500w enough for this system?

[Esparko2]

Hello,

I currently have a 500w PSU
I'm thinking about upgrading my GFX card.

These are my current specs:

Core 2 Duo E7400 2.8 GHz
4 GB RAM
9800 GT
2 (possibly 3) Hard Drives
1 DVD drive

Now, I'm thinking of putting in a GTX 550 Ti
http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-M...8223303&sr=8-3

Given my current PSU, will 500w be able to handle this GFX card upgrade?

 

[BoomerD]

OK, took some searching, but I finally found it.

http://www.evga.com/products/pdf/02G-P3-1559.pdf

Looks like, EVGA says 400 watts or greater with 24A on the 12v rail.

IMO, as long as your 500 watt PSU is a good one, you should be fine.

Whatcha got for a power supply?

 

[Esparko2]

I have a HEC Raptor500R

http://hecgroupusa.com/products/switching-power-supply/retail-power-supply/raptor-500r/

 

[TemjinGold]

That would not be a good one...

 

[lehtv]

I can't find any reviews on that unit, so I can't really say anything concrete about how reliable it is. It's not among what I consider to be reliable manufacturers though.

Two rails, 19A each... If simply added together, they add up to 450W - but it's not mentioned what the actual combined 12V power is. Over Power Protection (which this PSU thankfully has) should kick in much earlier than that so as to avoid overloading either rail.

Given that 550 Ti only uses 150W (12.5A), I think there's an good chance you'd be fine with that PSU. If you can upgrade the PSU though, now would be a pretty good chance to do that, there's a high quality PCP&C MK II 500W available for just $45 after rebate and promo code. 5 yr warranty.

 

[Rifter]

crap PSU for sure but it should still handle that system if its not old and the caps are in good condition.

 

[BoomerD]

HEC has never had a very good name in the PSU biz. From what little bit I can find, it looks like their 500 watt units are actually over-rated 400 watt units...

They're USUALLY reliable enough as long as they're not overloaded, (hint-hint) BUT, you couldn't give me one to put in one of my computers.

 

[Esparko2]

It's only seen half a year's usage, so it's still relatively new. But I've actually had this for about 1 and a half years. (I was away from my computer for a year due to college)

Can anything bad happen if I test my chances and use this PSU with the 550 Ti?
Say it's not actually 500w.. will it just fizzle and die then i merely replace the PSU? Or will it just destroy my entire system if the PSU overloaded. Or will it just not power on.

If it doesn't power on, I'll just swap the 9800 back in then I'll order a new PSU (looking at corsair) soon enough

 

[lehtv]

GTX 550 Ti consumes actually the same amount of power as 9800 GT (120W). If 9800 GT works, 550 Ti will work as well.

 

[Rifter]

It's only seen half a year's usage, so it's still relatively new. But I've actually had this for about 1 and a half years. (I was away from my computer for a year due to college)

Can anything bad happen if I test my chances and use this PSU with the 550 Ti?
Say it's not actually 500w.. will it just fizzle and die then i merely replace the PSU? Or will it just destroy my entire system if the PSU overloaded. Or will it just not power on.

If it doesn't power on, I'll just swap the 9800 back in then I'll order a new PSU (looking at corsair) soon enough

With a low end PSU such as yours it is totally possible it will fry the whole system when it blows up.

As boomer mentioned above you couldnt give one to me to use in my own system.

I have had PSU's fry on me beofre and take other hardware with it, at the time i was a poor college student and could not afford a good PSU and figured i would take my chances. Well it turned out i was computerless for almsot a year while i saved up for a whole new PC after my PSU blew up. Would have been a much better idea to save up for another month and buy a better PSU but at least i learned my lesson.

 

[R4in]

Can anything bad happen if I test my chances and use this PSU with the 550 Ti?

I honestly wouldn't take my chances with it. Like Rifter mentioned, better to pay $60 now for a new PSU rather than ~$500 for an entire computer.

 

[Esparko2]

Hm, okay.

I'll look into a new PSU soon. Thanks for the input, guys.

 

[Termie]

Hm, okay.

I'll look into a new PSU soon. Thanks for the input, guys.

I agree you'd be on the edge with your lower-tier 500w PSU. The 550Ti is not a low-power part, in fact it uses as much power as an HD6870: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4221/nvidias-gtx-550-ti-coming-up-short-at-150/16.

If I may offer some advice you didn't ask for, I'd stay away from the 550Ti. It's a pretty terrible performer for its power use, and it's not a huge upgrade from an 8800gt (maybe 50-60% faster). The cheapest ones I'm seeing on Newegg are ~$110 after rebate, and the one you linked to on Amazon is way more than that. If you can stretch your budget a few dollars, go for the vastly superior HD6850 for $135AR:

http://www.amazon.com/HIS-Radeon-Ey...4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1318455834&sr=1-4


Here's a benchmark to show how big the difference is: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4221/nvidias-gtx-550-ti-coming-up-short-at-150/5

As an added benefit, it's much more efficient and likely wouldn't require a new PSU.

 

[M0RPH]

Don't let the PSU snobs here scare you into buying a new power supply you don't need. If it's working fine for you, and as someone has already pointed out the new video card consumes the same power as your current, there's no need for upgrading it. People around here are notorious for over-stating PSU needs.

 

[pugh]

While I agree I have seen many overstate which PSU is needed for a system. I don't see any problem with recommending a person to purchase a quality unit for ANY system they own.

It just makes sense unless you have cash too toss on another pc from a inferior PSU that might take your system with it...

Buyer beware..

 

[Esparko2]

I agree you'd be on the edge with your lower-tier 500w PSU. The 550Ti is not a low-power part, in fact it uses as much power as an HD6870: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4221/nvidias-gtx-550-ti-coming-up-short-at-150/16.

If I may offer some advice you didn't ask for, I'd stay away from the 550Ti. It's a pretty terrible performer for its power use, and it's not a huge upgrade from an 8800gt (maybe 50-60% faster). The cheapest ones I'm seeing on Newegg are ~$110 after rebate, and the one you linked to on Amazon is way more than that. If you can stretch your budget a few dollars, go for the vastly superior HD6850 for $135AR:

http://www.amazon.com/HIS-Radeon-Eye...8455834&sr=1-4


Here's a benchmark to show how big the difference is: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4221/nvidias-gtx-550-ti-coming-up-short-at-150/5

As an added benefit, it's much more efficient and likely wouldn't require a new PSU.

9800*

I'll research about this new video card. Thanks.
The PSU, I'll still look into a new one at some point regardless. If they pretty much have the same power consumption, then it's not too bad since this PSU is still relatively new. It powers my current system fine.