OCZ Modstream 550W to run P45 with Q6600?

[RedOctobyr]

Hi all, this is my first post, but I've been reading some of the excellent forums here for some time. I'm looking to finally update my computer, which is *long* overdue. It will be used for normal tasks (web, email, etc), and gaming. I don't need Crossfire/SLI. I'm currently looking at going with:

Q6600 with a XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 cooler
A P45 board, maybe the ASUS P5Q
HD 4850 512MB
4 GB RAM (2x2GB)
Cooler Master Centurion 532 case

I currently have an OCZ Modstream 550W power supply that I bought a few years ago after my old 300W unit blew. I'm not sure if I'll be able to re-use the power supply I have, or do I need a new one?

OCZ's page on mine is http://www.ocztechnology.com/p...tream_power_supply-eol . It does not appear to be ATX 2.0 compliant. I see it does not have an 8-pin power connector for the motherboard, which the ASUS manual mentions. Am I going to need a new unit? If so, I'm certainly open to suggestions. I'd like to get something efficient if I need to replace it.

I know some video cards are requiring 8-pin PCI-Express connectors. If in the future I bought a card that needed that, can I use some sort of adapter to provide that? I see I can combine (2) 4-pin Molex connectors to make a 6-pin PCI-Express plug, not sure if there's something like that for an 8-pin PCI-Express plug.

Thank you!

 

[VirtualLarry]

I'm not a PSU expert, but I think that you will likely be ok. Does the PSU at least have a single 6-pin PCI-E power connector? Because that's all that the 4850 requires. If it doesn't, then I would upgrade.
The lack of an 8-pin EATX12V connector is not a problem, mobos with 8-pin connectors allow you to plug in a 4-pin connector into half of the plug. Depending on how much current you need for the CPU, eg. how far you overclock, you will likely not need the 8-pin mobo connector.

 

[DSF]

If you intend to use this computer for more than two years you should replace the PSU for a couple reasons:

1) You said you've had it for "a few years" which I took to mean three. It's not a good idea to be running a PSU for years and years on end, as important parts like the fan, and potentially capacitors, stand a chance of wearing out and killing the supply. If "a few" meant four or more, I'd definitely replace it.

2) Your PSU puts out 28A on the 12V rail according to that OCZ page, which should be enough for your system, but may not be for your next upgrade, depending on how the video card market swings, whether you overclock, etc. I'm a little confused though, because you described your PSU as 550W in your post, but the model on OCZ's page is 520W.

 

[RedOctobyr]

Thank you for your help. The PSU does have a single 6-pin PCI-E connector. I believe it has a 4-pin CPU power cable (P4), so maybe I can get away with that.

I've had the power supply for a little over 3 years. Sorry for the wattage confusion. In some places, OCZ lists it as 550W, and in others, 520W. I believe the 520W is correct, sorry about that. I do plan on overclocking the CPU, hoping to at least get to 3.0 GHz. The video card I probably would not push beyond stock. If I need something better in the future, that's fine, I'm just trying to decide if I need to add yet another item to my Newegg cart

I guess that as long as what I have is enough to power up the new configuration, that's at least a start. I wanted to avoid a scenario of buying everything, setting it all up, then finding out I don't have the right type of plug to turn it on, and needing to wait a few more days for a new PSU. Even if this one may limit my OC'ing ability, if I can at least see how it does, that's helpful. Then I can decide from there if it needs to be replaced right away. I do understand the concern about the PSU wearing out, however. I don't want it to blow and take the board, CPU, and video card with it. But at the same time, if I can save $100 on the upgrade, that's good too. Thank you again!

 

[QuixoticOne]

I've got a Q6600 + 8800GT + couple of hard drives running at 3GHZ on an ANTEC BASIQ 500W PSU
which is certainly nothing special, and likely has less capacity than yours... in fact it is rated for
18A+18A (36A) total on the 12V outputs, and I wouldn't place many bets on it (my ANTEC) surviving
that full load under hot conditions. Fortunately, it doesn't need to, I doubt I am (or you will need to) use
even half of that capacity in real life.

Here's a real world Q6600@3GHZ + HD4850 *system* power consumption test:
http://www.techspot.com/review...radeon-4850/page3.html
http://www.techspot.com/review...adeon-4850/page10.html

They get peak whole system Q6600/4850/etc. wattage measurement of 242 watts under
load running Crysis.

The bulk of that would be on +12V, so even if it was *all* 250W@12V that'd still be less than 21A
total and in fact it of course isn't ALL +12V load, so you'll typically need well under 21A total for
such a system.

As a previous commenter said, PSUs do get old and become more prone to failure over time, but 3 years
isn't that bad. Keep it clean, blow the dust out of it and off your system every few months, keep the room
reasonably cool, ensure good case airflow so the temperatures in the case stay cool, and it'll probably
serve you well for years to come.

As someone else said above, if the PSU you have doesn't have the right connectors, beyond what is
easily fixed with an adapter / converter / splitter or two, then it's probably reasonable to get rid of it.
If your PSU was showing signs of severely poor regulation by having any of its voltages well more
than 3% (as measured from a DMM or reliable source -- software monitoring isn't always all that accurate, so maybe I'd allow a few percent extra of error if you rely on that) or so too high or too low idle or
under load, then it'd be good to replace the unit.

Certainly if the fan gets flaky, or if it runs really hot, or if it has given you problems of system crashes / shutdowns that you believe are power related, replace it.

Otherwise keep it for this generation of system, keep an eye on its maintenance/function, and consider
replacing it if the next generation system you build needs something signficantly more/different.
So far what I've seen about the Nehalem indicates it won't likely consume all that much more power than
a Q6600/Q9450. And I believe GPU power consumptions may not become much higher than your 4850's
even in the next couple of generations for the mainstream cards due to better efficiencies they can
garner through design, process shrink/improvement, et. al.

 

[DSF]

Originally posted by: QuixoticOne
As a previous commenter said, PSUs do get old and become more prone to failure over time, but 3 years
isn't that bad. Keep it clean, blow the dust out of it and off your system every few months, keep the room
reasonably cool, ensure good case airflow so the temperatures in the case stay cool, and it'll probably
serve you well for years to come.

I agree that three years isn't bad, but my point was that if he keeps it in a system for another three years, things could go south.

 

[Mr Fox]

Originally posted by: DSF

Originally posted by: QuixoticOne
As a previous commenter said, PSUs do get old and become more prone to failure over time, but 3 years
isn't that bad. Keep it clean, blow the dust out of it and off your system every few months, keep the room
reasonably cool, ensure good case airflow so the temperatures in the case stay cool, and it'll probably
serve you well for years to come.

I agree that three years isn't bad, but my point was that if he keeps it in a system for another three years, things could go south.

The Modstreams are an OK PSU.... but yeah from here it will slowly puke as the Tantalum in the Caps.. Breaks down.