Would 300W be enough for this setup?

blind0902

Junior Member
Jun 10, 2008
2
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Okay so i'm building my second rig this summer, this time its a midrange gaming/htcp computer. So here's the rig:

IN WIN BK623.GLS300BL Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case (S.F.F Tiny Tower) w/ 300w Power Supply
Link

GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX Motherboard
Link

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 3870 512MB 256-bit GDDR4 HDCP Ready
Link

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Brisbane 2.7GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor
Link

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit
Link

Seagate 7200.10 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
Link

SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner SATA
Link

Total: ~$525

What do you guys think? Can it stay below 300w under load with no overclocking? I did some research and it looks like its possible but can't tell for sure because I can't find anything too similar to this rig.

Any help is appreciated, Thanks!
 

Zap

Elite Member
Oct 13, 1999
22,377
2
81
300W is a maybe... maybe if it is really strong on the +12v and is good enough quality to put out every last bit of it. In Win PSUs aren't super strong. Not as bad as some, but not as good as others. As for how much +12v it can put out, Newegg doesn't say, and neither does In Win. The PSU size is SFX, so you're fairly limited in how much +12v power you can get in that form factor regardless of PSU quality. So far the highest I've found in conjunction with quality is 24A, on the Enermax 320W SFX unit.

According to Anandtech a system with a 3870 idles at 125W and loads at 214W, so... it's a yes for idle conditions and an unknown for load conditions.

If you're willing to forgo a bit of gaming performance, consider a midrange video card that does not require a PCI-E power plug.
 

Chosonman

Golden Member
Jan 24, 2005
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What's the load for an 8800GT? I'm curious myself since I'm running 430 PSU with an 8800GT 4 500GB hard drives and a dvd burner.

Edit: never mind I saw your link. ;)
 

DSF

Diamond Member
Oct 6, 2007
4,902
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Originally posted by: modoheo
Here's a helpful link. For the OP, this site estimates you'll need at least a 230W PSU, so you should be ok.
http://www.extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine

There are a lot of problems with online PSU calculators. Honestly, I wouldn't trust them for anything but an extremely general idea.

@ the OP: I'd want to have a higher wattage PSU for several reasons.

First, PSUs deteriorate with age, so you don't want to be walking the line when you first buy the unit. Second, the closer a PSU is to its maximum output the hotter it needs to run. This in turn means its fan must spin faster, creating more noise. Third, the MTBF for many PSUs (especially mediocre brands like In-Win) are often calculated at 25 degrees C. That's an unrealistic operating temperature if you're pushing close to full load.

The Antec Earthwatts 430W is currently $30 after rebate, and I'd feel much more comfortable with that if I were you. (Provided that it fits in your case, which I can't say.)
 

DarkRogue

Golden Member
Dec 25, 2007
1,243
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Originally posted by: DSF
There are a lot of problems with online PSU calculators.

QFT. According to every PSU calculator I've come across, my PC shouldn't be working right now - niether my current one, nor my old one. In fact, I'm supposed to be using a PSU with at minimum another 100W rating in order to be up an running.... Curious - How am I using these online PSU calculators without a good enough PSU to boot off of?

Anyway, as far as the 300w PSU goes, I'm not sure. The graphics card is somewhat beefy and I'm not quite ready to suggest something that low - this coming from a guy who advocates lower wattage PSU's. I would say a 350w or so will happily run that rig though. 430W if you want to keep it on the "safe" side against aging, but really I think 350w should do.
 

ShawnD1

Lifer
May 24, 2003
15,987
2
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Originally posted by: blind0902
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 3870 512MB 256-bit GDDR4 HDCP Ready
Link

The rest of your system will do fine with 300W, but with this video card, you would really be pushing your luck.

Your power use under full load won't be 300W, but if the power demand peaks at more than the PSU can supply, the computer will crash with a black screen.
Get a 400W PSU or better.

edit:
Remember that the rating on the PSU is not what it will actually deliver. You can't get 300W of usable power from a 300W PSU. Some power supplies are pretty efficient, but you should assume that they're only 80% efficient, just to be on the safe side.
 

BladeVenom

Lifer
Jun 2, 2005
13,365
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Can it stay below 300w under load with no overclocking?
The problem is the power supply. A cheap case power supply like that probably can't output anywhere near it's claimed 300 watts. Those cheap power supplies are very dishonest, the numbers they list are usually complete fiction.

Look for sales on an Antec case w/power supply. They have a much better power supply.
 

DSF

Diamond Member
Oct 6, 2007
4,902
0
71
Originally posted by: ShawnD1

edit:
Remember that the rating on the PSU is not what it will actually deliver. You can't get 300W of usable power from a 300W PSU. Some power supplies are pretty efficient, but you should assume that they're only 80% efficient, just to be on the safe side.

Actually, if a PSU is of good quality, it's supposed to be able to deliver power equal to its rating. It's not a good idea to ask them to do so over long periods of time, but they're designed to be able to.

An 80% efficient PSU doesn't mean it will deliver at most 80% of 300W, it means that 300W is the most it's designed to deliver, and 300W would be 80% of the power it draws from the outlet.
 

blind0902

Junior Member
Jun 10, 2008
2
0
0
Thanks for the input! That calculator is a good thing to have for getting a broad estimate. Yah I figured 300 would be too low so I'm moving up to a 380 watt in the Antec New Solution NSK2480 case. I'm hoping that should be okay at load since the HD3870 is less energy consuming then alot of other mid range cards.