Will the Antec TPQ-1000 PSU work with high end GPUs?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Trey Rozsa
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Trey Rozsa

Hey guys,

I recently got an Antec TruePower Quattro 1000W PSU.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371012

It was on sale for $120 and I knew it to be a tier 1 PSU. I am
planning to build an i7 to play at 1920x1200 in a month or so.
However, I have now been looking further into how it does when paired
with a higher end GPU. I have been hearing that some people are
experiencing problems with GPUs like the 4870x2 on this PSU. The 12V
rails on the PSU only have 18A each. I have read that this is
considered quite bad for the higher cards. One person said that you
may be able to get it working by using one 6pin plug from one rail,
and an 8pin plug from a different rail:

3rd post in this thread:
http://forums.amd.com/game/messageview.cfm?catid=260&threadid=106219&enterthread=y
That wouldn't add up to more than 36A, though, right? Am I missing
something here?
I had read that a 50A on the 12V rail is recommended for the 4870x2.
Can't remember exactly where it was, but I am a bit worried now.
However, some people are saying their 4870x2 is working with the PSU.
What high end GPUs would work on this PSU? The only one I can see
that I think might make it is the gtx 260, which says it needs a
minimum of 36A.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!
 
Trey Rozsa said:
Hey guys,

I recently got an Antec TruePower Quattro 1000W PSU.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371012

It was on sale for $120 and I knew it to be a tier 1 PSU. I am
planning to build an i7 to play at 1920x1200 in a month or so.
However, I have now been looking further into how it does when paired
with a higher end GPU. I have been hearing that some people are
experiencing problems with GPUs like the 4870x2 on this PSU. The 12V
rails on the PSU only have 18A each. I have read that this is
considered quite bad for the higher cards. One person said that you
may be able to get it working by using one 6pin plug from one rail,
and an 8pin plug from a different rail:

3rd post in this thread:
http://forums.amd.com/game/messageview.cfm?catid=260&threadid=106219&enterthread=y
That wouldn't add up to more than 36A, though, right? Am I missing
something here?
I had read that a 50A on the 12V rail is recommended for the 4870x2.
Click to expand...

(snip) Video card manufacturers make a recommendation about how much power
should be available on the +12V rail. However, this is not the power
required for the *video card* alone. For example, I guarantee you that a
4870X2 does not use 600W of power all by itself. That is what it would use
if it really drew 50A off of the +12V rail. (12V X 50A = 600W). But, with
recent power supplies having most of their available power available on the
+12V rail, you can guesstimate what size power supply you will need based on
the video card recommendation for amperage on the +12V rail. If the
recommendation is 50A (600W) and that is "most" of the power supply, then
you are looking at roughly a 800W power supply. So a 1000W power supply
should do nicely.

Still, a high-end GPU could draw about 100W or more. Two of them could draw
200W or more. So you are looking at roughly 17A or more for a 4870X2. So,
18A on each +12V rail is not good for a high-end video card with dual GPUs.

Yeah, someone suggested you might be able to work it by running off of two
rails. Do you really want to take a chance with a kludge like that to run a
high-end video card, though?

I'd suggest you return your power supply and get a BFG ES-800 to replace it.
Note it has 36A on each of 2 +12V rails, and it has four total +12V
ails. -Dave

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...68-bfg-es-800-800w-power-supply-review-2.html
 
That PSU is certified by AMD for *two* 4870X2 cards.

http://game.amd.com/us-en/crossfirex_components.aspx?p=3

A 4870X2 uses one 8 pin PCI-E power connection, plus one 6 pin. If memory
serves, a 6 pin PCI-E power connector is rated for a maximum of 75W. The 8
pin is 150W. Together, they would supply a maximum of 18.75A (225W at 12V).
I believe that the "36A" that you cite is for a total system.

For SLI, nVidia only certifies it for a pair of 8800GTX cards (not 8800
Ultra).

http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone_build_psu.html

I'd expect it to be adequate for a single GTX280, assuming that you're
building a mainstream desktop PC (even a high-end one).

My personal preference is for PSUs with single 12V rails, but I expect that
you'll do fine with the Antec.

I had the Quadro 850W version. Its 80mm fan was a little noisier than I
liked, but otherwise it was good. I didn't try it with any of the recent
power-mad GPUs, though.
 
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