How many watts do I really need?

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kitty_TAC0

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Apr 4, 2013
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I am about to be building my first gaming PC and am trying to figure out how much power I really need. the specs are going to be

GPU: EVGA SuperClocked GeForce GTX 660 2GB
CPU: AMD Phenom II be 965 x4 (I plan to eventually overclock to 4.0ghz)
CPU Cooler: Stock cooler at first, but plan to put in a Coolermaster V8
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws 8GB @1600MHz
Optical Drive: 1 DVD burner
Motherboard: ASUS M5A97 R2.0
Harddrive: WD Blue 500GB 7200RPM (may add another one later)
Case Fans: 2x 120mm and 1x 200mm LED fan

I was originally going to go with a 520 watt PSU, but I am worried that may not be enough with the overclock and upgrades I plan to do in the future. How many watts will this system use under load?


 
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mjmacka

mjmacka

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May 22, 2012
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I threw your components into a power calculator and I hit 457w. I would recommend at least a 600w power supply. However if you plan to put a better graphics card or a second card in I would think about something better.
 
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nitrium

nitrium

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Jul 27, 2009
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Anything >500W (from a QUALITY PSU) will be fine for this system. I have a i5 760 @ 3.4GHz and HD7950 @1 GHz, 3 HDDs and a CD-ROM and I can't get it draw more than 280W at the wall with EVERYTHING going at 100%. In my experience, systems draw a lot less power than their max TDPs suggest.
 
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kitty_TAC0

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Apr 4, 2013
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Ok, Im looking at the SeaSonic S12II, (which I have heard is good) it comes in a 520 watt version and a 620 watt. The difference is only $5 so I'll probably go with the 620 just to be safe for future upgrades.
 
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kitty_TAC0

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Apr 4, 2013
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would the 620 watt be fine with only the CPU overclocked at 4.0ghz?
 
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