GTX 470 w/ 520W Power Supply?

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kyvhy66

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jul 19, 2010
Messages
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Hey guys, I have the OCZ PowerStream 520ADJ (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817104152), and was wondering if i could just push a GTX 470 with it. I'm doubting it, and I'm wondering if I should just wait til the GTX 560 comes out. Here's my system specs.

(From CPU-z)
Core i5 750 @ 4010 MHz
Multiplier: 20x
Bus Speed: 200 MHz
QPI Link: 3208.0 MHz
Core Voltage: 1.208V
Corsair H50
EVGA 6600GT (Stock Clocks)
MSI P55-GD85
Mushkin Ridgeline 2GB x 2 @ 1600 MHz - 1.65V
Lite-On DVD-RW Drive
Cooler Master 932
Fans: Front: 230mm Red LED, Side,and Top 230mm Fans without LED, 2 back 140mms and 1 120mm.
I don't currently have any add-in cards.
 
You would probably be fine since its a single 12v rail at 33A. But I don't really know how quality that PSU is.
 
kyvhy66 said:
Hey guys, I have the OCZ PowerStream 520ADJ (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817104152), and was wondering if i could just push a GTX 470 with it. I'm doubting it, and I'm wondering if I should just wait til the GTX 560 comes out. Here's my system specs.

(From CPU-z)
Core i5 750 @ 4010 MHz
Multiplier: 20x
Bus Speed: 200 MHz
QPI Link: 3208.0 MHz
Core Voltage: 1.208V
Corsair H50
EVGA 6600GT (Stock Clocks)
MSI P55-GD85
Mushkin Ridgeline 2GB x 2 @ 1600 MHz - 1.65V
Lite-On DVD-RW Drive
Cooler Master 932
Fans: Front: 230mm Red LED, Side,and Top 230mm Fans without LED, 2 back 140mms and 1 120mm.
I don't currently have any add-in cards.
Click to expand...

Your cutting it way too close. I would think twice if you have more than 1 hdd and more than 1optical drive.

Here's my uber rough estimates

OC'd i7 220W
2 ram chips 45W
Corsair Rad 55W
Lite On Optical 20W
Multiple fans with Led 20W

I dont even know how many hdd's you have so I'd estimate about 30W each. The GTX 470 pulls quite a bit at load like 215Watts, overclocked and it can reach near 300 Watts.

You dont want to exceed 85% or more on that power supply and I believe I'm being generous there
 
With the OC and 470 will be close but i think you should be OK.

But I would reconsider a different card. 6870 will be much better on power consumption and not that much worse in performance either.
 
hybry said:
With the OC and 470 will be close but i think you should be OK.

But I would reconsider a different card. 6870 will be much better on power consumption and not that much worse in performance either.
Click to expand...

Not a bad suggestion. That might fit nicely in his budget, consume enough less power to work without a PSU upgrade, and at stock speeds matches or beats GTX 470 in real world gaming performance. I'd listen to this guy. ^^^
 
It's a 5 year old PSU that was only OK quality back then. By now, I would not be surprised if it was incapable of actually providing that 33A on the +12V rail.

Besides, even if that PSU was still capable of providing its 33A by some miracle, it still wouldn't be enough:
277W - Intel Core i5 750 (i7 860 has similar power consumption figures) @ 4Ghz + mobo + single HDD at full CPU load

That's not even factoring in the video card. You would only have 119W leftover on the +12V rail for a video card. That's not enough for the HD 6850, HD 6870, GTX 460, or GTX 470 cards. Even if you went with the HD 5770 with 108W at full load, you would still be loading the PSU to close to 100% of its load. That's not good for even brand-new high-quality PSUs let alone an ok PSU from 5 years ago.

So yeah, no matter what video card you're upgrade to, you're gonna have to upgrade the PSU. Otherwise, it would be a stupid mistake.
 
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2010/03/26/nvidia_fermi_gtx_470_480_sli_review/7

They measured 433watts for this total system with a GTX470, with a system fairly similar to yours (i5-750 @ 4ghz and i7-920 @ 3.6ghz should be very close). I think they use an open testbed too, so it probably didn't have many case fans to power.

Even if it's exactly 433 that's pushing well over 80%, so that's a bit too close for comfort IMO. I agree with the recommendation for a 6870 or OCed 460. They aren't that much slower and use way less power. They will all blow away your 6600GT. :)



EDIT:


Danny Bui said:
So yeah, no matter what video card you're upgrade to, you're gonna have to upgrade the PSU. Otherwise, it would be a stupid mistake.
Click to expand...

I think he may be able to get by but you're right, he would definitely be best off with a new PSU. At 4ghz those CPUs just use so much more power. As that article you linked shows, power consumption goes up over 60% (100watts+) just by raising the clock speed 18% (from 3.4ghz to 4.0ghz)
 
Last edited:
I with danny here, if you want a fermi card your going to have to upgrade. I would even with the 6870. I think the OP would be fine with a 6850 though.
 
Danny Bui said:
It's a 5 year old PSU that was only OK quality back then. By now, I would not be surprised if it was incapable of actually providing that 33A on the +12V rail.

