thinking about getting a 9600GT 512mb card

[Omegachi]

currently I have a 300W power supply and i am running the following in my system:

Intel Pentium D Processor 820
3gb ram
2 hds
Asus P5LP-LE
ATI Radeon X300 128mb

so if i get the 9600GT upgrade, does it mean that i have to get a new power supply for my system?

*update* I just bought a GeForce 8800 GT instead of a 9600GT

Still looking for a PSU...

 

[tynopik]

well you could always just try it and see what happens

but frankly i wouldn't be too comfortable running your current rig with that power supply (unless it was a real 'quality' 300watt power supply lol)

does it have enough free connectors to hook up to the PCIe power adaptor?

out of curiosity, what is the model of your power supply and what are it's specs?

http://www.pcper.com/article.p...145&type=expert&pid=17
Pentium D 820 @ 2.8 Ghz
Intel 945G Reference
2x512MB DDR2-667
250 GB Maxtor 7200 Rpm SATA
Creative Labs Live
ATI X800XT

pulled 233 watts under load

9600GT is 95 watts at full load

removing the ATI X800XT from the above system will cut the baseline somewhat, but you have more memory and another harddrive adding more power draw

depending on how the specs are, you may JUST squeak in under spec, but frankly it isn't worth it and is playing with fire

if your powersupply failed catastrophically and took your motherboard and harddrives with it, how would you feel then?

 

[Omegachi]

how do you know the 9600GT pulls about 95 watts? is there a way to find out the power consumption of each of my component?

 

[tynopik]

googled '9600gt watts'

found http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/...wxLCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==

Only one 6-pin power connector is required and this video card [9600gt] is specified at a maximum of 95 watts at full load.

seriously, even if it is technically possible to run it with your current power supply, it's not a good idea

assuming it's a high quality unit, it's not good to run it at near 100% capacity

but most likely, it's not a high quality unit and it will either
1. not work [or]
2. fry all your components

post the specs and model number of your current power supply and we can tell more

 

[Omegachi]

its a 300watt ATX-300-12Z

 

[tynopik]

well the good news is that it was originally for an HP system, and hopefully HP doesn't ship total garbage (ie if it fails, it will fail gracefully and not take everything else with it)
the 12V line can do 228 watts, which is, well, at least better than some other 300 watt units

if you absolutely insist on using your current power supply, you could try it

but i would really, really recommend an upgrade, that is simply running too close to the borderline and will only cause you grief

 

[Omegachi]

i don't know much about power supplies and about powering system components. what do you mean when you said 12V line can do 228 watts? and why is that better than some other 300watts?

btw, i am thinking about getting this.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817171018

 

[tynopik]

> what do you mean when you said 12V line can do 228 watts?

well i got the specs from here:
http://www.power-on.com/atx12vhp300bt.html

there's a chart at the bottom that lists each line and the max current it can put out
+3.3V - 28 A
+5V - 30 A
+12V - 19 A
-12V - 0.8 A
+5VSB - 2.0 A

12V * 19A = 228 Watts

> and why is that better than some other 300watts?

all 300 watts are not equal, once upon a time computers used the 5V rail quite heavily so power supplies were built to produce most of their output on the 5V line. This left relatively small amounts available for the 12V line. But now computers have changed and rely heavily on the 12V line. A newer power supply design will take this into account and shift more of its output to the 12V line. Generally speaking, the more watts a power supply can put out on the 12V line, the better.

For instance this 300watt powersupply:
http://www.atxpowersupplies.co...-watt-power-supply.htm

will output 14A or 168Watts (12V*14A) on the 12V line. Thus only 56% (168/300) of its rated capacity is available on the 12V line
Your power supply can put 76% (228/300) of its rated capacity on the 12V line, which is better, but still not great

Compare it to a modern unit like the Antec Earthwatts EA380
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...A380+380W+Power+Supply

if you notice it has 2 12V rails. The number of rails doesn't matter so much, both single and multi-rail designs are fine, you just have to be aware of it for power calculations

In this case you see on the label:
+12V1 - 17A
+12V2 - 17A

it looks like there are 2 independent rails each capable of 17A each or 34A total. But 12V*34A = 408Watts which is more than the total capacity of the unit!

so if you look a little further down it says "+12V1, +12V2 max. load: 324W"

so there you go, it can output 324W of 12V power

324/380 = 85% of its power is available through the 12V line

Note that this whole discussion has only been about specs and not about quality!

