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How's Antec Earthwatt 500

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opeeum69

Member
I just ordered visiontek hd4870, can someone tell me if my Antec Earthwatt 500 watt is enough for the gfx card? Ati website certifies Antec EA 650w but didn't mention the 500 model, and the spec sheet on newegg says at least 500 watt recommended; so would my Antec 500 be safe to use with 4870 (My system also has 2hdd's, 1 blueray, 1dvd rom, 4gb ram, soundcard, wireless adapter, e8400, 2 12cm fans)?

Thank you's 🙂
 
Yeah it would be better if you get a nice 550W or better PSU. The EA500W from Antec is a great PSu just not quite what you need for your system.
 
Originally posted by: mpilchfamily
Yeah it would be better if you get a nice 550W or better PSU. The EA500W from Antec is a great PSu just not quite what you need for your system.
Click to expand...

The Earthwatts 500W should easily handle the HD4870. Of the 500W PSUs out there, it is one of the best, and you can be assured that when ATI recommended a 500W PSU minimum they were assuming some people would have very mediocre 500W PSUs.
 
Thanks mpilchfamily and H00fan1, guess I'm ok for the EA500w for now then, especially since I just need it to last about a year to nehalem upgrade, and concensus seems like barring a DOA (fingers crossed that won't happen 🙂), I'll be fine; thanks again
 
Just to confirm you will be good with a earthwatts 500. Mine is powering my main rig which has a e8400 @ 3.7, 8gb, 2x500gb, and a 4870 in it. I have not done extensive gaming since I got the 4870 but I have done a little and never a whimper or protest from the earthwatts, the fan still does not even spin up to the audible range.

Have fun with your new 4870!
 
4870 or 4870x2?

Just to let you know, my Antec Earthwatts 500 WILL NOT MAINTAIN POWER SUCCESSFULLY on my rig with an 4870x2. I have a quad core Q9550, one WD 640GB Sata HD, one Samsung DVD drive, and the 4870x2 in my rig. (No overclocks, no case fans)

On load stress, the Earthwatts 500 simply won't cut it. It runs fine and is not faulty, it just won't cut the mustard on this rig. (I have moved it to a spare rig and it runs perfectly on that on load) And yes, I have this hooked up to a UPS system with AVR and full battery. (So it's not a dirty power issue/bad line issue)

If you are using your rig with a 4870 and not a 4870x2, you should be golden. Otherwise you need something just a little beefier, in the range of 650w. The Antec Earthwatts on my rig could not sustain a stable 12v rail over 11.4v on load, while my new Seasonic 650w can maintain a stable 11.93 on load. I've tripped the Antec's built in safeguards three times already on load (Computer completely shuts down, no warning, no beeps, no fans keep spinning. Just dead, have to reset the switch on the back)

Thought I would share my experiences with you.
 
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