Underpowering a GTX 680

[Davste]

Well, I'm getting a new GTX 680 today - and I have a corsair Cx 430W.
I'm getting (have already ordered) a CX 850 but it will arrive next tuesday.

Is it a really bad idea to use the GTX 680 with my current power supply (28A Rating ~336W output on 12v) until next tuesday? I also have an i7 2600K (not OC), 4GBx2 1333Mhz Ram, and an Asus Z68 motherboard.

Damn my impatience

 

[BallaTheFeared]

I don't think it would be a problem, you could set TDP limit to -32% if it made you feel better.

 

[TidusZ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-svR...a1PpcFNo1YX7U2qG-6mw-9G5UEKFddJXPj38CXw=&t=6m

If you watch his other videos you can watch the Killawatt while benching the 680 and I believe he gives the specs for the system he is using. Doesn't seem to go much above 300 watts. You should be just fine.

 

[Jaydip]

2600K=95W(Max)
680=195W(Max, Nvidia denotes their TDP in a different way)
Total 290 Watts for the two most powerful components.290/12~24Watts.U will be fine unless u over-volt.

 

[aaksheytalwar]

I wouldn't recommend it. At lest 600 watts preferably

 

[Subyman]

You'll be fine. Worst case scenario, you trip the overload protection and the computer shuts off. I wouldn't recommend it on a crappy PSU, but a Corsair should shutdown with little fuss when it is outside its limits. If that happens, take the 680 out and wait for the new PSU to come in.

 

[toyota]

no way would I try playing any games. really why risk damaging anything when you will have your new power supply in 3 days?

btw "next Tuesday" to me would mean a week from Tuesday but I assume you do me mean this upcoming Tuesday.

 

[railven]

no way would I try playing any games. really why risk damaging anything when you will have your new power supply in 3 days?

Words of wisdom.

 

[KompuKare]

I do wonder if people don't overdo it with wattage though: I'm sure power supply manufacturers like it that way...

I think a quality PSU is far more important than the wattage. Or rather: I have a Seasonic 330W and run a modestly overclocked Pentium E5300 (3.46GHz) plus a HD5770, a DVDRW and two 7200RPM drives.

Now, AMD recommend 450W for the 5770 but the most I have ever been able to draw from the mains (using a cheap Kill-A-Watt type measurer) is 180W using FurMark / MSI Kompustor (that's at 240V and the SeaSonic S12II is a 80% rated PSU). Maybe if I ran a search on both HDDs and a DVD and managed to load the CPU to 100% while doing so, I might push 200W but @ 80% that's still only 160W which is half my rated.

To the OP: BUT don't take that to mean to that your Corsair 430 is enough. Toyota's advice is sound, I'm just trying to put a bit of perspective on the 'you have to buy a 600W / 800W /1000W power supply' stuff.

 

[aaksheytalwar]

I do wonder if people don't overdo it with wattage though: I'm sure power supply manufacturers like it that way...

I think a quality PSU is far more important than the wattage. Or rather: I have a Seasonic 330W and run a modestly overclocked Pentium E5300 (3.46GHz) plus a HD5770, a DVDRW and two 7200RPM drives.

Now, AMD recommend 450W for the 5770 but the most I have ever been able to draw from the mains (using a cheap Kill-A-Watt type measurer) is 180W using FurMark / MSI Kompustor (that's at 240V and the SeaSonic S12II is a 80% rated PSU). Maybe if I ran a search on both HDDs and a DVD and managed to load the CPU to 100% while doing so, I might push 200W but @ 80% that's still only 160W which is half my rated.

To the OP: BUT don't take that to mean to that your Corsair 430 is enough. Toyota's advice is sound, I'm just trying to put a bit of perspective on the 'you have to buy a 600W / 800W /1000W power supply' stuff.

Buy a better psu before you start playing games at least

 

[BallaTheFeared]

It's a corsair, I don't believe your system will go over it's power threshold, but if you do it's just going to trip the ocp and shut your PC down...

 

[toyota]

KompuKare, I had a stock E5200 and 8600gt which used 160 watts at the wall during games. I would think an oced E5300 and 5770 would easily pull 75 to 100 watts more than that.

 

[toyota]

It's a corsair, I don't believe your system will go over it's power threshold, but if you do it's just going to trip the ocp and shut your PC down...

his system could easily use right at the max or more of what of that psu can realistically safely handle. plus its a low end psu that claims to make its rated power at just 30C where decent psus make their power at 40 or 50 C. to me its just not a good idea at all to try and run any games on it.

 

[Puppies04]

I wouldn't recommend it. At lest 600 watts preferably

Resopnse to this and everyone else warning of dire consequences....

As jaybip pointed out, you are within the PSUs operating capacity as long as you aren't running a ton of HDDs, case fans, DVD drives and don't overclock the CPU or GPU.

