400W PSU with nVidia GTX 460

[Meehael]

Hi all,

I need your advice, please.

I have a Fortron 400W PSU, spec are here: Fortron ATX-400PNF. Will it be able to handle nVidia 460 GTX, AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ CPU, 1 HDD (7200RPM), 1 DVD Drive and 3 sticks of 1GB DDR2 (= 3GB RAM)?

I used a PS Calculator and it recommended a PSU of at least 390W for the configuration. But the 12V rail on my PSU is confusing me. As you can see from the .pdf specs, it has 18A on 12V1 and 18A on 12V2, but I read somewhere that the GPU needs at least 24A on 12V rail. So, will it work? Do the two rails combine, or do I need at least one rail with 24A?


Thank you!

 

[Golgatha]

Hi all,

I need your advice, please.

I have a Fortron 400W PSU, spec are here: Fortron ATX-400PNF. Will it be able to handle nVidia 460 GTX, AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ CPU, 1 HDD (7200RPM), 1 DVD Drive and 3 sticks of 1GB DDR2 (= 3GB RAM)?

I used a PS Calculator and it recommended a PSU of at least 390W for the configuration. But the 12V rail on my PSU is confusing me. As you can see from the .pdf specs, it has 18A on 12V1 and 18A on 12V2, but I read somewhere that the GPU needs at least 24A on 12V rail. So, will it work? Do the two rails combine, or do I need at least one rail with 24A?

Thank you!

The graphics card will pull from 12V2 and your PS is unfortunately insufficient.

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2010/07/12/nvidia-geforce-gtx-460-graphics-card-review/11

270w at load = 22.5A. nVidia's recommendation of 24A is warranted and you'll need to get a bigger power supply if you want to upgrade to the 460.

 

[Termie]

You don't need a bigger power supply, you need a better one. Most quality 400-450w power supplies will work. And they aren't that expensive - usually under $40. I run a GTX460-768 on my Corsair 400w and it's not pushed very hard during gaming.

Here's an example of what you might buy: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139026

I know you didn't ask this, but you should be warned - that CPU will hold you back so badly in gaming that your GTX460 won't work at even 50% of its capacity in modern games. Even my OC'd e8400, which is about twice as fast as your CPU, only allows my GPU to run at 75% capacity in games that can utilize four CPU cores. And if you have the 1GB version of the GTX460, your card is actually more powerful than mine.

Take a look at some benchmarks to see what you'll be missing: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/35?vs=54

 

[Zap]

That PSU has a +12v combined of 348W or 29A. It would probably work but you may be cutting it close. Just leave clocks at stock.

The graphics card will pull from 12V2 and your PS is unfortunately insufficient.

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2010/07/12/nvidia-geforce-gtx-460-graphics-card-review/11

270w at load = 22.5A. nVidia's recommendation of 24A is warranted and you'll need to get a bigger power supply if you want to upgrade to the 460.

That's for the entire system. According to Nvidia the GTX 460 uses a maximum of 160W by itself, or 13.3A +12v.

You don't need a bigger power supply, you need a better one.

Fortron PSUs aren't that crappy. They can at least put out what the label claims.

 

[Meehael]

I know you didn't ask this, but you should be warned - that CPU will hold you back so badly in gaming that your GTX460 won't work at even 50% of its capacity in modern games. Even my OC'd e8400, which is about twice as fast as your CPU, only allows my GPU to run at 75% capacity in games that can utilize four CPU cores. And if you have the 1GB version of the GTX460, your card is actually more powerful than mine.

Hmmm, interesting. Didn't even thought of that. Will AMD Phenom™ II X4 955 do? (http://www.amd.com/uk/products/desktop/processors/phenom-ii/Pages/phenom-ii-model-number-comparison.aspx)

Since it would be nice to do a cpu upgrade (and mobo one), I might buy the corsair 500W psu (builder series). That'll be ok for stock speeds?

