GTX 660 and Seasonic S12 - will it work?

[ChauIntl]

Hi!

My almost 5 year old Inno3D 8800GTS 640MB died and I'm thus looking for a replacement. I was looking at the EVGA GTX 660 SC, but I fear that my PSU (Seasonic S12-430) might be insufficient.

I don't wanna build a new gig since I only play occationally and my next computer will probably be a laptop instead. I just want to extend the life of my current computer while retaining a reasonable GPU performance (currently I have an NVIDIA N210, the cheapest I could get and so is the performance).

Will my current PSU be able to drive the GTX 660?
or
Which GPU should I go for instead?

Current specs:

MB: ASUS P5QD Turbo
CPU: Intel Core2 Q6600 (2.4GHz)
PSU: Seasonic S12-430W
RAM: 4GB Geil DDR2

According to Seasonic, my PSU has the following specs:

Name: S12-430
+3.3V: 30A
+5V: 30A
+12V1: 14A
+12V2: 15A
-12V: 0.8A
+5Vsb: 2A
+3.3V & +5V: 150W
Total: 430W

According to EVGA, the GTX 660 SC requires a minimum of 450 Watt power supply with +12V current rating of 24A. But I've read that Seasonic produces solid PSU's and I'm wondering if the S12 will be enough?

 

[raghu78]

the GTX 660 can easily run on a seasonic 430w psu.

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...views/56674-nvidia-gtx-660-2gb-review-22.html

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2013...ectcu_ii_oc_video_card_review/10#.Uk8gfVP3x8E

in fact even a HD 7870 will work fine

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2013/05/15/asus_radeon_hd_7870_directcu_ii_v2_review/10#.Uk8g6FP3x8E

ASUS HD 7870 for USD 180 after promo code EMCWXXW49, ends 10/7

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121649

 

[ChauIntl]

Thank you for your fast reply.

the GTX 660 can easily run on a seasonic 430w psu.

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...views/56674-nvidia-gtx-660-2gb-review-22.html

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2013...ectcu_ii_oc_video_card_review/10#.Uk8gfVP3x8E

So I should have enough current to feed the GTX 660 SC?

in fact even a HD 7870 will work fine

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2013/05/15/asus_radeon_hd_7870_directcu_ii_v2_review/10#.Uk8g6FP3x8E

ASUS HD 7870 for USD 180 after promo code EMCWXXW49, ends 10/7

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121649

Well that sounds good, but here in Denmark, shopping with newegg would probably result in customs and added taxes :\

 

[raghu78]

Thank you for your fast reply. So I should have enough current to feed the GTX 660 SC?

Well that sounds good, but here in Denmark, shopping with newegg would probably result in customs and added taxes :\

http://www.dustin.dk/product/5010625719/gigabyte-radeon-hd7870-oc-windforce-2gb-pci-e-dvi-hdmi-dp/

check out the gigabyte hd 7870.

 

[toyota]

+12V1: 14A
+12V2: 15A

that is 29 but you dont just add them so its probably more like 25 tops when brand new and low 20s tops after couple years of use. thats maybe 250 watts or so and thats where 90-95% of the power needs to come from. that is not a low power cpu by any any means. a 7870 will work but I bet that psu will be working really hard in some games.

not to mention a 7870 will not come close to be fully utilized with a stock Q6600. I would go with a 7770, 7790 or gtx650 ti(non boost)tops and leave everything stock with that psu.

and even a 7770 is THREE times faster than his 8800gts 640mb is in modern games.

 

[raghu78]

+12V1: 14A
+12V2: 15A

that is 29 but you dont just add them so its probably more like 25 tops when brand new and low 20s tops after couple years of use. thats maybe 250 watts or so and thats where 90-95% of the power needs to come from. that is not a low power cpu by any any means. a 7870 will work but I bet that psu will be working really hard in some games.

not to mention a 7870 will not come close to be fully utilized with a stock Q6600. I would go with a 7770, 7790 or gtx650 ti(non boost)tops and leave everything stock with that psu.

and even a 7770 is THREE times faster than his 8800gts 640mb is in modern games.

http://www.seasonicusa.com/S12II-Bronze.htm

thats a seasonic 430 with 360w on +12v rail . so 30A on +12v rail (360w / 12v = 30A). Even if its 29A combined thats more than enough for a HD 7870. seasonic is a quality psu maker and not a cheap one. also the Q6600 can be overclocked to 3.2+ Ghz to drive a HD 7870. the OP needs a good CPU cooler like CM hyper 212 plus. thats all.

 

[toyota]

http://www.seasonicusa.com/S12II-Bronze.htm

thats a seasonic 430 with 360w on +12v rail . so 30A on +12v rail (360w / 12v = 30A). Even if its 29A combined thats more than enough for a HD 7870. seasonic is a quality psu maker and not a cheap one. also the Q6600 can be overclocked to 3.2+ Ghz to drive a HD 7870. the OP needs a good CPU cooler like CM hyper 212 plus. thats all.

well thats NOT the 12v power rating he has listed. there are different versions and he does not have the one you looked at. the one you looked at has 2 rails with 17 amps each so it loses 4 amps for its combined rating since it is rated for 30 amps not 34. so bottom line is he had 25 or 26 total amps on his 12v line when new for the exact version he has.

and since you were wrong about his psu it would be foolish to suggest he should oc that cpu with a 7870 while using that psu that he does have. again it would make 25-26 actual amps based on specs listed when new and less than that after some years of use. and power consumption goes through the roof when ocing a Q6600 and would already be pushing the psu he has pretty hard at stock.

 

[ChauIntl]

Hi Toyota!

+12V1: 14A
+12V2: 15A

that is 29 but you dont just add them so its probably more like 25 tops when brand new and low 20s tops after couple years of use. thats maybe 250 watts or so and thats where 90-95% of the power needs to come from. that is not a low power cpu by any any means. a 7870 will work but I bet that psu will be working really hard in some games.

Okay, so I can add the two +12V currents - thats how it work. I do follow your thoughts about falling performance over time, it seems logical, but I don't know how much it supplies now.

not to mention a 7870 will not come close to be fully utilized with a stock Q6600. I would go with a 7770, 7790 or gtx650 ti(non boost)tops and leave everything stock with that psu.

and even a 7770 is THREE times faster than his 8800gts 640mb is in modern games.

I had a feeling that this issue would surface eventually. I haven't OC'ed the CPU and I don't plan on doing so. I chose the GTX 660 since it (theoretically) give a reasonable better performance for very little extra cost. But you're probably right about my computer being too old to utilize the full capabilities of a GTX 660. I will keep this in mind. Thanks a lot for your input!

 

[toyota]

Hi Toyota!



Okay, so I can add the two +12V currents - thats how it work. I do follow your thoughts about falling performance over time, it seems logical, but I don't know how much it supplies now.


I had a feeling that this issue would surface eventually. I haven't OC'ed the CPU and I don't plan on doing so. I chose the GTX 660 since it (theoretically) give a reasonable better performance for very little extra cost. But you're probably right about my computer being too old to utilize the full capabilities of a GTX 660. I will keep this in mind. Thanks a lot for your input!

no you cant just add the 12v rails. there should be a combined rating on the psu for the 12v.

with your stock cpu and your psu then a 7750, 7770 or gtx650 ti(non boost) would be a good choice. they range from over 2.5 to 3.5 times faster than your 8800gts 640mb.