If a unit has poor specs you can obviously throw it out, but lots of units have great specs and are still garbage

That's where you have to check out the reviews at reputable sites like jonnyguru.com, hardocp.com, silentpcreview.com, etc to find out what's garbage and what's not

Some easy/safe recommendations are the Antec Earthwatts line for basic yet still decent quality and any of the Corsair line for more premium quality. Of course there a ton of other great units (just as there are a ton of horrible units), stick to the recommended brands and you'll be fine

For your situation, the Earthwatts EA380 will be a fine choice

If you want to be a little more conservative and/or leave room to grow and get a little higher build quality, you can get the Corsair 450VX

 

[Omegachi]

you have been very helpful tynopik, i am learning a lot about PSU from your replies and also from the sites you recommended.

Its official, I just purchased a EVGA GF 8800GT and I found out this card eats up about 100w of power.

I am still not sure which PSU to buy for my system yet, still checking around for the right PSU for the right price. I came across this PSU and might consider this as a choice of purchase. The two 12v rails from this unit gives a total power of 408w, thats the same amount of wattage from the PSU you recommended. Also, this unit is on sale for $24.99 after rebate, so I can't go wrong with the cheaper of the two if the power output is the same... Things I am not sure about the PSU i found is the brand, APEVIA (not sure how their products are) and also I am not sure what the difference is between a ATX PSU and a ATX12V power supply.

So, do you think the PSU I found is a good choice for my rig?

 

[tynopik]

Originally posted by: Omegachi
I came across this PSU and might consider this as a choice of purchase. The two 12v rails from this unit gives a total power of 408w, thats the same amount of wattage from the PSU you recommended. Also, this unit is on sale for $24.99 after rebate, so I can't go wrong with the cheaper of the two if the power output is the same...

NO NO NO NO A THOUSAND TIMES NO

checking the specs is just the FIRST step

after that, quality of build is hugely important

just because a unit has better specs does NOT mean it is a better unit

please get the EA380 instead of that piece of garbage

 

[tynopik]

just for example i googled "ATX-CW500WP4 jonnyguru"

first link:
"Yeah... unfortunately, an Enlight 350W is > an Apevia/Aspire 500W."
"Aspire/Youngyear JUNK."

second link:
"WTF the apevia one says TURBOLINK RIGHT ON THE LABEL"
"The Turbolink looks to be one of their Real Power Enterprise Co. units - utter junk. It's missing surge protection and line filtering parts."

third link:
"Apevia power supplies are garbage. They're a case manufacturer, and these are the power supplies that come in their cases. They're not good power supplies. They allow too much variance on the voltages, which results in premature failure of components."
"Like I've also said, the QC on these is so low I wouldn't dare hook one up to a system with anything of value in it before testing it."

fourth link:
"stay away from this psu. aspire/apevia straight out lies on their labels. this is probably a 350W with a 500W label"

fifth link:
"utter junk"


eWiz has the EA380 for $37 without rebate
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=PS-EA380&c=fr

for $12 more, don't put your system at risk

another possibility if you absolutely must keep costs to a minimum is the SilverStone ST400 which got a Silver award from HardOCP

 

[magreen]

"depending on how the specs are, you may JUST squeak in under spec, but frankly it isn't worth it and is playing with fire"

It's ok, he has a Pentium D 820, he can't fry it. It's proof vs. fire.

 

[Omegachi]

hello again, I was sick for a couple of days so i didn't really have time to research on a PSU to buy.

but i am leaning towards the Corsair 450VX tynopik recommended. I got a GF 8800 GT, the corsair should be sufficient in my case.

I have another question though. which is better? say i have a PSU with 1 12v line running at 30A or 2 12v lines running at 15A each.