Will my PSU run this video card??

[ryan256]

I need a new video card and am looking to get this VisionTek HD4870. Aside from being the best rated HD4870 on the egg it also has an HDMI out. The question obviously is "Will my Antec 500W PSU be able to run it?"
The PSU has four 6 pin ports for plugging in SATA, Molex, or PCI-e power cables. I can run all of my 2 hard drives, 2 DVD-RWs, and 3 fans off of two of these ports, leaving the last two for PCI-e power. The card says it needs 75W on each PCI-e connection. According to the specifications my PSU has two 12V rails; one at 17A, the other at 19A. I'm thinking the 19A rail is supplying the four 6 pin ports. 12V * 19A = 228W. 228W - 2*(75W) = 78W. I think 78W will be sufficient for my drives & fans.

However I know very little about PSUs. Is my logic and calculations sound here?? Or an I gonna come up short with power for the card??

 

[mpilchfamily]

NO!

That PSU is one of the worste PSUs ANtec has ever offered. It can only offer a max of about 22A on the 12V rails and your total system with the 4870 will need about 30A on the 12V rails to run. Just know that the rated amperage per rail is the fail safe amperage that rail can handle and not what the PSU actually supplies to that rail. But the reason its Antecs worste PSU is due to there high filure rate due to bad capacitors.

You need to get yourself a new good quality 500W PSU like one form Antec's earthwatt series of PSUs. See older PSUs dodn't dedicate as much of there power too the 12V rails as newer PSUs do. A few years ago a 500W unit averaged about 24A on the 12V rails now they average about 32A.

 

[ryan256]

Originally posted by: mpilchfamily
NO!

That PSU is one of the worste PSUs ANtec has ever offered. It can only offer a max of about 22A on the 12V rails and your total system with the 4870 will need about 30A on the 12V rails to run. Just know that the rated amperage per rail is the fail safe amperage that rail can handle and not what the PSU actually supplies to that rail. But the reason its Antecs worste PSU is due to there high filure rate due to bad capacitors.

You need to get yourself a new good quality 500W PSU like one form Antec's earthwatt series of PSUs. See older PSUs dodn't dedicate as much of there power too the 12V rails as newer PSUs do. A few years ago a 500W unit averaged about 24A on the 12V rails now they average about 32A.

Actually I've already replaced this PSU once. The last one had a problem with the 5V rail and as a result my USB stuff didn't work properly.

Well if it won't run a HD4870 it should at least be able to run a HD4850... right?