7800GS & PSU Question

[Setzer777]

I just ordered my eVGA 7800GS CO SC and was reading the specs on the card at eVGA's web site. According to the requirments I must have a 350w PSU or better. Well, the one I have in my Antec Sonata case is a 380, here are the specs...

True Power 380w

My question is, should I upgrade my PSU or is 380w enough? Of course the graphic card is not the only thing I have attached to the PSU so I'm going to list my PC specs below and maybe someone can tell me if I'm "ok" or I need to get a new PSU....

DFI LP nForce3 mainboard
AMD 64 3400(2.4ghz) socket 754
Corsair 2gb PC3200 RAM
Sound Blaster X-Fi(w/front control panel)
PCI Network card
WD Raptor 74gb HD SATA
Seagate 160gb HD SATA
BenQ DVD burner
Sony CD burner
2 120mm case fans
4 USB devices(KB, mouse, printer, camera)

I believe that's it. Someone mentioned that the key thing with PSU's is the amps on the 12v rail? It appears the PSU I have has 24 amps on the 12v - so, do you think I'm good or am I pushing it with what I'm running? Thanks for the help!

 

[Agent_N]

Well, you can try the new card ans see if PC works. If it doesn't you'll need a new PSU.

It's my understanding that having a higher wattage PSU but not using it to its full potential is less strenuous on the PSU. Its like having a bigger motor in you car so it won't have to work as hard. The harder something has to work, the faster it will wear out. If this doesn't make sense to you then don't worry about it.

I would strongly recommend saving for a better PSU as I have heard that the PSU's that Antec ships with their cases are not the highest quality.

Some great PSU's to upgrade to:

Seasonic S12- 430, or S12-500 - these babies are very quiet

PC Power and Cooling - these are very expensive

OCZ PowerStream 520

SILVERSTONE SST-ST50EF 500 watt

ENERMAX Liberty ELT400AWT ATX12V 400W - I would recommend a Seasonic over this one but it's your money.

ENERMAX Noisetaker AX Series EG495AX-VE SFMA 2.0 ATX12V 485W

Antec TRUEPOWERII TPII-480 ATX12V 480W

All of these can be found at Newegg.com

 

[haadij404]

yeah i have that same card and i talked to a BFG support technician and he said that a 25-28A on the 12v rail is a good amount of power. 24A is more than good enough. the 1st PSU i had running the 7800gs was a measly 19A and it ran fine. i just bought a new which has 34A on 12v, which should be good for the card. but your 24A is good enough. dont worry about. after you install your card, you could download Everest Home Edition and that will tell you how much AMPs are coming from the 12v. anything above 11.75 is good enough...but it should not dip below that...if it does you sould get a new PSU. mine is at 12.22 at full load.