enough power for a 6600 GT SLI?

[pjwinkler]

hey if i had this set up:

A8N-SLI Deluxe
Athlon64 3000+ (939)
MSI NX6600 GT
(2)512 mb Kingston value RAM DIMM 3-3-3
Seagate Barracudu 80 Gb 7200 rpm 8 mb cache S-ATA

and I want to be able o upgrade to SLI in the future

Antec SmartBlue 350 - 75.00 cdn
Thermaltake Silent PurePower - 420W Solution - 65.00 cdn

which should i get?

 

[pjwinkler]

^ .... :frown:

price isn't really a factor just which is better?

 

[mrgoblin]

The 420. Dont go sli unless you have lots of watts. Especially if you plan on overclocking. This seems like a gimme

 

[LT4CAMSS]

I'm sure there are more opinions on this, but I would definitely tell you to go w/ the 420W. I have a friend who was running quite a bit of hardware on his comp. w/ a 350W PSU. He didn't have dual 6600 GTs but he did have a DVDRW and he was running into issues. He upgraded to a 420W, I believe. That took care of all his problems. I have an Antec Truepower 430W. It's pretty quiet, comes w/ enough power plugs, etc. I would recommend it to anyone...if you're not looking to spend a little extra cash, I would still recommend the 420W. You can never have enough power when it comes to computers. It's always safe to have more rather than have less when in comes to power. Hope that helps.


Don

 

[ts3433]

I'm not sure if either of those have quite enough power. You can use the search function around here to see what others are recommending.

 

[mrgoblin]

Ts. The boys over at ocforums have 2 6800s running on a 480 with a fine overclocked. The 420 is fine.

 

[AWhackWhiteBoy]

my roommate has that 420watt thermaltake psu,its a POS. it makes all kinds of horrible high pitched noises under load and can't even handle his 6800 non-ultra and a barton. he had to underclock his CPU once he got the 6800 to keep his PC from crashing. his voltages took a huge dump. low quality crap.

 

[ts3433]

Yeah, that was my main concern with the TT PSU. I'm sure a better-quality PSU circa 400W could run them, but I doubt there's much upgrade potential after that.

 

[mechBgon]

How about this one: link at NCIX.com

Also, just since this thread's likely to get Search traffic down the road: Asus manual page on the PSU recommendations

 

[AWhackWhiteBoy]

35A 12V rail, that just might do it. cutting it close, but probably.

 

[pjwinkler]

guess ill spend a little more and go with the antec true power 430 its not THAT much more.

and 430 should be fine for a 6600 GT sli with only a cd drive as extra.. GamePC reviews say you would only need a 350 to 420 and a powersupply calculator i saw said id only need around 400

 

[JBDan]

Originally posted by: mechBgon
How about this one: link at NCIX.com

Also, just since this thread's likely to get Search traffic down the road: Asus manual page on the PSU recommendations

Sweet PSU mech. This would work very well pj. Also Antecs 430W, Fortrons 500W or 400W, PCP&C 425W or 510Express(made for SLI but quite pricey) or an OCZ unit will power that SLI

 

[mechBgon]

pjwinkler, note that the board takes a 24-pin main cable.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: AWhackWhiteBoy
my roommate has that 420watt thermaltake psu,its a POS. it makes all kinds of horrible high pitched noises under load and can't even handle his 6800 non-ultra and a barton. he had to underclock his CPU once he got the 6800 to keep his PC from crashing. his voltages took a huge dump. low quality crap.

there is NOTHING wrong with TT other than it being budget.
:roll:

and being "budget", there is 'only' 18a on the 12v rail . . . . certainly sufficient for what you are planning unless you are also planning a heavy o/c.

now if it were me, i'd get a heftier PS - just for the fact that you may upgrade to a 6800GT or ultra some day

 

[ts3433]

[[Edit: My brain has officially failed me after just 14 years. See directly below.]]

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: ts3433
OP: Do make note of the new 24-pin main ATX connector like Mech said--you'll want to make sure the PSU has this type.

Originally posted by: apoppin

now if it were me, i'd get a heftier PS - just for the fact that you may upgrade to a 6800GT or ultra some day

In this case, the OP wants to do SLI 6600GTs later on, which I think take even a little more power than just a single 6800GT, which makes the TT's amperage insufficient.

I was talking about later upgrading two sli'd 6600s to TWO 6800GTs - hence the possible future need for a bigger PS.

The 420w TT will run 2 sli'd 6600s or a 6800GT or even a (non-o/c'd) Ultra especially as his system isn't running a lot of extra drives.
:roll:

Most of you guys haven't got a clue about your actual power needs
(bigger is better)
:roll:

edited

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: ts3433
OP: Do make note of the new 24-pin main ATX connector like Mech said--you'll want to make sure the PSU has this type.

Originally posted by: apoppin

now if it were me, i'd get a heftier PS - just for the fact that you may upgrade to a 6800GT or ultra some day

In this case, the OP wants to do SLI 6600GTs later on, which I think take even a little more power than just a single 6800GT, which makes the TT's amperage insufficient.

I was talking about later upgrading two sli'd 6600s to TWO 6800GTs - hence the possible future need for a bigger PS.

The 420w TT will run 2 sli'd 6600s or a 6800GT or even a (non-o/c'd) Ultra especially as his system isn't running a lot of extra drives.
:roll:

Most of you guys haven't got a clue about your actual power needs
(bigger is better)
:roll:

edited

Is the Thermaltake 420W power supply a 24-pin unit?

