Another video card/power supply question

[AK3D]

I'd posted a few days ago regarding whether a L&C / powersafe 500W power supply was enough to power an E4300 C2D, 7900GS based computer. Now, Antec is obviously a much better brand and I might be able to get hold of an Antec case with 350W Antec power supply. What I'd like to know is that will it be enough to power an 8800 GTS further down the line? According to the extreme.outervision calculator, it would draw 333W at 100% usage. I have no other options here for a quality power supply. Any help or ideas would be appreciated.

 

[Stumps]

good god no...that PSU has a maximum power out of 330W...not to mention the +12v is only 16a...barely useful for midrange stuff.

my 3.4ghz Prescott P4 uses that PSU, it has a 6800GT and 1gb of ddr ram...anything more than 2 harddisks results in instability because of a lack of power.

 

[SonicIce]

I am using a 350w Antec Smart Power model SL350. The label says 21A on +12V. It handles a 130nm A64 2800 @ 2.2GHz, 1GB ram, 6800 GT agp @ ultra, two 120mm's, and one hard drive without any problems. I had a 6800 ultra in there at one point and it handled that. I don't know about an 8800, though...

 

[keeleysam]

Originally posted by: Stumps
good god no...that PSU has a maximum power out of 330W...not to mention the +12v is only 16a...barely useful for midrange stuff.

my 3.4ghz Prescott P4 uses that PSU, it has a 6800GT and 1gb of ddr ram...anything more than 2 harddisks results in instability because of a lack of power.

Do you honestly think that an E4300 and a 7900GS uses more power than a Prescott and 6800GT?

OP, you'll be fine.

 

[jdoggg12]

See my sig - as long as you get a QUALITY psu with good 12v rails and plenty of amperage, you'll be fine

 

[AK3D]

Thanks for the replies everyone. My problem is that only low quality PSUs are available where I live (Ahmedabad - India). They try to pass off 200 and 300W PSU's as 500 and 600W (you can tell by looking at the specs - under 15 - 20A on the +12V). The low end companies have horrid quality and I don't want to risk a good setup because of that. I've been searching all over the market, and was stumped due to a lack of options. I managed to get hold of a company that were selling FSP group power supplies, but they are very far away, and in case of any warranty issues, I would prefer to have someone local to deal with. What happened was finally, that I managed to find someone who's selling Antec here - the 400 and 500 W power supplies are incredibly expensive (Truepower 2 480W is about 160$) and I can get the SLK cabinet with 350W PSU for about 80$. Another option would be to get an Antec 380W earthwatts PSU (15 an 17A on the +12) - that is expensive too, but I guess I can go for it if the power requirements are that much. Thanks again for the help.

 

[Noema]

Originally posted by: AK3D
My problem is that only low quality PSUs are available where I live (Ahmedabad - India).

I feel your pain man. Same deal where I live: only crap, cheapo PSUs. Importers usually underestimate the necessity of a quality gaming supply with plenty of juice on the 12V rail for gaming rigs. They just go for sheer Wattage.

However the other day I saw a OCZ GameXstream 600W and I couldn't believe my eyes...I bought it right there and then, even though I had to pay around $150 for it. Though I don't need it right now, I will as soon as I start building my new rig.


Americans don't even begin to realize how lucky they are to be able to just log into NewEgg.com and buy the best parts for the best prices, with almost unlimited availability.

 

[Stumps]

Originally posted by: keeleysam

Originally posted by: Stumps
good god no...that PSU has a maximum power out of 330W...not to mention the +12v is only 16a...barely useful for midrange stuff.

my 3.4ghz Prescott P4 uses that PSU, it has a 6800GT and 1gb of ddr ram...anything more than 2 harddisks results in instability because of a lack of power.

Do you honestly think that an E4300 and a 7900GS uses more power than a Prescott and 6800GT?

OP, you'll be fine.

Did you actually read the OP?, he was also asking if it would be suitible for a 8800GTS.

 

[AK3D]

I've been looking and looking and looking - Powersafe (L&C) 500W is 15A+15A on 12V rails. The Coolermaster 600W PSU is available in mumbai for a fair bit more - does anyone have experience with it? Thanks.

@Keelysam : I have a 7900GS at present, but would want to upgrade to an 8800 or such early next year or so.
@noema : I've been running around the markets non stop, but the dealers here don't even know what they're selling! -

One place I went to, they had a zebronics power supply (15a on +12v), and when I asked him how many amps it had on the +12v, he goes "it will give you anywhere from 1 to 240 volts without a problem!!!!" - learn something new everyday I guess. Another place "you only need the power supply that comes with the cabinet (case) - why spend extra for anything?" !!! Ah well....

I think it will be awesome to finally have this new computer set up - I currently have an AXP 1400 and a geforce 3 ti500. The 7900 should be miles ahead of this!

 

[nullpointerus]

Miles? Maybe light-years.

The 500W sounds great for what you have, the 600W should be fine for an 8800. I've used coolermaster and would put them at the mid-point of quality--though I'm no PSU expert!--so I think you'd do well with it in the future barring the occasional bad unit.

Sometimes I believe people "overestimate" required wattage because there's no telling what kind of cheap no-name PSU that readers will buy.

Have you people outside the U.S. tried eBay? Even sellers that list items as North America only will sometimes let you bid if you ask nicely. You can get some very good deals this way *if* you pay attention to the fine print.