how high can i go with my PSU?

[Borealis7]

I'm thinking about upgrading my video card. im not going dual cards and not bleeding edge high end since i dont want to spend too much. (and no MIRs or newegg since i dont live in the US)
i was thinking along the lines of: 9800GT/8800GTS 512/4850/4870

my rig is certainly not a power hog (see sig) and the video card will be the biggest power draw in the box.
i have a "generic" ("Sunshine-coma" sounds generic enough) 520W PSU with 20A on 12V.
i dont know the efficiency of the PSU...
could i get these cards to work with it?

also what would you think about the prospect of getting a second hand g80 8800GTX?

with my monitor i play 1600x1200 right now no AA and no shadows since i dont have the horsepower. sometimes x16AF if the game isnt too demanding.

there is also the option of waiting. the next game im waiting for is Dragon Age (and it seems i have alot of wait ahead of me). i mostly play space sims and RPGs.

 

[nomagic]

Although I've seen people running 8800GTX with 400W PSUs, their PSUs had a combined 12V rating of 30A.

A decent 520W PSU typically have about 30~40A on the 12V rail. 20A on a 12V rail is weak for a 520W PSU. Poweing 8800GTX with your PSU would be considered a risky operation. I would recommend against it.

If your PSU is more than 2 years old, a new PSU would be a good investment. I should make it clear that I am not encouraging you to buy a new PSU. Nothing is wrong with your current PSU, and it may continue to be so in a long period of time. I just like being prudent.

EDIT: I digged around trying to find more info on your current PSU, but I couldn't find any. I guess it is kind of rare. The brand name, Sunshine-coma is pretty creative. I am impressed.

 

[Borealis7]

i spelled it wrong...its "Sunshine-Comma" yes Coma as in the desease does sound weird :laugh:
its a supplier of PSUs, not a maker.

so i understand im aiming too high with this PSU. maybe a 9600GT/4670 is what i need after all, or a new PSU.

 

[Denithor]

Two things.

First, 20A on 12V sounds really weak for a 520W rated PSU. Are you sure there aren't multiple +12V rails listed?

Second, the x1950pro is actually a fairly power-hungry card. If your current PSU can handle that, it shouldn't have any problem with a 9800GT, 8800GTS or 4850. A 4870 might push the limit as it runs ~20% higher power consumption than these other cards listed.

 

[FalseChristian]

Get the 8800 GTS 512MB. It's faster than the 9800GT (128Sp v. 112SP) and can overclock like a madman!