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Is having Dual 12v rails with 15a each the same as having a single with 30a?

V

Veraxitas

Member
I was doing some searching for how to overclock the a64/939 system and the site I went to said that for a64/939 systems, a good PS is a must, (agreed) it further said:

Quote:"I would recommend a power supply with a minimum of 20A on the +12V rail for today's modern A64 systems. It is not unusual to see inexpensive ?550 watt' power supplies with only 15A on the +12V rail. It is VERY important to check the rail amperages and not just the total rated power of the unit. If you have a higher end graphics card, like a 6800/7800 series card or an X850/X1800 card, the greater the amperage on the +12V rail the better. When using SLI cards, you'll want closer to 30A on the +12V rail, if not more"

This concerned me b/c Although I have what I consider a good PS This one:
FSP Group 500w Blue Storm

I got to looking at its specs and noticed that although it has dual 12v rails, each 12v rail has only 15a. My question, as it pertains to the above quote about the need for at least 20-30a is this: Is my PS sufficient for my system since it has dual 12v rails @ 15a each, or should I get a PS that has 20-30 on a single rail?
Thx

Here is a link to the article I am referring to:
Overclocking theory A64 101
 
Is having Dual 12v rails with 15a each the same as having a single with 30a?

No.

Mainly since dual, triple, or quad 12V rails are not necessarily able to output the combination of the 12V rails.

For example, my FSP has quad 12V rails, 15A max per rail.
But total max amperes is not 60A.
It's actually 50A.

But that being said, your PSU will most likely be fine.

If you were planning to run CF/SLI, then you'd likely have issues.

But for OCing with the specs you have in your sig, i doubt you'd have any issues.
 
you're fine with what you've got. having 15A on 2 rails doesn't equal 30A. as n7 stated, it won't necessarily be able to oupt the combination (adding up) of all the rails. if there's only stress on the 12V1, it can take 15A. if there's only stress on the 12V2, it can take 15A. if there's stress on both, it usually can't take 30A. it's a little less, like n7's psu that has a combined 60A but can only do a max of 50A combined.

gl overclocking
 
Originally posted by: n7
Is having Dual 12v rails with 15a each the same as having a single with 30a?

No.

Mainly since dual, triple, or quad 12V rails are not necessarily able to output the combination of the 12V rails.

For example, my FSP has quad 12V rails, 15A max per rail.
But total max amperes is not 60A.
It's actually 50A.
Click to expand...
Technically 48A, but in a real system, closer to 44A.
 
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