 

[w00t]

1st of all dont get 2 6600gt in sli one 6800gt is better than 2 6600gt in sli so i would say get one 6800gt and get another one later on. sli is dum though imo you can run anygame with good frames max setting with 1 card why get 2 waste of money.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: mechBgon

Originally posted by: apoppin


edited

Is the Thermaltake 420W power supply a 24-pin unit?

not sure about the 420 . . . looking it up . . .. of course that is the deal-breaker if it is not.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: mechBgon

Originally posted by: apoppin


edited

Is the Thermaltake 420W power supply a 24-pin unit?

not sure about the 420 . . . looking it up . . .. of course that is the deal-breaker if it is not.

no it doesn't . . . . it's "old" . . . .

HOWEVER, good news . . . you don't NEED a 24 pin PS . . . LOOK at what Asus has done:

:: ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe Adopted Never-Seen-Before Innovations for Reliable, Convenient Dual-VGA Graphics

Taipei, Taiwan; November 11, 2004 ? ASUSTeK Computer Inc. (ASUS), the worldwide leader of motherboards, today introduced two unique features ? EZ Plug and EZ Switch ? on its up coming A8N-SLI Deluxe motherboard for dependable power supply to two PCI Express graphics cards and easy activation of SLI (Scalable Link Interface) mode.

The EZ Plug is a direct power supply tailored to satisfy the high power demand of dual PCI Express graphics card operation, and the EZ Switch offers easy access, insertion and removal of the SLI selector card with an exclusive socket design.

EZ Plug ? Direct and Reliable Power Supply
When the system is in SLI mode (dual PCI Express graphics operation), the supply of power for the graphics adaptors is crucial. The A8N-SLI Deluxe incorporated the patented EZ Plug, which provides dedicated support for the high power demands of graphics cards, maintains overall system stability, and improves graphics card compatibility. . . .

Unlike the SLI solutions by other manufacturers, the EZ Plug supports the 20-pin standard, which is still currently the mainstream. Users who want to upgrade to the latest SLI platform, can save the extra cost on a 24-pin power plug. In addition, a LED light issues friendly reminders when the EZ Plug is needed to ensure the graphics cards can run at full power without compromising system reliability.

<<issues friendly reminders?>>

TT is a viable alternative with this Asus sli MB.

So there.

 

[AWhackWhiteBoy]

Originally posted by: apoppin
there is NOTHING wrong with TT other than it being budget.
:roll:

and being "budget", there is 'only' 18a on the 12v rail . . . . certainly sufficient for what you are planning unless you are also planning a heavy o/c.

now if it were me, i'd get a heftier PS - just for the fact that you may upgrade to a 6800GT or ultra some day

nothing wrong,eh? my friend has one hard drive,two optical, a barton, and a 6800NU, and this PSU is claimed to be 420watts and can't even handle it? i do believe thats a tier below "budget". its called "garbage".

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: AWhackWhiteBoy

Originally posted by: apoppin
there is NOTHING wrong with TT other than it being budget.
:roll:

and being "budget", there is 'only' 18a on the 12v rail . . . . certainly sufficient for what you are planning unless you are also planning a heavy o/c.

now if it were me, i'd get a heftier PS - just for the fact that you may upgrade to a 6800GT or ultra some day

nothing wrong,eh? my friend has one hard drive,two optical, a barton, and a 6800NU, and this PSU is claimed to be 420watts and can't even handle it? i do believe thats a tier below "budget". its called "garbage".

perhaps his is defective

or are you condemning an entire line from 1 example.
:roll:

there are many many testimonials and reviews that all show TT to be a fine budget PS . . . . it does exactlly what it claims to do . . . stable and quiet.

 

[xtknight]

Let me give you some advice before you buy that rig. I made the mistake and I had to pay for it, so I'll tell you right now, get a single GeForce 6800 GT PCI-e for MSRP if you can wait for them to come in stock and you'll be a lot happier/won't have to worry about the power requirements. If you think SLI is the way to go, so be it, you will probably be better off with more power.

 

[AWhackWhiteBoy]

Originally posted by: apoppin

perhaps his is defective

or are you condemning an entire line from 1 example.
:roll:

there are many many testimonials and reviews that all show TT to be a fine budget PS . . . . it does exactlly what it claims to do . . . stable and quiet.

its not defective,it works fine. hes been using it for 2 years, but now that he actually demands some degree of performance out of it the true colors of it are shown and it just can't hold up at all. he got extra wattage for the future but it doesn't deliver.

i'm condemning the model, not brand. but its certainly no secret that TT will put flashyness and packaging before quality.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: AWhackWhiteBoy

Originally posted by: apoppin

perhaps his is defective

or are you condemning an entire line from 1 example.
:roll:

there are many many testimonials and reviews that all show TT to be a fine budget PS . . . . it does exactlly what it claims to do . . . stable and quiet.

its not defective,it works fine. hes been using it for 2 years, but now that he actually demands some degree of performance out of it the true colors of it are shown and it just can't hold up at all. he got extra wattage for the future but it doesn't deliver.

i'm condemning the model, not brand. but its certainly no secret that TT will put flashyness and packaging before quality.

So you are condemning the model because it cannot supply more than 420 w?
:shocked:



My 480w TT will only put out 550w peak . . . . if i stress it more than that, i cannot blame the manufacturer.
:roll: