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Topic: Enough Power? - page 2. (Read 2801 times)

rjk
sr. member
Activity: 448
Merit: 250
1ngldh
January 13, 2012, 09:10:09 AM
#12
80 PLUS TITANUIM certification has been released for 220V.
It mandates that the PSU does not waste more than 4% power at 50% load. That's 96% efficiency.
Whoever is able to get their design certified, will have to have cast insane amounts of magic putting that PSU together Smiley
Link: http://www.plugloadsolutions.com/80PlusPowerSupplies.aspx
Wow, such PSUs might be perfect for my 18x 7990 rig, if anyone decides to make them. 18x? Yep - with watercooling, VT-d, and a few virtual machines, it *should* be possible. Take a look at this: http://www.chassis-plans.com/single-board-computer/S6806-backplane.htm

240V is easier to make an efficient PSU out of, but 96% is totally awesome.

Anyone wanna invest? Grin
full member
Activity: 210
Merit: 100
January 13, 2012, 05:42:02 AM
#11
Take it easy, I was mostly kidding about the house getting burned down Smiley

Very few people appreciate how much magic there is to that metal box with wires.
Most go something like "Huh? Is there actually any magic in that sad little gray thing?"

80 PLUS TITANUIM certification has been released for 220V.
It mandates that the PSU does not waste more than 4% power at 50% load. That's 96% efficiency.
Whoever is able to get their design certified, will have to have cast insane amounts of magic putting that PSU together Smiley
Link: http://www.plugloadsolutions.com/80PlusPowerSupplies.aspx
full member
Activity: 128
Merit: 100
January 13, 2012, 04:41:35 AM
#10
Good catch P4 but that should be inconsequential!
Provided the protective circuitry worked correctly, the unit should have seen it was in trouble and should have powered down cleanly.

See my edited previous post for some PSU suggestions.
I'm suggesting the XFX model (which I own) but if you do your research, you'll find other PSUs based on the same Seasonic-designed platform.
Armed with the basics of how PSUs work, you should be able to find even better units, built on some even more recent designs.
Thank you for the link jake I started reading it and will take a look at it again tomorrow since it's getting late but I appreciate the input, at least my house won't burn down since you know I like it and all.
full member
Activity: 210
Merit: 100
January 13, 2012, 04:01:59 AM
#9
Good catch P4 but that should be inconsequential!
Provided the protective circuitry worked correctly, the unit should have seen it was in trouble and should have powered down cleanly.

See my edited previous post for some PSU suggestions.
I'm suggesting the XFX model (which I own) but if you do your research, you'll find other PSUs based on the same Seasonic-designed platform.
Armed with the basics of how PSUs work, you should be able to find even better units, built on some even more recent designs.
hero member
Activity: 518
Merit: 500
January 13, 2012, 03:49:29 AM
#8
Warning, warning: when Hardware Secrets editor tried overloading this particular PSU, it BURNED DOWN on them.
Full review here: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Enermax-Liberty-DXX-500W-Power-Supply-Review/303/8

Good link. But to be fair, they were pulling 48 amps on the 12v rails,  thats 50% over spec and more than the OPs configuration would ever pull.

Edit: in their conclusion they mentioned the PSU is essentially the same as the  Antec Earthwatt I had, although the antec's overload protection does work, unlike the enermax's. On one hand, that makes me more confident it will be able to power a 5850 + 6770. Ive had my antec power two overclocked 5870s and litecoin mining 100W CPU. OTOH, I dont like PSUs burning instead of shutting down.. so Id still look for a replacement.
full member
Activity: 210
Merit: 100
January 13, 2012, 03:44:13 AM
#7
I never really understood how to tell if amps on which rails is enough...

Elementary school science here:
Volts * Amps = Watts,
therefore:
22A * 12V =  264W
30A * 5v = 150W

This PSU of yours has a terrible layout for mining:
First 12V rail provides power for all modular cables and mobo connector whereas the other for the hardwired CPU connectors.
Therefore, if your GPUs are going to draw more power than that measly 264 Watts, you're going out of spec.

