• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

What are the real power requirements of these cards?

B

benedict

Junior Member
Ok, here's the case:
I have an Athlon X2 5000+ paired with an integrated GPU Radeon 3200 and a 350W Fortron PSU. So far the combination has worked satisfactory but now I've been thinking about upgrading. So far I've been considering cards like Radeon 5750, 5770 or 6850 and MAYBE an Athlon II X3.
The problem is, the power requirements stated by AMD are not making any sense. For example, the 5770 is claimed to require a 450W PSU, while in the Anandtech review, coupled with a much more power hungry CPU and at maximum load, the whole system consumed 256W(240-260W in different reviews).
So, what are the real power requirements of those cards and more importantly, which one can I get without having to buy a new PSU aswell?
 
Last edited:
The real power use is the one that reviews typically show.
The PSU requirement is generally speaking an informative estimate for a whole system using said card, mostly based around a fairly low spec PSU (not all PSUs are created equal, two may say 500w, but one of them might barely manage 200w).

Without knowing the exact specs of your 350w PSU it's difficult to say how comfortably it would deal with an HD5770, but it would probably be alright since your CPU isn't massively power hungry.
Best thing to do is look at the stick on the side of the PSU which should say its rated output for each rail (3.3v, 5v, 12v).
Should look similar to this:
psu2.jpg


Also as PSUs age, they become somewhat less capable, so it might also depend on how old your PSU is.
 
The rated output:
12V1 - 18A
12V2 - 16A
12V1+12V2 - 300W max output.
The psu is 2.5 y.o.

Also, since my mainboard is AM2+ and the Athlon II X3 is AM3, is there a penalty in the performance when combining them, i.e. would that CPU work faster on a real AM3 mainboard?
 
Last edited:
You should be fine with a 6850 and AMD X3 on a 350w fortron, they are pretty capable PSU's and 300w of 12v combined power seems sufficient. Neither component you're looking after is very power hungry.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top