Besides, even if that PSU was still capable of providing its 33A by some miracle, it still wouldn't be enough:
277W - Intel Core i5 750 (i7 860 has similar power consumption figures) @ 4Ghz + mobo + single HDD at full CPU load

That's not even factoring in the video card. You would only have 119W leftover on the +12V rail for a video card. That's not enough for the HD 6850, HD 6870, GTX 460, or GTX 470 cards. Even if you went with the HD 5770 with 108W at full load, you would still be loading the PSU to close to 100% of its load. That's not good for even brand-new high-quality PSUs let alone an ok PSU from 5 years ago.

So yeah, no matter what video card you're upgrade to, you're gonna have to upgrade the PSU. Otherwise, it would be a stupid mistake.
Click to expand...

travbrad said:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2010/03/26/nvidia_fermi_gtx_470_480_sli_review/7

They measured 433watts for this total system with a GTX470, with a system fairly similar to yours (i5-750 @ 4ghz and i7-920 @ 3.6ghz should be very close). I think they use an open testbed too, so it probably didn't have many case fans to power.

Even if it's exactly 433 that's pushing well over 80%, so that's a bit too close for comfort IMO. I agree with the recommendation for a 6870 or OCed 460. They aren't that much slower and use way less power. They will all blow away your 6600GT. :)



EDIT:




I think he may be able to get by but you're right, he would definitely be best off with a new PSU. At 4ghz those CPUs just use so much more power. As that article you linked shows, power consumption goes up over 60% (100watts+) just by raising the clock speed 18% (from 3.4ghz to 4.0ghz)
Click to expand...

Both of fail to look take in the account that is power draw from the wall (not 100% on that in Danny Bui's case). So take of some 15% due to efficiency and some other 5 to 10% on account of non 12v rail and it does not look that bad.

As the xbit link says, OC does not increase to power usage much until the vcore is bumped, so if the OP can find the best OC with lovest vcore, then I think he should be fine.

But as I said before, HD6870 would be a safer choice and only a little bit slower in real world gaming.
 
hybry said:
Both of fail to look take in the account that is power draw from the wall (not 100% on that in Danny Bui's case). So take of some 15% due to efficiency and some other 5 to 10% on account of non 12v rail and it does not look that bad.
Click to expand...

Those Xbit figures are taken straight at the PSU. And the other non-12V rails don't take up 5% to 10%.

And what EVERYONE here has failed to take account is the age and quality of that PSU. Again, it's a 5 year old PSU that was only OK or so-so quality back then. A PSU's output capability will decrease over time, the rate of which it does is determined by the quality of the PSU. That PSU was so-so or ok quality 5 years ago. There's no way in hell can that PSU still be capable of its 33A on the +12V rail.

So even if the OP keeps the vCore on this OC down and even if he went with the HD 6870, it still would be a piss poor idea to do so with a PSU whose actual capability is now well below its original stated specs.

Now note that a HD 6870 will use roughly 158W at full load. Even if the OP somehow got his power usage down from 277W to 200W at full load for the CPU + mobo + RAM, you would still be running that PSU at 90% of its rated +12V capacity. As somewhat mentioned earlier, that's not good for even brand-new high-quality PSUs let alone an ok or so-so quality PSU from 5 years ago.

So no matter how you look at it, using that PSU with the HD 6870 or GTX 470 or whatever card out there is a simply a bad idea. It's an old PSU whose actual +12V capability is now more than likely significantly lower than when it was brand new.
 
you would probably be borderline okay if that psu was brand new. no way would I trust it now with your system and a gtx470. when I used a gtx470 and bumped the voltage up a bit while overclocking, I hit nearly 500 watts at the wall and that's with a cpu that uses much less power than yours.

also what the heck are you doing with a 6600gt?
 
Wow.. lots of hits. Thanks guys, sounds like I'll be getting a new PSU then. Also my machine has been BSODing every once in a while... do you think my power supply is a POS or is my Vcore too low? CPU-Z says it's 1.208V but I forget what I actually set it to in the BIOS, I'll come back later and post it. As for the 6600GT, it's the only PCI-e card I have laying around, and it could also be the reason for the BSODs. I forgot to mention I have a single 1 TB HDD, also.
 
with all the stuffs you got and all the money you have in there
you have to get a better beefy psu
and then gtx470
 
kyvhy66 said:
Wow.. lots of hits. Thanks guys, sounds like I'll be getting a new PSU then. Also my machine has been BSODing every once in a while... do you think my power supply is a POS or is my Vcore too low? CPU-Z says it's 1.208V but I forget what I actually set it to in the BIOS, I'll come back later and post it. As for the 6600GT, it's the only PCI-e card I have laying around, and it could also be the reason for the BSODs. I forgot to mention I have a single 1 TB HDD, also.
Click to expand...

It's an old PSU. I recommend the Corsair 650TX as a decent upgrade.
 
Lord_Exodia said:
I dont even know how many hdd's you have so I'd estimate about 30W each. The GTX 470 pulls quite a bit at load like 215Watts, overclocked and it can reach near 300 Watts.
Click to expand...

At least 300Watts overclocked that is, GTX470 and GTX480 guzzle 'lectic when the voltage is increased.

I would see this as an perfect time to invest in a decent PSU, 800W would be a good target, more than you would need but will prepare you for the future. Take a look at the Corsair TX850, brilliant price : performance.
 
Lord_Exodia said:
Your cutting it way too close. I would think twice if you have more than 1 hdd and more than 1optical drive.

Here's my uber rough estimates

OC'd i7 220W
2 ram chips 45W
Corsair Rad 55W
Lite On Optical 20W
Multiple fans with Led 20W

I dont even know how many hdd's you have so I'd estimate about 30W each. The GTX 470 pulls quite a bit at load like 215Watts, overclocked and it can reach near 300 Watts.

You dont want to exceed 85% or more on that power supply and I believe I'm being generous there
Click to expand...


HDDs don't take 30W...they take closer to 5-10W. Does a clocked i7 seriously take 220W? That seems like an insane increase in power draw.

kyvhy66 said:
Wow.. lots of hits. Thanks guys, sounds like I'll be getting a new PSU then. Also my machine has been BSODing every once in a while... do you think my power supply is a POS or is my Vcore too low? CPU-Z says it's 1.208V but I forget what I actually set it to in the BIOS, I'll come back later and post it. As for the 6600GT, it's the only PCI-e card I have laying around, and it could also be the reason for the BSODs. I forgot to mention I have a single 1 TB HDD, also.
Click to expand...

Vcore is probably low...1.2V seems pretty low for a 4GHz overclock...I would think most i7 would take closer to 1.3V to run at that speed.

Investing in a new PSU wouldn't be a bad idea anyways. Get a good Corsair PSU, or maybe Enermax if you want to go modular.
 
I definately want modular, but to clarify i have an i5 750 @ 4 GHz, and it's cooled by a Corsair H50 with two fans on the rad. The BIOS says the vcore is at 1.2, and CPU-z reports it at 1.208v. Also, why not just get the one of the Corsair HXes? Are they not worth the money vs. Enermax?
 
Corsair HX's are amazing, efficient and reliable. Though the TX's are very good also and cheaper.
 
ex0du5 said:
HDDs don't take 30W...they take closer to 5-10W.
Click to expand...
Booting a harddrive with platters causes power demand to spike because the drive spins up. Then it drops to like 10W in normal use but you still need that 30W or so to start per drive or it's just a BSOD.

Good recommendation on getting a new PSU, irrespective of video card choice!

Another vote for a Corsair PSU... using the 750 myself, and so far, so good. Power demands are rising all the time so probably would buy the 850 version today; it costs about what I paid for my 750 about a year ago.
 
I have a Cooler Master Extreme Power Dou 650W that I'm not using. The only problem with it is no EPS12V, so I can't feed the CPU extra power and had to use the Ocz 520W. Also, Does anyone know anything about a GTX 560? This is probably what I'll be aiming for once I get the power supply out of the way.
 
kyvhy66 said:
Does anyone know anything about a GTX 560? This is probably what I'll be aiming for once I get the power supply out of the way.
Click to expand...

Literally no info about that GPU has come out. Not even sure if it actually exists.
 
Newegg reviews are never to be referenced for whether something's good or not....too many idiots posting as "Tech level: High"
 
I would aim higher than 650w, mainly to keep you in the clear for the future. But also 624w would be a bit close for a overclocked GTX470 or overclocked GTX480 paired with say an overclocked i7
 
I had a Corsair 550 PSU. Do not use a 470 with a 520W PSU. I had issues with the 470 paired with a 920/6GB DDR3/ 2 * 1TB drives. I was fine with a 275GTX but with the 470 GTX I had issues. I upgraded to a Corsair 850 PSU and haven't looked back.
 
I've been looking at the HXs for a long time now, but I figured I'd get the 750 because its cheaper and i didnt really need the extra 100w of power. The only thing is I don't want to spend any more than 120 on it, so I'm looking for a deal to come along.
 
kyvhy66 said:
Nice, I'll seriously consider that one. But how long are the cables?
Click to expand...

I'm running mine in a fairly large tower and the cables seem to be just fine. I think the problem is with really tall towers.
 
I ended up with a GTX465 (a bios crippled 10 chip GTX470). It uses as much if not more power than a bone stock GTX470, depending on how much voltage the lower quality GF100 needs. 500 or 550 watts --could-- be enough given the fact you won't be running 100% GPU and CPU 24/7... but I'd only run it for the two days it would take to get a new PSU on your door step.
"
If I really wanted to, I could run a GTX465/470 and Phenom X3 (undervolted) with the Antec "green" 380D I have laying around... but I wouldn't recommend doing this for any length of time. The last couple power supplies I've bought were for aggressively matching average and idle power use with the right sized PSU. All this ended up doing was ensuring that I'd have to buy a new PSU if I added any components that were significantly more powerful than the ones they replaced.

Just go big on the PSU. I wish I had.
 
Thanks for the solid advice. This was a before the fact thing, so I'll be getting a new PSU before i get my card. I don't do anything other that game, so I don't use any add in cards, and I don't really plan on doing SLI so 750 watts is good enough for me.
 
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