Thanks

 

[Termie]

Hmmm, interesting. Didn't even thought of that. Will AMD Phenom™ II X4 955 do? (http://www.amd.com/uk/products/desktop/processors/phenom-ii/Pages/phenom-ii-model-number-comparison.aspx)

Since it would be nice to do a cpu upgrade (and mobo one), I might buy the corsair 500W psu (builder series). That'll be ok for stock speeds?

Thanks

The Corsair builder series 500w would be a good upgrade. Plenty of power for your current setup as well as future builds using that GPU.

In regards to the CPU, you may want to post a question in the CPU forum with a note on your intended uses. The 955 is a fine chip and a huge upgrade, but given that you'll need a full system upgrade to accommodate it, you should at least explore other options, such as the intel i3-2100.

 

[jjj807]

What motherboard do you have? You may be able to flash the bios to accept some am3 chips. You can get a phenom x4 830 for 50 bucks that would be a huge upgrade.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[toyota]

yeah you definitely need a more modern platform before getting a gtx460 or so. that cpu of yours will barely even deliver playable framerates on higher settings in most newer games and would not even allow you to get half of what the gtx460 is capable of.


I would go with something better than the Corsair builder series. its their cheapest made power supplies and the 500 watt unit only has 32 amps on the 12v which is pretty modest. by the time you get decent cpu and gpu that psu really does not leave much headroom at all for future upgrade or decent overclocking.

for about the same price you can usually find something a little more robust on sale.

 

[VirtualLarry]

"only" 32A on 12.


For comparison, the ThermalTake TR2-430 has "only" 18A on the 12V rail, and that PSU sells like hotcakes.

 

[Zap]

"only" 32A on 12.


For comparison, the ThermalTake TR2-430 has "only" 18A on the 12V rail, and that PSU sells like hotcakes.

Correction. 29A combined.

And the TR2-430 is a steaming pile of crap, but people buy it because it often goes on sale for $25.

 

[Termie]

Correction. 29A combined.

And the TR2-430 is a steaming pile of crap, but people buy it because it often goes on sale for $25.

The current Corsair 500w Builder Series has 34a on a single 12v rail: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139027

Looks fine to me for a modest system. When it goes on sale for $35AR, it's a steal.

Then again, Toyota's Antec Neo Eco 520w with a 40a 12v rail is also a steal right now, but it's sold out: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371030

 

[LiuKangBakinPie]

Its not just the size of the psu but the quality of its output. Cheap brand psu's 99.9 percent of the time don't come close to their rated wattage.
Heres a good chart
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

Here's a good database with reviews of most of the psu's
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page541.htm

heres a good 500w unit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817256061

This one will also do
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...xfx%20450w

 

[Meehael]

Currently, i have an MSI K9N Neo V3 motherboard http://www.msi.com/product/mb/K9N-Neo-V3.html#?div=Detail, but I was thinking about getting an ASUS M4A77TD http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/AMD_AM3/M4A77TD/#specifications for the AMD Phenom II X4 955.

What do you think?

I'm not into playing the latest games and I'm not into overclocking, but since I'm buying a new graphics card, I wanted a decent one. I'll probably get an MSI GTX 560 instead of GTX 460. Prices are pretty the same.

Thanks again for the useful advices.

 

[coffeejunkee]

Why would you buy a GTX460/560 if you don't use it for gaming?

 

[Meehael]

Why would you buy a GTX460/560 if you don't use it for gaming?

I will, but not necessarily the latest games, unless one is really good (looking forward to Portal 2). I just wanted to say that I don't feel bad playing a new game on medium or lower settings. I'm not aiming at eg. Battlefield 3 at highest details.

 

[coffeejunkee]

Oh sorry, misread that.

But seeing as you need a new psu for GTX460, I would actually advise something like a 5670/6670 (both are the same card basically) which doesn't require another psu. It might be powerfull enough for the games you play, even Portal 2. If you need/want something stronger anyway you won't have trouble selling the 5670/6670 for a good price.

