is my system running at 100% load

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jackrob97

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Dec 21, 2013
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I have a corsair CX 500m PSU and I am wwantingto upgrade my GPU to a 280x toxic or Asus 280x and on the eXtreme power supply calculator with all of my specs it says minimum PSU wattage of 416w and recommends 416w. This is at 90% TDP CPU utilisation and at 90% system load. Is this enough headroom and does my system run at 100% load and 100% system utilisation?
 
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I have a very similar system with a 3570k, GTX670, 2 spinning disks and an SSd, 8GB of RAM, couple of extra fans. I have my machine measured on a Watts-Up-Pro watt meter and when going full tilt it uses under 310 watts from the wall. I haev an 80Plus Gold power supply which means it's around 90% efficient so that 310 watts is actually...
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Traciatim

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You don't list any of your components. how are we supposed to know how much power your machine would use? If you look at Anand's Test Bench the power consumption of their test rig with a 280x in it was 360 watts... http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1041 .

Keep in mind they measure from the wall, so 360 watts assuming their PSU was 90-92% efficient then the machien was actually suing 320 - 335 watts or so.

 
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jackrob97

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My specs are
MSI z87 g43 gaming motherboard
Intel core i5 4670k
2dimms of corsair vengeance ddr3 1600mhz (8gb)
Tp link wireless card (X1 slot)
1tb WD blue
2.5 Hitachi 120gb 5400rpm
Intel stock heatsink
1x 140mm intake fan
1x 120mm exhaust fan
Corsair cx500m

None of my components are over clocked and I'm not planning on over clocking yet and when I over clock I'll get a new PSU if I have to
 
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Traciatim

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I have a very similar system with a 3570k, GTX670, 2 spinning disks and an SSd, 8GB of RAM, couple of extra fans. I have my machine measured on a Watts-Up-Pro watt meter and when going full tilt it uses under 310 watts from the wall. I haev an 80Plus Gold power supply which means it's around 90% efficient so that 310 watts is actually supplying about 280 watts to the machine. I think you're fine with the 280x in that machine on a cx500m.
 
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Traciatim

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It's fine if you want to get a peak reading, in actual day to day use unless you are running a couple of benchmarks at the same time it's unlikely your machine would ever be using it's peak power draw. It's a good target for shopping for power supplies to ensure you don't buy something that can't run on your machine, but generally if you just buy 50 watts larger than you think you need you're generally safe anyway. For example, if the PSU calculator says 490 watts, then round up to 500 and add 50 watts so you shop for a 550... that gives you more head room and room for a little expansion.

You can never buy too large of a PSU since it will only output what your machine needs anyway, but you can certainly buy too little and then it can cause machine instability, or even damage components if the PSU fails catastrophically. The only thing you are trying to avoid is wasting money, there is no sense getting a 1200 watt supply when your machine uses 300 watts since the 1200 watt supply will be very expensive compared to the 550 and that's kind of just wasting money.
 
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jackrob97

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Thanks you have made it clear now and the extreme calculator says the minimum PSU should be 416w and it recommends 465 would this be just borderline being able to run it?
 
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