Worst case scenario is the PSU shuts down. Sure having a larger capacity unit would be good for future proofing your rig but as it stands you will be well within the limit set by corsair.

 

[toyota]

a rated MAX of 336 watts on the 12v at just 30C on entry level psu is NOT really safe for running an i7 system with gtx680 under full load.

 

[BallaTheFeared]

his system could easily use right at the max or more of what of that psu can realistically safely handle. plus its a low end psu that claims to make its rated power at just 30C where decent psus make their power at 40 or 50 C. to me its just not a good idea at all to try and run any games on it.

Anand is using a 3960x @ 4.3Ghz it pulls...

362 watts at the wall, there is no reason to believe his current PSU won't handle a stock i7-2600k and a stock 680, assuming he doesn't have a huge array or something.

 

[toyota]

Anand is using a 3960x @ 4.3Ghz it pulls...

http://images.anandtech.com/graphs/graph5699/45174.png

362 watts at the wall, there is no reason to believe his current PSU won't handle a stock i7-2600k and a stock 680, assuming he doesn't have a huge array or something.

there are games that use way more power than Metro 2033. Hard Reset, Alan Wake and some others can use about 50-75 watts more than Metro 2033. I think its because even thought Metro 2033 is demanding on the gpu, it does not really push the cpu hard.

 

[BallaTheFeared]

Really?

So why not tell him to set a FPS limit with Precision X and carry on?

Edit: They're also using a Antec True Power Quattro 1200 which means efficiency at such a low load is awful, my guess is even with an additional 50 watts at the wall his PSU will still handle it.

 

[toyota]

Really?

So why not tell him to set a FPS limit with Precision X and carry on?

Edit: They're also using a Antec True Power Quattro 1200 which means efficiency at such a low load is awful, my guess is even with an additional 50 watts at the wall his PSU will still handle it.

um those games would be demanding well before hitting 60 fps. and why not just wait 72 hours and avoid any problems altogether?

 

[BallaTheFeared]

Because I'm of the perception that there will be no problems, I think that's where this cross conversation is coming from.


Do you have a link showing a similar system to the OP drawing more than 370w at the wall?

 

[KompuKare]

KompuKare, I had a stock E5200 and 8600gt which used 160 watts at the wall during games. I would think an oced E5300 and 5770 would easily pull 75 to 100 watts more than that.

Hm, challenge accepted [plugs in wattage meter, runs Skyrim intro and Whiterunragonsreach lookback].

Yes, 165W is my max. The Seasonic is 80% though - at Johnnyguru I can only find the 520W version reviewed:

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&file=print&reid=185

but that gets more like 87% at half load. 240V vs 110V makes a difference too I believe and my cheap generic wattage meter is hardly what a decent review site would use.

 

[toyota]

Hm, challenge accepted [plugs in wattage meter, runs Skyrim intro and Whiterunragonsreach lookback].

Yes, 165W is my max. The Seasonic is 80% though - at Johnnyguru I can only find the 520W version reviewed:

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&file=print&reid=185

but that gets more like 87% at half load. 240V vs 110V makes a difference too I believe and my cheap generic wattage meter is hardly what a decent review site would use.

I think the problem for you "using a cheap Kill-A-Watt". lol

really 165 watts max for fairly highly oced E5300 and 5770 just does not add up. I have used several stock A64 and low end core 2 duo systems with various low end card and they all use as much power as that.

 

[KompuKare]

I think the problem for you "using a cheap Kill-A-Watt". lol

really 165 watts max for fairly highly oced E5300 and 5770 just does not add up. I have used several stock A64 and low end core 2 duo systems with various low end card and they all use as much power as that.

Maybe.

But since I'm at default volts, my CPU overclock is probably not drawing much more. The Anandtech review of the E5300 had 148W load but that was an X48 chipset, a GTX 280 and an unlisted PSU.

Computerbase has an E6300 at 142W load (X48, 9800GTX+, CP 700W).

Xbitlabs had the E5300 at 177W (P45, HD4890, unlisted PSU).

Don't know. I guess I could test my cheapo 'Kill-A-Watt' against something but what? A light bulb, kettle, don't know.

Skyrim is an unknown for power load anyhow. Before patch 1.4 it was very CPU inefficient (it was basically compiled for standard i386) but unsure now. Might run it again with a CPU graph - I know the GPU is mostly 100% since I did log the Skyrim intro with MSI Afterburner while trying to determine CPU at 2.6GHz vs 3.46GHz (it's only a few %).

EDIT: PS, my idle is about 76W.

 

[TidusZ]

no way would I try playing any games. really why risk damaging anything when you will have your new power supply in 3 days?

Because his current power supply is 100% capable of running his stock system at 100% load all day every day, so why wait.

 

[toyota]

Because his current power supply is 100% capable of running his stock system at 100% load all day every day, so why wait.

well I disagree. BEST case scenario is that he pushes the crap of that entry level psu.