Minimum PSU requirement vs...what i actually need for my system

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OrbitalshocK

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i searched a little but decided i more than likely need someone that can link me to a good PSU guide/infosite.

I understand that if i want to upgrade to a GTX 770 or 780 the minimum is 600w. But how does this requirement change with various other components that i already have, such as a sound card and numerous hard drives?

current PSU: OCZ Mod Xstream Pro 600w modular PSU.

what numbers(this is why i need a link to a guide. not sure what to look for under full load) do i need to keep an eye on in a monitor program to see how much i currently use of my PSU at full load??
 
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Keep in mind that they have to put 600 watts on there because people will buy a 35 dollar 600 watt power supply like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA30R1AR1697 or god... this garbage: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA30R1AR1652

Then when they actually try to run anything useful off of the PSU and it fails they will blame the company that recommended the 600 watt supply and not their own stupidity for buying cheap junk.

That first one I linked is a dual rail design that can do 228 watts on one and 252 on the second. For a grand total of 480. To stay under the general rule of 80% capacity for longevity and reliability that means you would want to stay under 384 watts. This one might actually...
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HiTechObsessed

HiTechObsessed

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600w is more than plenty for any CPU at any overclock (save for LN2 cooling) you could have. An overclocked CPU + 780 at full system load will draw around 375w, and that's a good quality power supply.

Hard drives, fans, lights, etc all use negligible amounts of power. A 120mm fan at full speed draws around 1-2w, as does a HDD.
 
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OrbitalshocK

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sorry! thought i posted specs!



WELL BAH! if i can't overclock depending on what i have its a moot subject almost then, haha.

OCZ Mod XstreaM Pro 500W
z68xp-UD3 mobo
2500k ( lol)
8gb kingston hyperX 1600mhz
x-fi titanium pro
future external headphone amp/dac
crucial 60gb ssd cache
2 500gb hdds (one blue, one cant remember)

future modifications to storage:
crucial m500 480gb
2 1tb seagates or like setup
 
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Traciatim

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Keep in mind that they have to put 600 watts on there because people will buy a 35 dollar 600 watt power supply like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA30R1AR1697 or god... this garbage: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA30R1AR1652

Then when they actually try to run anything useful off of the PSU and it fails they will blame the company that recommended the 600 watt supply and not their own stupidity for buying cheap junk.

That first one I linked is a dual rail design that can do 228 watts on one and 252 on the second. For a grand total of 480. To stay under the general rule of 80% capacity for longevity and reliability that means you would want to stay under 384 watts. This one might actually run a high powered machine and not catastrophically fry your equipment if you are lucky.

That second one I linked only has one 12v rail that can supply 264 watts. This will not run a machine with a high powered video card at all, even though it's rated as a 680 watt.

Great 500 watt supplies and pretty much any decent 550+ watt machine is more than enough these days to run almost any single video card setup you can throw at them. That of course assumes you actually shop for a supply that has proper 12v ratings for a gaming machine (IE, the 12v lines are somewhat close to the max rated capacity of the whole unit).
 
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Traciatim

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I have a very similar machine (3570k, 2 spinning and one SSD drives, GTX670, etc... ) and it measures from the wall on a Watts Up Pro at just over 300 watts (about 305). I use an 80+ Gold power supply which means that about 285-290 watts are actually being supplied to my machine under full load.
 
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gmkos

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There is a guide stickied on the PSU forums here if you're looking to learn:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/284314-28-power-supply-guides-info

To answer your main question:

Find the total draw power(TDP), commonly listed in wattage, of each your system components which use 12V power, including your intended GPU. Add them up.

Compare against maximum output of your PSU's 12V+ rail, commonly listed in amperage. Note: To convert amperage to wattage at twelve volts, multiply by twelve.

If you delve a bit deeper, there are other factors that can be considered, for example, efficiency. Aside from an increased risk of catastrophic failure, PSUs running at their maximum output are typically less efficient.


 
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OrbitalshocK

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okay fantastic. i'm already over budget if i choose a 780, if i couldnt use that PSU i would've stuck with my Asus VE248H and GTX 460 and wait to upgrade.(read my post in gpu section lol. best gtx 460 i've ever heard of)

i'm going to have trouble choosing an answer FYI. all of you responded quickly and were so informative.

another question i have is about the amperage requirements it usually says like "such and such amps on 12v rail". i have zero clue what this means. hell, i still have no clue if i even plugged up my current gpu correctly considering its modular so i just 'picked' a slot for each of the cords coming from the gpu to the psu.

i dont suppose you guys could link me to some resources? its time i learned more about PSUs...this is known.
 
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Traciatim

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The PSU will have a sticker on the side showing you the ratings for each of the voltages and lines it supplies. For example a quick google found this sticker: http://www.shuttle.eu/_archive/older/en/prod/xpc/600/sn41g2v2_psu_sticker.jpg

If you look at the +12v line, right under it you see 16A. 12 times 16 = 192 watts.

For a gaming machine the vast majority of the power will be supplied on the 12v lines, so you generally look for a power supply that is rated so that it's 12v lines can supply the majority of it's rated capacity. So if you are looking at a 600 watt supply, you'd like to see the 12v lines add up to somewhere near 600 watts (it will likely never be 600, but over 550 would be good and over 500 fine... anything under that and I start to question why it's rated as a 600 watt supply if it can't supply 600 watts... )

 
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HiTechObsessed

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Not to be rude or offensive, but a lot of the posters are posting misinformation. Not necessarily wrong, or false, just misinformation.

Like I said before, 600w is more than plenty. Here's Anandtech's review of the 780 showing power draw at load. Keep in mind these are wattages for the entire system, not just the card: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7492/the-geforce-gtx-780-ti-review/15

Anandtech uses an overclocked i7 extreme, so for your system, subtract about 25w or so. This puts you at about 350w at peak power draw, putting you right in the efficiency sweet spot. Paired with a quality PSU that the ModXstream Pro is, you have a good combination.

Amperage/wattage needs are always overstated by manufacturers. This is to account for the poor quality PSUs you see, and liability reasons. A high quality 500w power supply would run this setup better than a low quality 750w power supply.

Regarding the +12v rails, it's not actually something that power is drawn from. the 'rail' is a section monitored by the over current protection, not a physical piece that power flows over. These days, don't really worry about any of this unless you start getting into multiple card setups lol

With the modular power supply, just make sure you plug the wires into the correct spots. Usually, you can't plug in a cable in the wrong spot, but it's not impossible.
 
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