I'm building a new gaming rig and just realized that my current Thermaltake Smart 600W PSU isn't cutting it—my system won't even power on! Here's what I'm putting together:
- AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU
- NVIDIA RTX 4070 12 GB GPU
- Corsair Vengeance 2x16 GB DDR5 7200 RAM
- 2x 1 TB Silicon Power SSDs
- MSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi motherboard
Would an 850W PSU be enough, or should I aim for 1KW?
3 Answers
You might find that your 600W PSU could actually run the system since it shouldn't exceed 400W total power draw, but since it’s a low-quality unit, that’s why you’re facing issues. I’d suggest switching the RAM to a better-performing DDR5-6000 kit, which tends to work better with AM5 systems. Use the savings to get a solid 750W to 1000W PSU that has a good warranty.
An 850W PSU should be more than enough for your setup. Ideally, you’d want something ATX 3.1 certified. I recommend checking out the Montech Century II 850W—it’s a great deal for the performance you’ll get!
Honestly, 850W is plenty, but you might want to keep in mind that your RAM speed could be an issue. The motherboard you have might not handle the DDR5-7200 speeds out of the box. Also, if you're looking for more headroom for future upgrades, going for 1KW wouldn't hurt, but it's usually not necessary. If you can, get a quality 750W or 850W PSU; avoid low-quality brands!
It is compatible, but the 7200 speeds might not work right away. Sometimes, you need to downclock it or adjust settings in BIOS to make it stable.
What do you mean by the RAM could be an issue? I thought this motherboard was compatible with 7200MHz.