Is my PSU powerful enough?

[cesium666]

I currently have the corsair hx520 in my sig. I plan to do an i7 build in a few weeks, and I'm not sure if my PSU can handle it.

The planned build:
core i7 920 (hopefully OC'd to 3.8ghz or so)
gigabyte GA-EX58-UD3R
either a 4890 or 4870 1gb
6gb ram
3 hdds

if its not enough, would hte hx620 or silverstone ST70Fsuffice?

 

[PC_User]

520HX would be cutting it close. A bit too close with the 4890. I would suggest getting another unit.

HX620 is good as is the Silverstone. Is modular a requirement for you? If not, you can save money by going with the Corsair TX650 or TX750.

 

[cesium666]

yeah, i refuse to go back to a non-modular psu heh

this one cooler master psu seems interesting, the Silent Pro 700W. it has a single 12v rail which is always nice, and its rated quite well


EDIT: actually, i was just taking a look, and for example, anandtechs system with an i7@3.2ghz and 4890 only draws 287w at load. factor in the overclock, and it shouldn't be more than 350w or so. is there really a need for a new psu?

 

[brasherman]

I think it would depend on amperage needed at the 12V rails. What does the 4890 consume for amperage?

 

[Dangman]

I think it would depend on amperage needed at the 12V rails. What does the 4890 consume for amperage?

Using the GTX 260 as a close approximation (they use about the same amount of power), according to eVGA, about 36A on the +12V rail is needed for a system + the GTX 260.

@ cesium666
Hit up the Corsair PSU Finder. They recommended a Corsair 450VX PSU for your setup, even with the OC'd CPU. So you're fine with the 520HX

 

[cesium666]

Great! The less money I have to spend, the better

That calculator is great. Even with the extremely overclock CPU option and overclock 4890, it recommends the hx520, so yeah, there should be no issue then