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- Date:
- Tuesday , April 27, 2010
- Author:
- Paul Johnson
- Editor:
- Kyle Bennett
- Google +1
GTX 480 & GTX 470 Power Supply Unit Buying Guide
So you are going to go the Fermi / GF100 route for your next video card purchase? Along with getting the fastest single GPU in the world, you will also be nursing a power hungry piglet of a video card that requires you feed it a diet high in amperage, low in ripple, all while keeping tight voltage regulation. We show you what to buy.
GeForce GTX 480 or GTX 470 SLI
For our GeForce GTX 480 or GeForce GTX 470 SLI system recommendations we are going to be looking at power supplies in the 700-775W range. We are using this range following our personal experiences and because this power supply will not only have to power our GTX 480 or GTX 470 SLI setup but also a high-end build based around the X58 chipset and Intel’s high-end Core i7 processor. Such a system would be similar to that which we used in our Fermi evaluation that included a Gigabyte EX58-UD5 motherboard, an Intel Core i7 920
Overclocked to 3.6GHz, and 6GB of Corsair TR3X6G1600C8D Dominator DDR3
.
Corsair HX750W
The Corsair HX750W is part of Corsair’s "Professional" series of power supplies and sports a total capacity of 750W’s rated at 50C. This capacity includes a generous 12v capacity of 62A along with a modular design utilizing the flat ribbon style cables to minimize clutter and help with cable routing. The HX750W improves upon the HX650W’s efficiency range by moving from 80Plus Bronze up to 80Plus Silver and sports a healthy 7 year warranty.
Purchase a Corsair HX750W - $139.99 after MIR - $5.99 Shipping
Enermax Infiniti 720W
While the obvious choice here would have been the recently reviewed MODU87+ from Enermax we are going with the Infiniti 720W because, somehow, while being significantly older than the MODU87+ 700W, the Infiniti 720W is still in production and available in retail whereas the MODU87+ 700W is no longer showing in stock at any of the usual e-tail suspects. This 720W model is the closest thing to a value model we are going to see today in this market segment of our buying guide. The Infiniti 720W is rated at only 40C, but it was able to complete our testing at 45C some time ago, and it has 56A available on its three 12v rails. The Infiniti also features a semi-modular designs for reducing cable clutter. The biggest sacrifice for this unit comes today in the way of warranty support as Enermax only backs this unit with a 3 year warranty.
Purchase an Enermax Infiniti 720W - $99.99 after MIR - Free Shipping
Seasonic X-750
The Seasonic X series is making a second appearance on our list here today, and last since there are only 2 units in the series, for good reason. The X-750 is capable of 750W’s with 62A (or 744W) being available on the 12v rail the Seasonic X-750 is by far the highest 12v output unit we find at 750W’s. The unit additionally comes with a fully modular design, a cooling mode that does not even turn on the fan for the first 25% of the units output, rendering it silent at those loads, and 80Plus Gold certifications. Backing this impressive lineup is a 5 year warranty from Seasonic.
Purchase a Seasonic X-750 - $179.99 - $11.30 Shipping
Thermaltake Toughpower XT 775W
Making its first appearance on our list is Thermaltake with its new Toughpower XT 775W. The Toughpower XT 775W is the first total redesign, internally, of the Toughpower line from Thermaltake since it launched the original products some time ago and this PSU represents a fine new addition. The 775W Toughpower is rated for that DC output at 50C and the single 12v rail has a capacity of 64A (the only unit able to outpace the X-750 in this segment of our guide). The unit is further accented with its unique Toughpower styling, a semi-modular design, 80Plus Bronze certification according to Thermaltake (and 80Plus Silver according to 80Plus), and is backed by a 5 year warranty from Thermaltake.
Purchase a Thermaltake Toughpower XT 775W - $124.99 - Free Shipping
XFX Black Edition 750W
The XFX Black Edition 750W is the definition of unique styling at the moment for power supplies. Besides its very unorthodox look, the XFX Black Edition is also an extremely good power supply that is rated for its 750W output at 50C. With a single 12v rail rated at 62A the Black Edition 750W is ready to power Fermi. The unit also features a semi-modular design, 80Plus Silver certification, and is backed by a 5 year warranty from XFX.
Purchase an XFX Black Edition 750W - $124.99 - Free Shipping