GTX 970 PSU requirements?

I know on their official site, they say minimum is 500 Watts but I really want this card to last me for at least 4-5 years and I'm not really willing to saving a few bucks and not buying a proper and sufficient PSU.

Any other GTX 970 owners, what PSU do you guys have?

Right now, I have some nobrand 500W and I might be getting a 620W SeaSonic m12II bronze.. would it be sufficient? Or should I aim at 750W?

CPU: i5 4460 3.2ghz
1TB HDD & 500GB HDD
240GB SSD

Thanks for any opinions!

 

I don't have one myself, but the manufacturer says 500W is enough. They usually rate it higher than what's actually required. You're fine with 500W or above.

 

I have a 970 and currently running a 750w corsair.... Extreme overkill but always good to have some extra for future upgrades

 

a 600w PSU is enough for nearly any single-gpu build on the planet unless you're using something like a 295X2. As long as your 12v rail supplies enough amps to power your rig, you're fine. a 500w will suffice for your particular rig, though you might consider ponying up a few more coin to buy something like a corsair builder 600. Furthermore, as graphics cards evolve generation by generation, they tend to use less and less power...so by going with a 600w PSU, you're pretty future proof.

 

Go on PCPP. It gives a fairly accurate estimate on your Watt requirements. Whatever it gives, go with 150+ more Watts in order to be safe and to have the most efficiency.

*DISCLAIMER* this is my understanding of the subject, so take it with a grain of salt. Do your own research and make your own decisions without holding anyone else liable.

 

Never go bronze. Hit gold. 500W gold would have no issues with a 970, whereas you might get crashes with a bronze.

I personally just got an 800W gold for my 280X. It's overkill, but you won't fry your card and could potentially keep the PSU for your next rig in a few years. Better safe than sorry with shit like this.

 

I will disagree with this point. I am running a corsair cx600w which is bronze, and it has never crashed on me. I do not know nearly as much as SRTS8, however surely efficency has nothing to do with crashes, if you are only using 300w of the 600 anyway?
also, if SRTS8 recommends it, it will probably be good, and it has served me very well so far

 

It has to do with the bare recommendations here. I doubt Nvidia used a bronze to make their 500W recommendation. A 600W bronze might be able to handle the 970, but that's also 100W above the recommendation. Keeping around 500 using a bronze is asking for trouble.

 

Efficiency means NOTHING in regards to power output. bronze, silver, gold, platinum...no matter which you are still feeding the same power to your components.
the efficiency rating simply is a way of comparing the power output vs the required power input to create said power output. All electronics waste some power in the form of heat, and these ratings just help specify how many watts of power are spent as heat to create your nominal and peak power outputs. Yes, a bronze Is a bit less efficient than a platinum, but if they're both 600w power supplies.... then they both put out 600w. end of story. The difference is that the bronze will draw close to 10 percent more power from the wall in order to make that same 600w output.

 

I would just be safe and get 800W - 1000W. It's always nice to have more than what is needed just to be safe.

 

It mainly comes down to the brand and if you plan on upgrading in the future. I have a corsair 750 watt psu running my 970 and it handles beautifully, but just read reviews about power supplies and how often they fail. The last thing you want is a cheap power supply to break and fry your components.