safe assumption to make? Corsair 400CX can handle any single GPU system

[BlahBlahYouToo]

we're going to assume the fastest platform (i7/x58), single HDD and ODD) and fastest single GPU (5870 or GTX480?).
should run that no problem right?

can it handle that and a 5970?

 

[HOOfan 1]

No to both....
If you are going with a GTX 480 500W is the absolute minimum and maybe even still too little, 550W or 600W is better.
Paul Johnson at HardOCP even goes as far as to recommend 750W for a single GTX 480

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

hmm... okie dokie.

anything lesser should be ok though right?
5850?

 

[HOOfan 1]

Yeah it should be ok for the HD5850

 

[Rifter]

no way in hell even the great corsair 400CX is going to handle a 480, they are just power hogs plain and simple. The 5850 though would be no problem.

 

[Zap]

It should be okay for however many PCIe power connectors it has. It has a single 6-pin PCIe connector, so basically any card that doesn't need more than that will be okay.

 

[Campy]

i7-930 130W
X58 Board 40W
HDD 25W
Optical 20W
RAM 10W
ATI 5870 220W

= 445W

also if you use these numbers you get a draw of about 33 amps on the 12V and the PSU only has 30amps...

Really conservative numbers so it might work, but i would never chance it with a high end graphics card. At the very best you're cutting it close.