will my PSU be enough for my new video card?

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
V

Vesper8

Senior member
Apr 29, 2005
253
0
0
Hey everyone. I've been told in the past that my PSU would be more than sufficient but I'm having doubts again and would like your second opinion

This is my PSU :

SEASONIC S12-500HT 500W ATX12V

I am about to buy either a x1900xtx or a 7900gtx

And in my PC I've got the following :

CASE : COOLERMASTER STACKER w/ Cross-Flow Fan w/ Window Side Panel
MB : ASUS A8N-E MOTHERBOARD
CPU : AMD ATHLON 64 3700+ @ Stock 2.2GHZ w/ XP-120 HSF w/ 120mm Ultra Panaflo
RAM : OCZ Platinum EB PC4000 2GB 2X1GB DDR500 CL3-3-2-8
GPU : Asus Extreme N6600GT 128mb DDR3 w/ ZALMAN VF700-CU
SOUND: SOUND BLASTER AUDIGY 2 ZS PLATINUM PCI W/ FRONT PANEL
HD#1 : WD RAPTOR 74GB SATA 10000RPM 4.5MS 8MB
HD#2 : Maxtor DiamondMax 10 300GB SATA2 7200RPM 16MB 9MS
HD#3 : Maxtor DiamondMax 10 300GB SATA 7200RPM 16MB 9MS
HD#4 : SEAGATE BARRACUDA 200GB SATA 7200RPM 8MB 8.5MS
DVD#1: NEC ND-3520A DVD+RW
DVD#2: PIONEER DVR-107D DVD+-RW

MOUSE: LOGITECH MX1000 CORDLESS
KEYBOARD: Logitech G15
WEBCAM: LOGITECH QUICKCAM PRO 4000
SPEAKERS: LOGITECH X-530 5.1
GAMEPAD: SAITEK P3000 WIRELESS GAMEPAD

Fans, Fan Controllers & Temperature Monitors :

AEROCOOL COOLPANEL 8 IN 1 CARD READER
AEROCOOL GATEWATCH FAN CONTROLLER W/ LCD DISPLAY
VANTEC NEXUS PANEL FAN CONTROLLER 4 FAN W/ BLUE LEDS
SUNBEAM 12INCH BLUE COLD CATHODE

3x80mm fans
3x120mm fans (4x if you include the xp-120 fan)
 
V

Vesper8

Senior member
Apr 29, 2005
253
0
0
really?

caz i must really be starting to push it.. just recently added that 4th hard drive and from some of the things i'm reading.. i must be getting close to the limit of my PSU I'd think...

also I'm worried about balancing both my psu rails so I have enough juice for that special power connector the 7900 series requires on the card itself.. my cabling is such a mess in there

does the x1900 cards also require a power connector directly from the psu ?
 
Gamingphreek

Gamingphreek

Lifer
Mar 31, 2003
11,679
0
81
also I'm worried about balancing both my psu rails so I have enough juice for that special power connector the 7900 series requires on the card itself.. my cabling is such a mess in there

does the x1900 cards also require a power connector directly from the psu ?
Click to expand...

What are you talking about? Just plug the damn PCI-E Molex into the card lol. Also what are you doing trying to balance the rails? First off, you cant. Second off, why would you even try.

Look at the test system in Anands reviews. Barely breaks 300Watt at full load. Add maybe 25Watt for the extra HDD's (You really might want to try a staggered spin up if they are SATA, as the amperage required to start the drives may be a hefty amount).

Trust me you have MORE than enough room on that PSU. Look what im running off of that PSU. It doesn't even rev up or heat up...AT ALL. Im not even stressing it remotely with my setup. Yours, with the possible exception of the extra HDD's will put a little more stress than i have.

-Kevin
 
O

OvErHeAtInG

Senior member
Jun 25, 2002
770
0
0
:thumbsup: What he said.

This PSU should have no problem powering dual xtx's and an OC'd Prescott for crying out loud. In fact I probably would have gone for the S12-430 if it had had a 6-pin Molex for PCIe cards. Not that that even really matters, since the cards all come with a little 4pin->6pin adapter. :)
 
moonboy403

moonboy403

Golden Member
Aug 18, 2004
1,828
0
76
use the wattage calculator (do a search on google)

it's called Extreme psu calculator 1.2 or something like that
 
V

Vesper8

Senior member
Apr 29, 2005
253
0
0
thanks for the replies guys

the eXtreme PSU calculator puts me at 457w with a x1900xtx, and 440w with a 7800gtx 512

and for kicks.. I tested it to see how it would be if i had a dual core x2 3800+ instead.. and then i totally bust it with a 538w rating
 
I

imported_michaelpatrick33

Platinum Member
Jun 19, 2004
2,364
0
0
According to that site I will need 680 Watts :shocked: to power my system. My rig
X2 4400+ at 2640
2 Patriot 1 gig dimms at 220 2.5-3-2-7
DFI NF4 SLI DR board
2 7900GTX evga superclocked in SLI (waiting for second card to arrive droooool)
I Raptor 74
1 Maxtor 200
Koolance watercooling
Seasonic 600 S12
2405fpw
etc.

I sure as heck hope my Seasonic will handle it. I just assumed I wouldn't need more than 600.
I did use the SLI of the 7800GTX 512 at 600core and I know that the 7900 GTX's use less power so here is to hoping.
 
O

OvErHeAtInG

Senior member
Jun 25, 2002
770
0
0
That "eXtreme PSU calculator" is certainly - um - eXtreme. That's all I have to say. Look at it this way, the only way to load up your system that much is to rip 2 DVD's to all 4 of your HDD's AT ONCE while dual-priming and playing FEAR. Even then, simply adding theoretical peak draw of components is a little simplistic.

once more, i plug Mike Chin's PSU guide that Kevin linked to. Thanks Kevin - I actually learned soem stuff from there. It's nice to see that someone with a clue about electrical engineering actually wrote something for us mortals. Look at AT's 7900 review. If a system with an FX-57 (that's 2.8GHz) and a 7800GTX draws 271 Watts load - that's AC from the wall - and assuming the OCZ is operating at 80% efficiency (which is being VERY generous) that means that the whole system is drawing 217 DC watts to run 3dmark06. The Seasonic S12, one of the most efficient PSU's on the market, only starts to hit peak efficiency at 200W and up. These are the types of systems that people are buying 600+W PSU's for. Show me someone who measured their system with a kill-a-watt and THEN correct for conversion, and THEN exceeding 500W. I'll be pretty surprised - and it'll definitely have more stuff in it than I'll ever have... :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom