What would happen if I used my 500w psu on my r9 280x toxic?

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alkapwn1123

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I really don't want to buy a 600w PSU since I'm already over budget for my gaming build. I'm just wondering what would happen if I used a evga 500w bronze certified psu with my build.

What I have:

Parts already bought:
-R9 280x tri-x toxic-$200
-WD blue 1 TB hard drive-$30
-HAF 922 case-$50

Part list: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/jVH8GX

I can get the rest of the parts for $293 CAD.
 
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@ Geofelt

Agree that you considered a 500w PSU OK for the OP, but stating that the card could draw 375w (whilst theoretically possible given the 2 x 8 pin connectors plus what the PCIE slot provides) gives the impression that this is what the card actually draws which is not the case.

I would assert also that in general it is preferable to draw close to a PSU's rated maximum wattage in order to gain maximum efficiency so the middle third as you describe is, to my mind is up to 66% of 500 watts or up to a maximum of 333 watts. We could argue the finer detail of PSU efficiency but....lets not.

There is an old article on Anandtech but given its 2009 I suspect some of its conclusions may have been superceded...
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horsemeAT

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It's definitely insufficient i'm afraid, so worst case scenario your Psu will blow out and wont power your pc. but its likely that you will just get a BSOD occasionally and will be running a furnace in your rig.
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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The card is a highly overclocked version requiring two 8 pin adapters.
The card by itself can draw 375w.
But, you have an efficient cpu and a decent quality psu.
I would go ahead and try it.
If there is insufficient power, you are likely to see artifacts.
If the psu is seriously overloaded, it is of sufficient quality that it is unlikely to damage other parts.

If you encounter power problems, you have a choices:
1. Buy a stronger psu.
2. lower the graphics card overclock.
3. replace the card with a more power efficient card.
 
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Sinistercr0c

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What an absolute load of horses**te those two answers are!

First of all...google is your friend:

http://www.techspot.com/review/841-radeon-r9-280x-roundup/page11.html

As you will see from the review above the sapphire card (which is exactly the same as the toxic edition except for being clocked slightly lower) pulls 277w running Metro last light at 2560 x 1600. I highly doubt given what you've said that your running more than a 1080p monitor but regardless (and again google is your friend on this) use the following calculator:

http://powersupplycalculator.net/

Based on your parts picker list (and assuming a 90% load which is where you want to be in terms of driving the greatest efficiency from your PSU) and adding some misc. items like fans and USB devices it calculates your MAXIMUM load as 467 watts, which is only 17 watts or 3% above your 90% power draw goal. Remember your only pulling 250 - 270 watts on your GPU when your gaming (3D mode), otherwise it will idle at 50 - 60 watts when doing anything else in windows (2D mode).

In fact if you look on the Sapphire website:

http://www.sapphiretech.com/productdetial.asp?pid=5EBEEBEC-144A-4A68-A5DE-67E25BD9B9CE&lang=eng

On the specs tab under system requirements for the 280x toxic they actually suggest a 500w PSU...so there you go!!!

This took me 5 minutes to dig out of google....you should really do the same before relying on numpty answers from people who (on the face of it) have no idea what they're talking about.

Let us know how you get on.
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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@S------CROC

1. If you read my post, you would see that I am OK with 500w from a good psu.

2. A PSU runs most efficiently in the middle third of its range, not at 90%

3. The EVGA 500w is a bronze rated psu which is perhaps 80% efficient maximum.

4. The sapphire designers put two 8 pin power ports on the card because they thought they needed them.
I am not about to second guess them about that.
Otherwise, a 6 and a 8 pin connector would have been sufficient for up to 300w.

 
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Sinistercr0c

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@ Geofelt

Agree that you considered a 500w PSU OK for the OP, but stating that the card could draw 375w (whilst theoretically possible given the 2 x 8 pin connectors plus what the PCIE slot provides) gives the impression that this is what the card actually draws which is not the case.

I would assert also that in general it is preferable to draw close to a PSU's rated maximum wattage in order to gain maximum efficiency so the middle third as you describe is, to my mind is up to 66% of 500 watts or up to a maximum of 333 watts. We could argue the finer detail of PSU efficiency but....lets not.

There is an old article on Anandtech but given its 2009 I suspect some of its conclusions may have been superceded:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/2624/3

My main thrust to the OP was to do his own research, but you make some valid points so apologies for the 'numpy' tag.

 
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alkapwn1123

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I already did my research prior to posting this question and got the same answer as yours. What harm is there in making a post here seeing as how people spend their time here I'm sure it's not wasting any valuable time anyway.

 
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Sinistercr0c

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Err, the harm is you got two answers that were completely misleading - the first stating a 500w PSU was 'definitely insufficient' and the second stating (depending on your interpretation of it) that the card 'could draw 375w'.

Why post a question if you already know the answer, especially as all those answers do is sow seeds of doubt???

Anyway, now you have what you need best of luck with your build.
 
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horsemeAT

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So if you mesh all the answers together you'll see that overall it will just be a RISK, not a definite pc death, or a definite good to go..

I honestly dont think its worth it to take ANY risks when it comes to computers, i once fried a computer i had because i ran a graphics card with a psu that was 40 watts less than the minimum recommended wattage. It ran so loud it sounded like a muffler, until one day i got so hot it crashed

 
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alkapwn1123

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Thank you, exactly what I was thinking. I think I'll just spend the extra $20 and get a 600w
 
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