How much power will this rig need?

[suszterpatt]

Finally doing a major upgrade after 3 or so years, and boy, am I out of the loop. Anyway, using the most excellent guide here in General Hardware, I selected these parts to be in my build:

Mobo: Asus P5Q Pro
CPU: Core 2 Duo E8400
RAM: Corsair 4096MB 800MHz XMS2 (4-4-4-12)
Vid card: GigaByte GeForce 8800 GT 512MB (Zalman cooler out of the box = win)

+ my old X-Fi sound card, one 7200RPM SATA drive, a CD/DVD-RW drive and a couple fans


I assume my current PSU (see sig) would have a hard time with all this, so the question is, how much power will I need at the very least to keep all this stuff fed? I did one of those online tests but all it spat out was "650W", which for one I find dubiously high (then again, I am out of the loop), and second it's fairly uninformative considering that it's the amperage that counts. I know that going overkill on a PSU can't hurt, but I'm nearing the edge of my budget here so I need to know what the bare minimum is.


Incidentally, any remarks on the build itself would be welcome, since I plan to keep it for another 3 or so years (with a possible GPU upgrade down the road). I better get it right.

 

[Ike0069]

450W will definitely power that system, but would not try with your particular PSU. Unless that PSU was purchased much more recently than the rest of your components, it is likely going to be lacking in +12V amps. Plus just the age of the PSU would suggest an upgrade at this time to protect the new components.

 

[suszterpatt]

I wasn't aware that PSU's age that badly... in any case, you're saying that a 24A (or 2x12A) unit will be sufficient? This is good news actually, I expected much worse.

 

[RallyMaster]

What is the power total output on the +12V of that power supply? Two 12A rails doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be a 24A PSU.

I would recommend a Corsair VX450 for this type of application should you need a new PSU.

 

[DarkRogue]

Even a 380w is sufficient to cover those parts and allow room for overclocking.
However, I see no reason not to get a 450w as long as the price is reasonable.

 

[modoheo]

Either of these should be plenty sufficient, and they're both screaming bargains.

SeaSonic SS-500ES ATX12V/V2.2, EPS12V/V2.91, 500W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...eaSonic+USA-_-17151040
Antec earthwatts EA500 500W ATX12V v2.0 Power Supply 100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817371007

BTW, you may want to consider an ATI 4850 instead of the 8800GT - it's only 10 bucks more w/MIR and significantly faster.
POWERCOLOR AX4850 512MD3-H Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814131111

 

[Ike0069]

You probably want 30A @+12V at a minimum. The Corsair listed above has 33A and would be an excellent choice IMO. Or if you think you might upgrade your VC again in the near future (or add a second one for SLI), maybe go with a 550W PSU.

 

[suszterpatt]

Sorry, I forgot to say, don't bother looking up stuff on newegg, I'm in Hungary and I prefer doing my shopping locally anyway. But thanks.


That said, I'm currently looking at the Fortron Blue Storm II 400W, rated at 14A and 15A on 12V1 and 12V2 respectively. From what you guys posted it sounds like this will be more than adequate, correct?


Oh and by the way, I did consider getting a HD4850 instead, but
a) I'm on a rather tight budget so any way I can save some cash is nice
b) I'm not a graphics freak at all, and the 8800GT looks like it will handle most everything I can throw at it for the next year or two
c) I am however a moderate low-noise freak, and the Gigabyte 8800GT coming with a Zalman cooler out of the box scores extra points in that department.

 

[ther00kie16]

22A max on 12V for CM RP 450W, which might cut it though you'll want 25A at least. Antec Earthwatts 380W (w/ 27A on 12V rail) has been shown to power 8800gtx, which draws about 30W more than 8800gt, just fine.