![[H]ardOCP](/images/blank.gif){kind=small}
- 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 SLI or GTX 470 SLI OC
For our GTX 480 SLI or heavily overclocked GTX 470 SLI system recommendations we are going to be looking at power supplies in the 800-850W 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
.
Antec Signature 850W
The Antec Signature 850W is the premier power supply offering from Antec at this time. Each unit is hand tested before being shipped out, and even comes with certification of such. Sure your Fermi setup doesn’t really care about that certificate but what it does care about is the 850W’s of clean power that the Signature can deliver at 50C with up to 65A of that capacity coming down the single 12v rail it employs. Couple that with some 80Plus Bronze level efficiency, a semi-modular design, and Antec’s 5 year warranty make this PSU a winner.
Purchase an Antec Signature 850W - $249.99 - $12.37 Shipping
Corsair HX850W
The Corsair HX850W is, once more, part of Corsair’s "Professional" series of power supplies and sports a total capacity of 850 watts rated at 50C. This capacity includes a generous 12v capacity of 72A along with a semi-modular design utilizing the flat ribbon style cables to minimize clutter and help with cable routing. The HX850W 80Plus Silver certified and it retains has a 7 year warranty.
Purchase a Corsair HX850W - $169.99 - $5.99 Shipping
OCZ Z850M
The OCZ Z series is OCZ’s current top of the line class of power supplies and rightfully so. In this class, the Z850M fits in nicely with its 850 watts of output rated at 50C and its 12v capacity of 71A on a single 12v rail. The unit features a semi-modular design, 80Plus Gold certification, and a 5 year warranty from OCZ. With its price drops over the last 18 months or so, the unit has become a very attractive target for enthusiast systems looking to go the Fermi route.
Purchase an OCZ Z850M - $189.99 after MIR - Free Shipping
Seasonic M12D-850
The Seasonic M12D-850 could be called the grand daddy of this list as units based on this design are on this list more than any other single platform (with the PC Power and Cooling Silencer 910 based on this same platform only missing the list because it isn’t available in retail right now). With it actually being capable of all 850W at 45C in our testing (contrary to the published derating curve) including a 12v capacity of 70A this M12D unit looks like a real winner. One point of concern would be the dual 12v design of the unit, but recent work with the platform and our original sample casts significant doubt on the OCP actually being set to separate those 12v rails. Beyond that, the M12D-850 features a semi-modular design, 80Plus Silver level efficiency, and a 5 year warranty from Seasonic.
This product has gone out of stock.
XFX Black Edition 850W
Black is back! The XFX Black Edition 850W picks up right where the XFX Black Edition 750W left off right down to its unique styling. Besides its very unorthodox look, the XFX Black Edition is also a very good power supply that is rated for its 850W output at 50C. With a single 12v rail rated at 70A the Black Edition 850W is ready to buckle down and feed your system a ton of clean power. Like the 750W model, the unit features a semi-modular design, 80Plus Silver certification, plenty of Borg joke possibilities, and is backed by a 5 year warranty from XFX.
Purchase an XFX Black Edition 850W - $169.99 - $12.37 Shipping