Upgrade to GTX470, time for new PSU?

[tedrodai]

Hey guys, I would appreciate some advice here. I'm worried whether my PSU can safely handle my GPU upgrade. I recently found a decent deal on a GTX 470 and bit the bullet to give my machine some extra life, and it'll probably be the last upgrade for this system. It should be arriving today.

Current specs:
PSU: PC P&C Turbo Cool 510 (sustained, 650W peak) SLI +12V @34A (38A peak)
ASUS P5B Deluxe
E8500
6GB DDR2
DVD RW drive
3x 7200RPM SATA drives
DD-CPX-PRO water pump
and the GPU of course

So, are my numbers off if I estimate 150W max for CPU (@stock) and 215W max (this is NVIDIA's #) for the new GPU, which would be approximately 365W max on the 12V rail? Seems like it would be OK (80% of max, according to specs), but I don't want to push it. I've seen people recommend a lot of 650W PSUs for this card, but the newer PSUs seem to have a lot more current on the 12V rail. I tried to build this system 4yrs ago with plenty of room for upgrades, but I don't upgrade often, so I wouldn't mind input from you guys with more experience. Thanks.

 

[fffblackmage]

guru3d.com would recommend 35A on the 12V rail. :\

I think it's barely acceptable, if you're running everything on stock clocks. You could probably get away with it for now, but I'd seriously look into getting a new power supply.

No no no, >_< it's cutting too close. I'd just get a new PSU to be safe. Better than something going horribly wrong.

 

[tedrodai]

Rodger. I'd also rather play it safe. I'll go ahead and get a new PSU, which I'll be able to transfer to a new build in a couple of years if it holds up well. Though I'm going with a modular supply this time -- I'm horrible at cable management . Thanks.

 

[Destiny]

I agree with every one on this post... You should get a new quality PSU... although your old 650watt PSU is sufficient enough for the GTX 470 - you don't know how much longer it would last and if the load capacity have degraded over time (I heard on some tech forums PSUs lose 10&#37; of their load capacity per year through constant usage, especially gaming).

 

[fffblackmage]

although your old 650watt PSU is sufficient enough for the GTX 470

If it really was a 650W PSU, I wouldn't be worried, but that 650W rating is for peak power and not sustained.

 

[blastingcap]

~65W CPU
~225W GPU
~50W HDD, optical, RAM, chipset/mobo (I'm assuming your HDDs won't all be running full blast at the same time)
~35W fans incl your DD
=======
375W max load, total. You're safe.

34A is more than enough for the CPU + GPU + other stuff on 12V unless you ov/oc; 34A@12V = 408W!

However, the above changes if you overclock and especially if you overvolt either the CPU or GPU. It's not clear if you plan to keep the CPU and GPU at stock or not. If you plan to overvolt and oc the CPU a lot, then your 150W estimate makes sense. Otherwise, it makes no sense.

Hey guys, I would appreciate some advice here. I'm worried whether my PSU can safely handle my GPU upgrade. I recently found a decent deal on a GTX 470 and bit the bullet to give my machine some extra life, and it'll probably be the last upgrade for this system. It should be arriving today.

Current specs:
PSU: PC P&C Turbo Cool 510 (sustained, 650W peak) SLI +12V @34A (38A peak)
ASUS P5B Deluxe
E8500
6GB DDR2
DVD RW drive
3x 7200RPM SATA drives
DD-CPX-PRO water pump
and the GPU of course

So, are my numbers off if I estimate 150W max for CPU (@stock) and 215W max (this is NVIDIA's #) for the new GPU, which would be approximately 365W max on the 12V rail? Seems like it would be OK (80&#37; of max, according to specs), but I don't want to push it. I've seen people recommend a lot of 650W PSUs for this card, but the newer PSUs seem to have a lot more current on the 12V rail. I tried to build this system 4yrs ago with plenty of room for upgrades, but I don't upgrade often, so I wouldn't mind input from you guys with more experience. Thanks.

 

[Rifter]

I would get a quality 650W. Not a 500w with peak 650w.

Should be able to pick up a quality unit for 60-75$.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151091

 

[tedrodai]

Thanks for the responses. I see that I misread the 150W # for the CPU from a PCstats.com article -- I looked at so many articles in a short period of time yesterday, while dealing with some issues at work, that I befuddled myself. I don't know why I thought they said it was power usage by the CPU rather than total system power usage (like everyone measures), but I did. Glad to get that cleared up quickly, because I was surprised thinking the CPU used that much at 100% load.

I had no plans to overclock with the current setup if it would work, but if I grab a new PSU, I'd definitely overclock the E8500. The GPU is not factory overclocked, nor will it be overclocked.

 

[blastingcap]

Thanks for the responses. I see that I misread the 150W # for the CPU from a PCstats.com article -- I looked at so many articles in a short period of time yesterday, while dealing with some issues at work, that I befuddled myself. I don't know why I thought they said it was power usage by the CPU rather than total system power usage (like everyone measures), but I did. Glad to get that cleared up quickly, because I was surprised thinking the CPU used that much at 100% load.

I had no plans to overclock with the current setup if it would work, but if I grab a new PSU, I'd definitely overclock the E8500. The GPU is not factory overclocked, nor will it be overclocked.

You can still oc the E8500 using your existing PSU, just don't try to overvolting both the CPU and GPU at the same time. A moderate oc on both at the same time, with no overvolting, is probably still fine.

 

[jacktesterson]

I would go new