Is GPU "amperage" important if the Watts are fine? (GTX 660 with Corsair VS 450W)

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matthughes64

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I was on the phone to PCspecialist about customising their micro-ATX build ('Vortex 500'). The guy said that to use a GTX 660, I would need to upgrade the PSU, because the Corsair VS-450 doesn't have enough amperage. The PSUs they use are Corsair VS Series, and he said only the 650W will work with the GTX 660. I'll also be using an i5-4440 if that makes a difference.

Is he just telling me this so I spend more money? The computer is now out of my budget. The Wattage specs for the GPU say minimum 450W, so I'm wondering if the 450W or 550W would be fine? Thanks for your advice. I've never heard anything about this.
 
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ko888
For a system using a single GeForce GTX 660 (non-Ti) graphics card NVIDIA specifies a minimum of a 450 Watt or greater system power supply that has a maximum combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of 24 Amps or greater and that has at least one 6-pin PCI Express supplementary power connector.

An exception is the MSI GeForce GTX 660 HAWK 2 GB. It requires two 6-pin PCI Express supplementary power connectors.

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) is the most critical factor.

Overclocking of the CPU and/or...
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dwatterworth

dwatterworth

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The guy is probably just following the guidebook to what components work with what. That PSU is a very nice and reliable model. The single rail provides the full 450W. With the i5-4440 and GTX 660 you won't get anywhere near the maximum of the PSU. With everything fully loaded on your system with a benchmark or stress test and all fans and drives spinning at maximum speed, you would be hard pressed to hit 300W for consumption. Normal gaming etc you will be at or under the 50% load (225W) of the PSU, letting it run at it's maximum efficiency and stay cool and quiet.

Your machine will be rock solid with a 450W PSU.

A larger PSU will be needed if in the future you want to install a second GTX 660 or a more demanding single GPU, but for the current setup, the 450 Corsair unit is plenty.
 
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ko888

ko888

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For a system using a single GeForce GTX 660 (non-Ti) graphics card NVIDIA specifies a minimum of a 450 Watt or greater system power supply that has a maximum combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of 24 Amps or greater and that has at least one 6-pin PCI Express supplementary power connector.

An exception is the MSI GeForce GTX 660 HAWK 2 GB. It requires two 6-pin PCI Express supplementary power connectors.

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) is the most critical factor.

Overclocking of the CPU and/or GPU(s) may require an additional increase to the maximum combined +12 Volt continuous current ratings, recommended above, to meet the increase in power required for the overclock. The additional amount required will depend on the magnitude of the overclock being attempted.

Corsair VS SERIES VS450 (SKU# 75-001835 / CP-9020049-WW)
• OEM: CWT (Channel Well Technology)
• maximum combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of 34 Amps <=== How is this not enough?
• two (6+2)-pin PCI Express supplementary power connectors
• Haswell Compatible: No
• No 80 PLUS Efficiency Certification
• 3 Year Limited Warranty

The guy is just trying to sell you a PSU that has a higher profit margin. It benefits him but not you.
 
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matthughes64

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Thanks everyone for your advice, particularly ko888 for doing the maths :) On thing I'm worried about is that above you said "Haswell Compatible: No". The i5-4440 is Haswell isn't it? Does that mean it won't work? Thanks again.
 
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ko888

ko888

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If the support for Intel Haswell's low power C6/C7 states hasn't been disabled in the BIOS Setup then you may run into the problem where the system will not wake up from those low power states because on a non-Haswell compatible PSU one of the PSU's protection circuits has been triggered because usually one of the rails will have gone out of ATX12V specifications. This usually requires cycling the PSU's AC power switch to reset the PSU.

Check your BIOS for a setting that allows you to disable C6/C7 power states.

If you want to avoid the problem altogether then you can buy an Intel Haswell compatible PSU.
 
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dwatterworth

dwatterworth

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If you refer to this table published by Corsair, it briefly explains what is needed for Haswell compatibility and it lists the VS450 as 'Likely Compatible, currently validating'.

http://www.corsair.com/en-us/blog/2013/may/haswell-compatibility-with-corsair-power-supplies

I've made a bunch of builds with the CX series which is listed as the same status and had no problem from lower power i3 processors to 4770k chips. Not that that is a solid answer, but Channel Well also makes the CX series.
 
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ko888

ko888

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The 'Likely Compatible, currently validating' status has been that way for at least 10 months and isn't going to change anytime soon.

That status is applied to Corsair's PSUs that are based on the older group regulated circuit design.

Of the Corsair PSUs that are confirmed Haswell compatible, according to Intel's test procedure, they are based on the more modern DC-to-DC circuit design for its minor (i.e. +3.3V & +5V) rails.
 
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