—assuming you don't specifically need those extra features. Just keep in mind that the FX chip will likely require an additional fan, which adds another 100-$67 to the cost. At that point, you might just be better off looking at an Intel Core i5 3335P or an i5 4440. As for power supplies, there isn't much of a price gap between 550W and 650W, maybe around 70-$33. The jump from 650W to 750W is where things start to climb, but overall, you won't be breaking the bank too much.

David Sanders4 said:Hard drives pull maybe up to 5W, same goes for SSDs, optical drives, fans, all that stuff... just try to swap out the AMD FX 6300 for an AMD FX 8320, or maybe ditch the GTX 760 for something like an R9 270X which might be $200--$100 cheaper if you don't actually need those specific extra features. But an FX chip is going to demand its own dedicated fan, which adds another $100--$67 to the bill, at which point you might as well look into an Intel Core i5 3350P or an i5 4440. As for power supplies, there isn't much of a gap between 550W and 650W—maybe $70--$33 difference—compared to jumping from 650W to 750W. You won't be losing a massive amount of cash there.

I still have to piece everything together and figure out the exact component list. I was originally leaning toward the AMD FX 8320, but a buddy told me it's a waste of time since the performance jump over the AMD FX 6300 isn't really worth the headache. Besides, I've used his rig with the AMD FX 6300 before and it didn't seem like it was running that hot.
I'm staying away from Intel because I'm a die-hard AMD enthusiast🙂

Timothy Kim60 said:They’re just making noise at this point—completely irrelevant, honestly. Just a bunch of nothing

Reviewers always include the total system power draw under full load when they're testing GPUs
For instance, a GTX 760 SLI setup compared to others peaks at about 449 watts, using an Intel Core i7 3960X (which pulls 130w). With others running overclocked versions of the card, you hit 478w in FurMark—though it’s likely less during actual gaming—paired with an i7-3770K @ 4.0 GHz. You basically just need to make sure your PSU can handle that much on the 12V rail—and ideally have some breathing room left over, then you're set.

And obviously, you want a decent power supply—look for a solid brand, check those 80+ certifications, read the reviews, and all that stuff.
Basically, SLI could probably run on a 550W unit, so a 650W would be more than enough.



The thing is, SLI isn't really my thing—you're almost always better off just getting one stronger card.

I'll have to look into it later, but I remember reading somewhere that dual GTX 760s actually outperform a single GTX 780.
But yeah, they definitely pull way more juice.🙂

For CF/SLI:
http://www.newegg.com/p/EVGA-620W-power-supply/

If you're just running one card:
http://www.newegg.com/p/Corsair-550W-power-supply/

Personally, I wouldn't bother with SLI. Your CPU will probably end up bottlenecking you, and you’d likely need to overclock it to 4.5GHz just to keep up. I'd honestly rather just grab a GTX 960 in about two years instead.😉

So, if you skip the SLI setup, I'd probably go with either that Silverstone unit or, if you're looking for top-tier efficiency and build quality:
http://www.newegg.com/p/Seasonic-Gold-550W-power-supply/

crimsonstag84 said:Regarding CF/SLI:
I was looking at this EVGA 620W unit online—just browsing, nothing serious—and it got me thinking about how much we overcomplicate power supplies these days. You see people stressing over every single watt like they’re planning a mission to Mars, when really, most of us just need something that won't catch fire during a long session. It’s one of those things where you either go cheap and pray, or you spend a fortune on a brand name just because the box looks professional. Honestly, it's all a bit much sometimes.

Just for one graphics card:

Personally, I wouldn't touch SLI with a ten-foot pole—the CPU bottlenecking alone would be a nightmare. You’d end up having to overclock the thing to 4.5GHz just to keep things moving, which is a whole other headache. Honestly, I'd rather just hold out for a GTX 960 in about two years or so. 😉

Yeah, honestly—if I’m skipping the SLI setup entirely—I’d probably just end up grabbing either that Silverstone unit or, if you’re actually looking for top-tier efficiency and build quality, one of these:
I was looking through some gear listings today—just browsing, nothing serious—and stumbled upon this 550W Gold unit. It’s one of those components that people usually overlook until their entire rig decides to take a permanent nap mid-game. You know the feeling—everything's running fine, you're right in the middle of something important, and then suddenly, just silence. It's a mood. Anyway, I thought I'd drop the link here for anyone currently staring at a dying power supply or trying to figure out if they can actually squeeze a bit more juice out of their current setup without everything catching fire. Nothing revolutionary, just a solid option if you need to stay in the green.

Then I guess I'm skipping the SLI setup altogether. Honestly, a single GTX 770 should be more than enough to handle everything on ultra settings—no need to overcomplicate things. 🙂
The shop I use for my PC builds doesn't carry any Seasonic—so I guess an XFX unit will have to do.

XFX is basically just rebranded Seasonic anyway, so you probably don't have much to worry about

http://www.amazon.com/power-supply-units/b?node=1638564011

So this one would be the XTR model, just without the modularity. 🙂