Warning, warning: when Hardware Secrets editor tried overloading this particular PSU, it BURNED DOWN on them.
Full review here: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Enermax-Liberty-DXX-500W-Power-Supply-Review/303/8

When looking for a small (550W) mining-grade power supply, I'd recommend you try this baby: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=225
All this unit's +12V juice goes through just one rail, which could give you up to 530 Watts of power provided the minor rails (5V and 3.3V) aren't loaded.
Here's a review of the 650W and 750W models: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=216
I've been running the XFX 750W PSU for 8 months and have absolutely nothing bad to say about it.

Here is a 10 page long article explaining some of the PSU-fu: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/327
I suggest everyone interested in learning some PSU basics follow this link I posted and familiarize themselves with the basic concepts.
Take the time and you won't burn your PSU, your rig, or your house.
I'll be checking up on this thread and will try to answer any questions.
hero member
Activity: 518
Merit: 500
January 13, 2012, 03:29:47 AM
#6
Either of those PSUs should do it. Your existing one might, but like I said, its real close to the spec. Now high quality PSUs tend to be specced at high temperatures, meaning if your ambient temperature is low, you might exceed the rated spec (I have had an antec 500W earthwatt PSU that delivered 600+W without sweating), but you will find more PSUs that struggle to actually achieve what they are specced for. Enermax have a decent reputation, you might get lucky, particularly if you can keep the cpu load low.

If you are not too concerned about power efficiency, and more about cost, you can also use a second cheap/old PSU to power one of the videocards.
full member
Activity: 128
Merit: 100
January 13, 2012, 03:11:48 AM
#5
A quick google reveals your psu only delivers 32A (384W) on the 12V, which is basically all that matters. Thats cutting it REALLY close for a 5850 + 6770 + AMD X2. I wouldnt do it.
I never really understood how to tell if amps on which rails is enough (or for that fact what's a rail) but I had a sneaking suspicion just that the computer is a few years older that it might not have been enough.  I will heed your advice and not do it but I think I will grab a different power supply with it.

I can get a Thermal Take TR-600 for sub $50 (600watt) and I took a quick look about the amps, 12V1 has 23Amps and 12V2 has 20Amps is it safe to assume that's good?  I know it probably isn't a stellar supply or efficiency rated but I'm just looking to do a cheap upgrade/addition since I cannot afford or have room to setup a proper farm of any sort.

Another one I looked at is the Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 600watt it has 18Amps on both 12V rails.
hero member
Activity: 518
Merit: 500
January 13, 2012, 03:00:34 AM
#4
A quick google reveals your psu only delivers 32A (384W) on the 12V, which is basically all that matters. Thats cutting it REALLY close for a 5850 + 6770 + AMD X2. I wouldnt do it.
full member
Activity: 128
Merit: 100
January 13, 2012, 02:27:51 AM
#3
So I more or less made my old gaming PC into a miner with a HIS 5850 but recently there is a sale on 6770's and I can grab one super cheap.  I was curious does the power supply I currently have for it: Enermax ELT500AWT (500Watt Liberty series) have enough power to handle both?  If I have to upgrade then the addition loses it's super cheap value however I thought I'd consult you guys before I put it in and have something explode.

This is the PSU calc I use.  http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp  Easily the best out there that I have found.
Gave it a quick try I ended up with like 411 which seems low for two cards but I think I might give it a try.  It's an old AMD dual core Athlon and I was going to pull the drives and run BAMT off a usb stick which should lower the power usage more.
member
Activity: 94
Merit: 10
January 13, 2012, 01:32:30 AM
#2
So I more or less made my old gaming PC into a miner with a HIS 5850 but recently there is a sale on 6770's and I can grab one super cheap.  I was curious does the power supply I currently have for it: Enermax ELT500AWT (500Watt Liberty series) have enough power to handle both?  If I have to upgrade then the addition loses it's super cheap value however I thought I'd consult you guys before I put it in and have something explode.

This is the PSU calc I use.  http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp  Easily the best out there that I have found.
full member
Activity: 128
Merit: 100
January 13, 2012, 12:41:33 AM
#1
So I more or less made my old gaming PC into a miner with a HIS 5850 but recently there is a sale on 6770's and I can grab one super cheap.  I was curious does the power supply I currently have for it: Enermax ELT500AWT (500Watt Liberty series) have enough power to handle both?  If I have to upgrade then the addition loses it's super cheap value however I thought I'd consult you guys before I put it in and have something explode.
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