Card upgrade: PSU question (molex to 6pin adapter?)

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timelord989

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Oct 21, 2012
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I'm considering upgrading to a MSI N680 Twin Frozr (2GB) that I can get a very good deal on. It requires 2 6 pin PCI-e plugs for power, plus a recommended 550W and 38A (see links below), but my current PSU only has one.

My main desktop has an EVGA 550 Ti card powered by a 600 W PSU with 552W/46A on the sole 12+ rail. (Ultra ULT-LS600). Those specs are the ones listed on the side of the PSU, but if I search for the same model #, I get something more like 32A...
(http://www.ultraproducts.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3255393&CatId=1483). Should I go with the sticker I have and assume this is a newer & weaker model?

Since the specs listed on the side of my PSU (up to 600W, 46A on the 12+ rail) seem to match the recommended specs for the 680 card, should I be okay just getting a molex to 6-pin adapter (probably one with 2 molex going to one 6 pin), or would this 50W/8A buffer not be big enough to be safe?

Links:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130625
http://www.msi.com/product/vga/N680GTX_Twin_Frozr_2GD5OC_.html#hero-specification
=41&cmp[]=16]http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=41&cmp[]=16

https://forum-en.msi.com/faq/article/power-requirements-for-graphics-cards
Is the above link any good or accurate? Where could I look for more specific power req's, or is this as good as it gets?

Thanks in advance!
 
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Archaic59

Archaic59

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It appears you researched this a bit. The bottom line is the 'Ultra' is a ultra low quality PSU and needs to be replaced with a proper unit made for demanding gaming systems. The GTX 680 needs a minimum 550 watts from a high quality PSU that has two 6-pin PCIe power cables. If you have an AMD FX series cpu then 600 watts would be better. If you are overclocking the cpu or gpu then 650 watts would be recommended.
 
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maxalge

maxalge

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the problem is, ultra is a garbage brand that lies about their units wattage ratings.


your "600w" is most likely actually 300w that will blow up if you try to get 600w out of it.



you need a tier 1 or 2 power supply model in 600w or better:

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html






NEVER trust untested units to save a few bucks

101_0303.jpg



101_0304.jpg
 
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timelord989

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I remember seeing that article years ago, but for some reason I didn't think it would be kept up to date. Since it was so hard to find a link to a site listing the same specs as listed on my PSU, I'm not suprised that it's a "garbage" rated psu, so I'll probably have to get a new one if I want to upgrade. Assuming I still go with the 680, would a better 600W PSU do, or is higher necessary?

Would it be safe to continue using this "600W" PSU if I don't upgrade? To be more specific, my computer's specs are:
i5-2500
8 GB ram
EVGA 550 Ti (one PCI-e 6 pin)
3 HDD's

Nothing is overclocked; in fact, due to the Fermi arch on the GPU + using linux most of the time, I have to underclock the GPU so the idle temps don't heat my room up! (I think this is fixed past gtx 5xx, which is part of why I want to upgrade)

 
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