Anyone with experience: Dell 280W PSU + 9600GT?

[bluemax]

The Dell C521 was such a dandy machine I went and found a used one to call my own again! Quietest, nicest PC I've ever owned and is a perfect fit for my armoire.

It's currently running a 4850e (2.5GHz, 45W) processor to leave some headroom for a video card. I've had a 9600GT going in the one I sold off, so I know it's *possible*... but the opinions I've seen from across the 'net vary WILDLY.

I'd like to get the Sparkle 9600GT in there - nice and quiet (as opposed to the Galaxy GFE2 9600GT "Dustbuster Edition") for $145 CDN shipped and taxed.

The alternative is the safer-but-slower Radeon 4650 which will only be $100 all in.

The 9600GT is 50% faster, costs 50% more and probably uses 50% more power, which might push the high-quality 280W PSU too hard over time.

Upgrading the PSU is NOT an option.

Your thoughts?

EDIT: It's a 280W PSU, not 305W.
+12V says 16A max.
There are FOUR plugs off the PSU, 2x SATA (in use) 1x floppy and 1x molex.

When I ran the last 9600, I split the one molex to two, then joined the two with the 2-molex-to-one-6-pin adapter included with the card. Surely there's a ONE-molex-to-6-pin adapter? Is that too much draw for one molex?

That might change things, eh?



Moved to PSU forum.

Video Mod BFG10K.

 

[Slugbait]

I've had a 9600GT going in the one I sold off, so I know it's *possible*... but the opinions I've seen from across the 'net vary WILDLY.

Incorrect...it's not POSSIBLE, it's SUCCESSFUL. Opinions are like Camaros: everybody has one parked up on cinder blocks, rusting out on their front lawn. Stop listening to other people when you already know the answer.

I dropped a 9600 into a Dell box at work in order to get dual-monitor for Win2K3 (the box came with an AMD 2600 card, but ATi has never supported NT Server for their consumer cards, so I was stuck with generic Windows drivers and single monitor..thus the switch to nVidia). I needed to get SATA adapters for the molex connections, and relocate the hard drive to get enough power cable length. Other than that hassle, it worked fine...but I don't know how much wattage the PSU pushed.

 

[bluemax]

Thanks for yet another vote for "Yes, it'll work."

I'm just a little worried about 6mos down the road if I'm "redlining" the power supply too often.

The web-based PSU calculator says my single-HDD, single-optical system only needs 225W with the 9600GT so my 305W should be just fine, even a year from now.

I'm not going to jump to that Sparkle 9800GT though... that's yet another 20+ Watts being pulled... I'm.... hesitant.

 

[Schmide]

I just put my multi-meter on my q6600 3ghz 4870 512mb 6gb watercooled with 3 drives etc and it pulls 276w at the wall.

It will be fine.

Edit: it was under load when I took the readings and I'm not sure about my 9600gt sli readings. I can't really remember the wattage.

 

[alkalinetaupehat]

I hit 300W at the wall when my system (as it is in sig) is doing P95 and Furmark. I imagine you'll be fine, and go with the 9800GT. It's worth it.

 

[bluemax]

I'll admit that the 9800GT is tempting, but my monitor only goes to 1280x1024... and I won't see $40 worth of increase at that res. However, if I ever got a new monitor down the road...

Still, the Sparkle cards at Newegg... the 9800GT in question only uses ~8W more than the 9600GT for a visible performance increase when you bump up all the graphic goodies.

It's tempting... painfully expensive on my super-tight budget, but tempting nonetheless.

The 4650 for $30 less than the 9600GT only has the appeal of low-power. If that's a non-issue, I think I'll pass and blow the budget ONCE and have a whiz-bang setup to last a while.

 

[bluemax]

Uh oh.... I looked inside the unit and found it's a 280W PSU and the +12V line says 16A Max. That ruin it for the 9600/9800?

 

[ShawnD1]

Originally posted by: bluemax
Uh oh.... I looked inside the unit and found it's a 280W PSU and the +12V line says 16A Max. That ruin it for the 9600/9800?

I'm thinking it's a no go. It's surprisingly difficult to find the current rating for a video card.

http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=75835
"The minimum power supply requirement for the GSO are: Minimum 400W or greater system power supply (with 12V current rating of 26A)"


That's just one guy saying it, but it sounds reasonable. Most games will probably run just fine, but a sudden drop of current will cause a black screen. Not sure if that's bad for a card, but it's annoying as hell.

 

[toyota]

Originally posted by: bluemax
The Dell C521 was such a dandy machine I went and found a used one to call my own again! Quietest, nicest PC I've ever owned and is a perfect fit for my armoire.

It's currently running a 4850e (2.5GHz, 45W) processor to leave some headroom for a video card. I've had a 9600GT going in the one I sold off, so I know it's *possible*... but the opinions I've seen from across the 'net vary WILDLY.

I'd like to get the Sparkle 9600GT in there - nice and quiet (as opposed to the Galaxy GFE2 9600GT "Dustbuster Edition") for $145 CDN shipped and taxed.

The alternative is the safer-but-slower Radeon 4650 which will only be $100 all in.