 

[Meehael]

I just wanted to let you know the outcome. I bought a Corsair CX500 PSU (just to be sure) and a GTX560. Didn't change the CPU and MB yet. And I didn't even try to connect the GPU to the Fortron PSU.

Everything works great. Portal 2 works great on highest details. Heroes 6 works great, too. Guild Wars is choppy now and then. Probably because of the CPU. Will try out Company of Heroes soon.

Thanks again, everyone!

 

[Termie]

I just wanted to let you know the outcome. I bought a Corsair CX500 PSU (just to be sure) and a GTX560. Didn't change the CPU and MB yet. And I didn't even try to connect the GPU to the Fortron PSU.

Everything works great. Portal 2 works great on highest details. Heroes 6 works great, too. Guild Wars is choppy now and then. Probably because of the CPU. Will try out Company of Heroes soon.

Thanks again, everyone!

Sounds great - this is what we like to hear. That's a strong GPU you have, so it will match up well with any CPU you end up buying.

 

[lehtv]

To the original question: the Fortron PSU probably only has one PCIe connector, like most <450W units. GTX 460 needs two, so no it doesn't work.

CX500 is good. But I think you should've gone with a HD6850 (or 6770, given the CPU bottleneck) and kept your old PSU.

 

[Golgatha]

To the original question: the Fortron PSU probably only has one PCIe connector, like most <450W units. GTX 460 needs two, so no it doesn't work.

CX500 is good. But I think you should've gone with a HD6850 (or 6770, given the CPU bottleneck) and kept your old PSU.

Doesn't matter what type of connectors it comes stock with. That's why adapters are available. What matters is having a minimum of 24A on the 12V rail. Also, you can't combine 12V1 and 12V2 on multi-rail PSUs, as the CPU will be on 12V1 and the GPU will be on 12V2, so 12V2 needs to have minimum 14A (I personally wouldn't be happy with any less than 20A) for this graphics card.

I personally buy single rail PSUs so I don't have to worry about what is plugged into which rail. I also purchase my PSUs to be over what's required for my system by 30-40&#37; because your best efficiency is typically found at 50-75% load or so. I run my PSUs hard 24/7/365 in many cases, so I don't want to max out the capacity 24/7/365. If you run your PSU near 100% capacity constantly, you're just asking for a failure, which can potentially damage system components in the process. The PSU is NOT a place to cut costs when building a computer.

Edit: For example, I run an 850w Corsair for the system in my signature, and it pulls around 500w at the wall.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139011

 

[Menicolas]

I also purchase my PSUs to be over what's required for my system by 30-40% because your best efficiency is typically found at 50-75% load or so. I run my PSUs hard 24/7/365 in many cases, so I don't want to max out the capacity 24/7/365. If you run your PSU near 100% capacity constantly, you're just asking for a failure, which can potentially damage system components in the process. The PSU is NOT a place to cut costs when building a computer.

Edit: For example, I run an 850w Corsair for the system in my signature, and it pulls around 500w at the wall.

Just looking at PSU right now... and was looking at that "Corsair CX Serie V2 430" mentioned above. But now if I understand you well, if I calculate 330-350W needed, I should go more for the 500W than the 430W?

 

[lehtv]

Doesn't matter what type of connectors it comes stock with. That's why adapters are available.

While technically that's possible, most people probably aren't comfortable using adapters.

 

[Meehael]

I finally saved enough money for the CPU and MB.
I have ordered Intel Core i3 2120 and ASUS P8H61 PRO. I gave up on AMD since I will mainly use the PC for gaming and Intel proved to be better than Phenom II X4 955 and 965 at benchmark, with prices nearly the same. I was also able to get the 2120 for the same price as 2100, so...

The Corsair CX500 PSU should do the job without any problems, right?

Thanks again for all the suggestions, you've been really helpful and have pointed me in the right direction.

 

[Zap]

The Corsair CX500 PSU should do the job without any problems, right?

Right. Alternately, the Antec Neo Eco 520W that is currently on sale (today only, Shellshocker special) on Newegg for $40 with free shipping.