Power supply MS KY - 550 and graphic card

Makaveli72

Honorable
Aug 24, 2013
3
0
10,510
My configuration:
Asus P8 H61-M LX3 PLUS R2.0 

Intel i3 3225 3.30GHz

8GB RAM

1TB HDD

ATI RADEON HD 5450 1GB Silent

MS KY 550

RESOLUTION MAX 1024x768



I am not hardcore gamer, only important for me that this configuration can run GTA 4, and it can, on minimum settings but still with this low card and my resolution it is ok.

Now, I would like to upgrade my graphic card and I have this 2 cards in mind:
ATI RADEON HD 5670 1GB GDDR5
ATI RADEON HD 6670 1GB GDDR5

As much I can see is that both cards are almost identical, and I think that I dont need stronger card for my resolution. Also, I saw on that 6670 have 63-75w power consumption and that is max power from PCi slot, and is it safe to buy 6670 without 6 pin connector. Also I saw that is recommanded PSU for 6670 400w + 18 amps.
Here is picture of my power suplly

So, can you tell me, is it safe to buy 6670 without any consequences for my configuration?
 
Solution
PCI-E 3.0 graphics cards should be fully backward compatible with the motherboard's PCI-E 2.0 x16 slot.

Your current Radeon HD 5450 graphics card draws so little power that the MS Industrial 550W (KY-550) has no problem powering your system with it.

The Radeon HD 7750 would be my recommendation because it performs better and even uses less power than the Radeon HD 7730 1 GB GDDR5.

What is the age of your PSU? Electrolytic capacitors tend to lose their ability to filter out electrical noise and ripple over time as the electrolyte evaporates so that the maximum amount of power that a PSU can deliver, while still remaining within the ATX12V specs, decreases over time...
For a system using a single Radeon HD 6670 graphics card AMD specifies a minimum of a 400 Watt or greater system power supply. The power supply should also have a maximum combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of 20 Amps or greater.

Total Power Supply Wattage is NOT the crucial factor in power supply selection!!! Sufficient Total Combined Continuous Power/Current Available on the +12V Rail(s) rated at 45°C - 50°C ambient temperature, is the most critical factor.

The MS Industrial 550W (KY-550) power supply unit, with its maximum combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of 12 Amps, is grossly insufficient to power your system configuration with a single Radeon HD 6670 graphics card.
 

Makaveli72

Honorable
Aug 24, 2013
3
0
10,510


What you think about HD 7730 GDDR5. It consumes 45-55w max, also it is 28nm with PCI 3.0 while my card is 40nm PCI 2.0. Is my motherboard compatibile? And what other card you can suggest me that my PSU can handle and it has significant perfomance jump?
 
PCI-E 3.0 graphics cards should be fully backward compatible with the motherboard's PCI-E 2.0 x16 slot.

Your current Radeon HD 5450 graphics card draws so little power that the MS Industrial 550W (KY-550) has no problem powering your system with it.

The Radeon HD 7750 would be my recommendation because it performs better and even uses less power than the Radeon HD 7730 1 GB GDDR5.

What is the age of your PSU? Electrolytic capacitors tend to lose their ability to filter out electrical noise and ripple over time as the electrolyte evaporates so that the maximum amount of power that a PSU can deliver, while still remaining within the ATX12V specs, decreases over time.

power_maximum.gif
 
Solution
The label on your MS Industrial 550W (KY-550) doesn't make any sense.

How can the +12V rail only produce a maximum of 12 Amps? Based on the numbers shown on the label it should be able to provide +12V at 32 Amps.

The presence of the long ago obsolete -5V and -12V rails tells me that it is based on a more than 12 year old design.