The 9600GT is 50% faster, costs 50% more and probably uses 50% more power, which might push the high-quality 280W PSU too hard over time.

Upgrading the PSU is NOT an option.

Your thoughts?

EDIT: It's a 280W PSU, not 305W.
+12V says 16A max.

That might change things, eh?

well with your cpu and at 1280 you wont get that extra 50% faster performance in most games anyway. yeah a 9600gt would be pushing it for long term reliability with just a 280 watt psu. if you had a better psu then I would say get the 9600gt but you only have 16 amps on the 12v so just stick with the 4650.

 

[bluemax]

Originally posted by: toyota
well with your cpu and at 1280 you wont get that extra 50% faster performance in most games anyway. yeah a 9600gt would be pushing it for long term reliability with just a 280 watt psu. if you had a better psu then I would say get the 9600gt but you only have 16 amps on the 12v so just stick with the 4650.

That's what I'm worried about too. Now I did actually have a 9600GT before, but only for a month or so... Fallout3 got that machine very toasty... :shocked:

I think you're right. Best to play it safe... and I can't justify spending so much either. The lower cost of the 4650 is easier to swallow and SHOULD still be able to play Fallout3 pretty well.

 

[OCGuy]

Originally posted by: bluemax
The web-based PSU calculator says my single-HDD, single-optical system only needs 225W with the 9600GT so my 305W should be just fine, even a year from now.

That calculator is so full of crap, btw. (over estimates)

 

[yh125d]

That rig with a 9600gt would likely pull less than 200w from the wall. You're definitely good for long-term

 

[toyota]

Originally posted by: yh125d
That rig with a 9600gt would likely pull less than 200w from the wall. You're definitely good for long-term

horrible advice. if he got to around 170-180 watts during full load that would nearly max out the 12v right there since he only has 16amps on the 12v to work with. best case scenario is that the 12v would be around 80-90% during full load which is NOT advisable.

 

[Schmide]

xbit 9600gt power draw

says less than 60w in the system which is about 5 amps.

The PSU will be fine.

 

[toyota]

Originally posted by: Schmide
xbit 9600gt power draw

says less than 60w in the system which is about 5 amps.

The PSU will be fine.

again bad advice. it could easily go a little higher than that in another game or scenario. plus throw in all the other components and it would NOT be a good idea. my parents pc has a 4200 which uses less power than his cpu and an 8600gt which uses about 30 watts according to xbit. during gaming their pc uses about 145 watts at the wall so add 30 more for his video card and about 10-15 more for his cpu and he would be around 185-190 watts. thats not even the real full load that his pc can achieve but even then he will be close to maxing out the 12v. also Dell uses fairly cheap power supplies on their low end comps now so it may not be able to provide even the 16amps listed especially after many months of use.

 

[Schmide]

Originally posted by: toyota

Originally posted by: Schmide
xbit 9600gt power draw

says less than 60w in the system which is about 5 amps.

The PSU will be fine.

again bad advice. it could easily go a little higher than that in another game or scenario. plus throw in all the other components and it would NOT be a good idea. my parents pc has a 4200 which uses less power than his cpu and an 8600gt which uses about 30 watts according to xbit. during gaming their pc uses about 145 watts at the wall so add 30 more for his video card and about 10-15 more for his cpu and he would be around 185-190 watts. thats not even the real full load that his pc can achieve but even then he will be close to maxing out the 12v.

Come on. The nForce 430 is a very low power draw chipset. That + 45w processor + a couple sticks of ram + probably a hd and a DVD. This is about as low a power draw system you can start with. It's not going to be running a 80-90% 24-7 anyways. At 100% on the 12v rail you're talking 192 watts. I doubt this system goes over 150w. I thought 80% was the efficiency goal anyways. I still vote yes.

I think you are totally overestimating the total system power.

 

[toyota]

Originally posted by: Schmide

Originally posted by: toyota

Originally posted by: Schmide
xbit 9600gt power draw

says less than 60w in the system which is about 5 amps.

The PSU will be fine.

again bad advice. it could easily go a little higher than that in another game or scenario. plus throw in all the other components and it would NOT be a good idea. my parents pc has a 4200 which uses less power than his cpu and an 8600gt which uses about 30 watts according to xbit. during gaming their pc uses about 145 watts at the wall so add 30 more for his video card and about 10-15 more for his cpu and he would be around 185-190 watts. thats not even the real full load that his pc can achieve but even then he will be close to maxing out the 12v.

Come on. The nForce 430 is a very low power draw chipset. That + 45w processor + a couple sticks of ram + probably a hd and a DVD. This is about as low a power draw system you can start with. It's not going to be running a 80-90% 24-7 anyways. At 100% on the 12v rail you're talking 192 watts. I doubt this system goes over 150w. I thought 80% was the efficiency goal anyways. I still vote yes.

I think you are totally overestimating the total system power.

I just told you exactly what parents pc pulls so his will definitely pull at least 30-35 more. oh and they have the same chipset so my estimates for him would be pretty accurate. if you want to run a cheap psu with some miles on it at 80-90% of its max rated 12v line when new then go for it. I would never suggest that to somebody though.

