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I apologize up front for the length of this post, but I wanted to air all the issues and options.
I've been involved in two threads over the past few days concerning whether my new Ultra V-series 500w PSU (an admittedly cheap, but universally regarded as solid though not stellar unit) would be sufficient to fuel my new ATi Radeon X1900XT, and also whether Thermaltake's W0099RU (Power Express) dedicated-GPU PSU (5.25" drive bay unit) would be a worthy solution to pick up any slack.
Well, having confirmed that the Ultra + Thermaltake solution will work, it has come down to this: better to have the two PSUs or purchase a new, superior single PSU (and trying to get rid of the Ultra, for which I paid $10 after rebate, on Ebay)?
In terms of power demand, what little I've been able to find on the Web indicates that the X1900XT would use about 120w max and 8-10 amps on the 12v rail. Therefore, Thermaltake's unit -- which produces 250w and 21 amps continuous (with 2 12v rails) -- would be far more than enough, as the motherboard will be supplying 75w of power as it is with the W0099RU picking up any slack above this figure (source: Thermaltake's Tech. Dept.). So, it looks like the W0099RU might even be able to run twin X1900XTs without issue.
Unfortunately, it's my 500w Ultra V-series that may could run short if I attempt to run it solo, since it boasts only 28 amps on a single 12v rail and ATi recommends having 30 amps. Whether the 18 amps remaining on the 12v rail (since, as stated above, the X1900XT will take about 10 amps max) would be enough to run the rest of my system is anyone's guess, there is no way to know -- short of risking my system -- whether it will be sufficient. Some on this forum have said their PSU with the same 12v spec (28 amps max) runs their X1900XT system perfectly, but their units came from superior makers to mine. So, mine could work. Still, the worry -- beyond out and out damaging/ruining my components -- is that if my system suffered hampered performance due a slightly power-starved GPU, would I be able to recognize that as the issue? The safe bet, then, is to buy a better single PSU (at least one with 30+ amps on the 12v rail) or go with the current PSU + Thermaltake W0099RU solution spoken of above.
On the face of it, the latter solution (PSU + dedicated-GPU PSU) looks best. 250w of power, more than enough amps on the 12v rails, all for just $50. But the down side may come in the form of additional heat, increased noise level and a bigger energy bill. Then again, the heat may be negligible, the units may be quiet, and the energy bill may solely depend on the draw of the system, not the units running it, so I don't know if any of these are key factors.
The appeal of the better single PSU solution, down on total output as it may be compared with the PSU + dedicated-GPU PSU option, is in its simplicity: one PSU covering all your needs, potentially cooler, quieter and less of a contributor to the energy bill. Also, it's my sense that I can get a solid 500w-550w PSU with 30+ amps on the 12v rail (or multiple 12v rails) for less than, say, $80, so this isn't much more costly than the Thermaltake dedicated-GPU PSU unit. Correct me if I'm wrong.
That's it (finally). Your input is very much appreciated.
My system (have parts, still unassembled):
C2D E6600 w/Arctic Cooling Freezer 7
Gigabyte P965 MB
2x1GB Corsair XMS2 DDR2-800
ATi Radeon X1900XT w/Zalman VF-900
SB Audigy 4 w/Creative P7800 spkrs.
WD Caviar SE 250 GB
2nd HD - IBM Deskstar 20 GB (my old drive)
Samsung 162L Lightscribe DVD-R
Thermaltake Mambo case w/120mm x2
Ultra V-Series 500w (for now)
I've been involved in two threads over the past few days concerning whether my new Ultra V-series 500w PSU (an admittedly cheap, but universally regarded as solid though not stellar unit) would be sufficient to fuel my new ATi Radeon X1900XT, and also whether Thermaltake's W0099RU (Power Express) dedicated-GPU PSU (5.25" drive bay unit) would be a worthy solution to pick up any slack.
Well, having confirmed that the Ultra + Thermaltake solution will work, it has come down to this: better to have the two PSUs or purchase a new, superior single PSU (and trying to get rid of the Ultra, for which I paid $10 after rebate, on Ebay)?
In terms of power demand, what little I've been able to find on the Web indicates that the X1900XT would use about 120w max and 8-10 amps on the 12v rail. Therefore, Thermaltake's unit -- which produces 250w and 21 amps continuous (with 2 12v rails) -- would be far more than enough, as the motherboard will be supplying 75w of power as it is with the W0099RU picking up any slack above this figure (source: Thermaltake's Tech. Dept.). So, it looks like the W0099RU might even be able to run twin X1900XTs without issue.
Unfortunately, it's my 500w Ultra V-series that may could run short if I attempt to run it solo, since it boasts only 28 amps on a single 12v rail and ATi recommends having 30 amps. Whether the 18 amps remaining on the 12v rail (since, as stated above, the X1900XT will take about 10 amps max) would be enough to run the rest of my system is anyone's guess, there is no way to know -- short of risking my system -- whether it will be sufficient. Some on this forum have said their PSU with the same 12v spec (28 amps max) runs their X1900XT system perfectly, but their units came from superior makers to mine. So, mine could work. Still, the worry -- beyond out and out damaging/ruining my components -- is that if my system suffered hampered performance due a slightly power-starved GPU, would I be able to recognize that as the issue? The safe bet, then, is to buy a better single PSU (at least one with 30+ amps on the 12v rail) or go with the current PSU + Thermaltake W0099RU solution spoken of above.
On the face of it, the latter solution (PSU + dedicated-GPU PSU) looks best. 250w of power, more than enough amps on the 12v rails, all for just $50. But the down side may come in the form of additional heat, increased noise level and a bigger energy bill. Then again, the heat may be negligible, the units may be quiet, and the energy bill may solely depend on the draw of the system, not the units running it, so I don't know if any of these are key factors.
The appeal of the better single PSU solution, down on total output as it may be compared with the PSU + dedicated-GPU PSU option, is in its simplicity: one PSU covering all your needs, potentially cooler, quieter and less of a contributor to the energy bill. Also, it's my sense that I can get a solid 500w-550w PSU with 30+ amps on the 12v rail (or multiple 12v rails) for less than, say, $80, so this isn't much more costly than the Thermaltake dedicated-GPU PSU unit. Correct me if I'm wrong.
That's it (finally). Your input is very much appreciated.
My system (have parts, still unassembled):
C2D E6600 w/Arctic Cooling Freezer 7
Gigabyte P965 MB
2x1GB Corsair XMS2 DDR2-800
ATi Radeon X1900XT w/Zalman VF-900
SB Audigy 4 w/Creative P7800 spkrs.
WD Caviar SE 250 GB
2nd HD - IBM Deskstar 20 GB (my old drive)
Samsung 162L Lightscribe DVD-R
Thermaltake Mambo case w/120mm x2
Ultra V-Series 500w (for now)
