Do I need a higher wattage PSU?

S

SebiAlex

n00b
Joined
May 4, 2006
Messages
5
Hi, I'm planning of getting a BFG 8800GT OC video card, and I am unsure if I need a better PSU. Right not I have:

PSU: 450 W Antec (the one that comes in the Sonata II case)
CPU: Core 2 Duo E6550 (2.33GHz)
Video Card: XFX 7900GT
Mobo: Gigabyte P35-DS3R
Memory: 4 gigs of OCZ memory
HDD: 4 hard-drives
Optical-Drives: 2 sata DVDR
Fans: two 120mm fans

What do you think? Do I need a 550 W or above or is the 450W sufficient?
I appreciate any comments, thank you for your help.
 
I think the 450 will probably be sufficient...I'd at least give it a shot.

Yeah, according to the psu calculator you'll be around 401 at 90% load and 451 at 100% load (both figures with the 8800GT), I think it'll be ok.
http://extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine
 
Replace the PSU. You have a Antec Smartpower 450W PSU. The Smartpower and Truepower I and II line of PSUs are well known for dying under heavy loads. They were poorly designed and made and often overheated. I would replace that PSU ASAP, even if you don't get the 8800GT. If you've had that PSU for a year or more, definitely definitely replace it with a better QUALITY PSU.

I highly recommend this PSU:
Corsair 550VX 550W PSU - $89
 
Thank you very much for the replies. I bought a Corsair 620HX 620W Modular PSU (Couldn't find the 550VX). I'm thinking it will cover the demand if I decide to get a quad core.
 
Danny Bui said:
Replace the PSU. You have a Antec Smartpower 450W PSU. The Smartpower and Truepower I and II line of PSUs are well known for dying under heavy loads. They were poorly designed and made and often overheated. I would replace that PSU ASAP, even if you don't get the 8800GT. If you've had that PSU for a year or more, definitely definitely replace it with a better QUALITY PSU.

I highly recommend this PSU:
Corsair 550VX 550W PSU - $89
Click to expand...

It's a shame about those Antec PSU's because their power output is actually rather good, but their cooling design (fan that barely even turned) was/is horrendous.
 
You would prob want to get a PSU with about 10-20% more wattage than you will need. This will help extend the life of your PSU. Thats my opionion anyways, others may say different
 
Danny Bui said:
Replace the PSU. You have a Antec Smartpower 450W PSU. The Smartpower and Truepower I and II line of PSUs are well known for dying under heavy loads. They were poorly designed and made and often overheated. I would replace that PSU ASAP, even if you don't get the 8800GT. If you've had that PSU for a year or more, definitely definitely replace it with a better QUALITY PSU.

I highly recommend this PSU:
Corsair 550VX 550W PSU - $89
Click to expand...

Wow that explains so much. I bought an Antec Truepower 480W over 3 years ago. While it hasn't died, my room does become oven-like (over 80-85 even during the winter when the rest of the house is about 70-75 degrees fahrenheit) when my door is closed.
 
SebiAlex said:
Thank you very much for the replies. I bought a Corsair 620HX 620W Modular PSU (Couldn't find the 550VX). I'm thinking it will cover the demand if I decide to get a quad core.
Click to expand...

That PSU should cover the demand for just about any setup. Far more power than most people need. Enjoy.
 
I installed the PSU (everything is great), and I just noticed that the bios does not know the RPM's of the PSU fan. The old Antec had a wire which connected to the "power_fan" on the mobo, but the Corsair one doesn't. The mobo went crazy the first time I turned the comp on; I had to disable the PSU fan failure notice. Is there a way to monitor the fan, or does Corsair have failsafe shutdown in case of fan failure?

Regarding the 8800 GT, man that card is long, I had to remove the second fan inside the case, just to fit it.

Again, thank you for you replies.
 
SebiAlex said:
I installed the PSU (everything is great), and I just noticed that the bios does not know the RPM's of the PSU fan. The old Antec had a wire which connected to the "power_fan" on the mobo, but the Corsair one doesn't. The mobo went crazy the first time I turned the comp on; I had to disable the PSU fan failure notice. Is there a way to monitor the fan, or does Corsair have failsafe shutdown in case of fan failure?
Click to expand...

Dunno of a way to monitor the PSU fan. However, Corsair does have a failsafe shutdown in case of overheating. So you should be fine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top