 

[Schmide]

You understand that at the wall is about 20% more than on the board. So

(30w + 145w)*0.8 = 140w

Do you think all other rails are completely unused? Take another 10-20% off.

Was your parents PC a 90nm 4200? Because the 4850e is 65nm. Extra savings there.

 

[toyota]

Originally posted by: Schmide
You understand that at the wall is about 20% more than on the board. So

(30w + 145w)*0.8 = 140w

Do you think all other rails are completely unused? Take another 10-20% off.

Was your parents PC a 90nm 4200? Because the 4850e is 65nm. Extra savings there.

yes I know that but I am also looking at the fact that this is a cheap power supply with probably lots of use on it already and most of the load will come off the 12v on a modern pc. oh and yes my parents cpu is 65nm too.

 

[Schmide]

Originally posted by: toyota

Originally posted by: Schmide
You understand that at the wall is about 20% more than on the board. So

(30w + 145w)*0.8 = 140w

Do you think all other rails are completely unused? Take another 10-20% off.

Was your parents PC a 90nm 4200? Because the 4850e is 65nm. Extra savings there.

yes I know that but I am also looking at the fact that this is a cheap power supply with probably lots of use on it already and most of the load will come off the 12v on a modern pc. oh and yes my parents cpu is 65nm too.

That's a far cry from "bad advice"

Ars 170w 9600gt /w Core 2 Duo E6850

Given the fact that even without the inefficiencies of the PSU, absolute worst case, the system would be running at 88% of maxim 170w/192w, and that's without any other rails being used. The 9600gt is a relative low power card for its class, and should do fine in his system. The 8800gt/9800gt and its 20w more draw would most likely be pushing the envelope on his PSU. I still think it would run OK, but would probably be in the 90% usage of his PSU.

Edit: There are reviews that have higher than 170w total at the wall.

 

[toyota]

Originally posted by: Schmide

Originally posted by: toyota

Originally posted by: Schmide
You understand that at the wall is about 20% more than on the board. So

(30w + 145w)*0.8 = 140w

Do you think all other rails are completely unused? Take another 10-20% off.

Was your parents PC a 90nm 4200? Because the 4850e is 65nm. Extra savings there.

yes I know that but I am also looking at the fact that this is a cheap power supply with probably lots of use on it already and most of the load will come off the 12v on a modern pc. oh and yes my parents cpu is 65nm too.

That's a far cry from "bad advice" If you look at various power measurements around the web, they usually come in at 170w or less at the wall.

Ars 170w 9600gt /w Core 2 Duo E6850

Given the fact that even without the inefficiencies of the PSU, absolute worst case, the system would be running at 88% of maxim 170w/192w, and that's without any other rails being used. The 9600gt is a relative low power card for its class, and should do fine in his system. The 8800gt/9800gt and its 20w more draw and would most likely be pushing the envelope on his PSU. I still think it would run OK, but would probably be in the 90% usage of his PSU.

again his power supply has some miles on it and is very cheaply made. that is not a high quality product and putting it under that much stress is just asking for trouble. I think it will run but just not for very long.

 

[Dadofamunky]

My Shuttle has a 250W PSU that's 3 years old and it glommed onto my new 9600 like a long-lost brother. thing is almost dead silent now. In my experience, yes, it'll work.

 

[toyota]

Originally posted by: Dadofamunky
My Shuttle has a 250W PSU that's 3 years old and it glommed onto my new 9600 like a long-lost brother. thing is almost dead silent now. In my experience, yes, it'll work.

are you freaking kidding me? any enthusiast knows a shuttle 250 watt power supply is VERY stout and underrated. the dell 280 watt psu can come from a number of different companies depending on who had the lowest bid. there is absolutely NO comparison between a shuttle psu and the psu that dell uses on its cheapest comps.

 

[Schmide]

A system from here

Our Dimension C521 came with a 2.4GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+, 1GB of 533MHz DDR2 memory, a 320GB 7,200rpm hard drive, and a half-height 256MB ATI Radeon X1300 Pro graphics

Since the 65nm processors didn't show up until 2007 and the reference was for a September 2006 system, the 4600x2 was a 90nm processor. Add to that a +30w x1300 pro and the original poster system is a net equal to the above system with the 9600gt additional 30 watts.

 

[toyota]

Originally posted by: Schmide
A system from here

Our Dimension C521 came with a 2.4GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+, 1GB of 533MHz DDR2 memory, a 320GB 7,200rpm hard drive, and a half-height 256MB ATI Radeon X1300 Pro graphics

Since the 65nm processors didn't show up until 2007 and the reference was for a September 2006 system. The 4600x2 was a 90nm processor add to that a +30w x1300 pro and the original poster system is a net equal to the above system with the 9600gt additional 30 watts.

does it say thats a 280 watt psu? dell has used differnent power supplies within the same model line you know. they also used to have high quality 305watt continuous power supplies in their lowest machines.


EDIT: I just now realized that was the smaller form factor dell. that 280watt psu is actually pretty decent. it doesnt have a pci-e connector though so to me that means they probably did not think it would be worthy of pushing a video card that needed one.