Will this system be fine on 400 Watts?

[quadomatic]

E2200 at 2926mhz BSEL, 1.39v
ECS 945GCT-M/1333
ATI Radeon X1900XT OC'd past XTX speeds, voltage raised
Zonet ZEW1601 RT61 Wireless Card
Western Digital 160GB Caviar Hard Drive
AOpen 16x DVD Burner
Cooler Master Hyper TX2 CPU HSF
2 GB HP Promo Ram

I have this same current setup running on a 400 Watt PSU, cept I'm using an X850 PRO and the CPU voltage is at 1.344v. I'm just worried me switching the video card to an X1900XT and ocing it might push it over the edge. Would the system I listed above be fine on an ULTRA 400 Watt PSU?

My PSU Box says:

Its a V series. It says that at 12V it gets 20A and at -12V its .6A. It's about a year old now.

Thanks

 

[zig3695]

i wouldnt be surprised if it ran the system ok, and i wouldnt be surprised if it doesnt even boot up. your right on the edge asking what your asking, good luck!

 

[tomoyo]

I don't think you have any chance of being beyond 300W...now mind you, you need 300W of 12v power on a psu, not just a 300W psu.

Ah just noticed you mentioned ultra...I don't know of any good ultras at 400w....that makes it a little more dangerous. Personally I'd buy a more reliable 400w psu for your system.

 

[mpilchfamily]

Its more a matter of available amperage on the 12v Rails then it is about the total wattage of the unit. But if the PSU can offer about 24A to 26A you should have more then enough power for the system. Remeber the total availible amperage is not found buy adding the 2 rails together.

 

[DSF]

Originally posted by: zig3695
i wouldnt be surprised if it ran the system ok, and i wouldnt be surprised if it doesnt even boot up. your right on the edge asking what your asking, good luck!

If it's a quality 400W PSU, I'd actually be quite surprised if it doesn't boot up.

Edit: The best way to tell, OP, is to give us a link to the manufacturer's specs, or to the sticker on the side of the PSU that tells the specified amperages at each voltage.

 

[jonnyGURU]

It's an Ultra 400W? Which one? V-Series? X-Connect?

If it's a V-Series, XVS, Lifetime Series, etc. it's rated at peak, not continuous and it's rated at 25°C and not a 40°C+ operating temperature. It'll probably only last about a year or two and then die.

 

[quadomatic]

Yea, its a V series. It says that at 12V it gets 20A and at -12V its .6A. It's about a year old now.

Perhaps the PSU is at fault for my PC not working at load right now? It's probably because my processor needs more voltage with BSEL though.

What power supply can I replace it with? Do I even need another PSU?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817148027

UPDATE: After comparing power usage of the X850 XT and the X1900XTX, I'm thinking that it's likely I won't need a new power supply:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articl...consumption2006_4.html
http://techreport.com/articles.x/7679/12
http://www.anandtech.com/printarticle.aspx?i=2290

The X1900XTX uses a lot less power, and my system is fine with a 400Watt PSU right now.

 

[quadomatic]

UPDATE: After looking again, it looks like I might need a new PSU:

http://www.techpowerup.com/rev...I/X1900XT_256M/12.html

 

[jonnyGURU]

Originally posted by: quadomatic
Yea, its a V series. It says that at 12V it gets 20A...

Right.. but that's all dependent on the PSU running at room temperature.... which it's not. Get a new PSU.

 

[zig3695]

i never would have thought it would be a problem until i saw what my DFI nf4 board does to power supplies. well, then again i guess i thought an antec smart power 400 was a quality supply too (no way!)

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

My opinion = why risk it?

 

[mountcarlmore]

correct, a psu for your system won't be that much, and why risk it on a junk ultra? i wouldn't be surprised if this "400w" psu is actually a 250w at realistic conditions, and it will not last long running so close to its max output. a quality 450w psu will be fine, but emphasis on quality. something of this sort http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817139003, or if thats too much, get this http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817104954

 

[olmer]

Seconded 400W ultra is no more than 300W continius in other words, crap. Do not risk it. Only higher Andyson's built models of Ultra are worth attention.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

i wouldn't do it. get a new psu and keep that as a spare.

 

[quadomatic]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817371005

Could I just buy the Antec Earthwatts 380? Is that enough wattage?

 

[Quiksilver]

I can understand that your system is going to be a budget system but in all honesty why are you trying to risk killing it within the first year? I personally believe that you should spend at least $50 or more USD on a PSU, anything under $50 is generally crap or for light load systems (mainly office rigs with integrated graphics) and won't last as long as you would like.

Antec Earthwatts 430 - $55 Shipped
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817371006

 

[chuckm]

Corsair VX450

http://www.buy.com/prod/Corsai...loc/101/205466485.html