Is a 430w psu good for a i3 6100 and a gtx 770?

Definitely.

No. The recommended PSU for a GTX 770 is 600W, 430W would be a really, really bad idea.

A RX 470 would be much better because it has a much lower TDP (430W would be fine with it) and higher performance for the less the price: http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GTX-770-vs-AMD-RX-470/2174vs3640

Im sorry, but I felt the need to remove the OP's best answer.

A 430W PSU would stretch itself to the limits with a GTX 770.

Agreed. A 430W wouldn't really have the power (or connections needed) for a 770. A good 450W would work though. Any quality 500-550W will be fine.

Yes, any 550W quality PSU like a RM550W or EVGA SuperNOVA G3 550W would work admirably. If you need it cheaper a Seasonic S1211 520W PSU would work as well.

Yup, anything like that in the 500-550W range should be fine. I have a Superflower Leadex 450W unit powering my 3770K and 7950 just fine. And the 770 should draw a touch less power. So I know you don't need a 600W or anything crazy like that. There are many ~500W choices which should work just fine. But I wouldn't try a 430W.

Less than 200W for the graphics card, 50W for the CPU, call it 50W for the rest of the system. Total max power consumption less than 300W.

A 430W power supply is sufficient, if it's good quality.

230W for the GPU, please look something up before answering.

And a barebones system would draw an average of 376W according to PCPP. Not safe for 430W, especially a low quality one.

The problem with 430W PSUs is they tend to be bronze units at best, and can't do most of the output on the 12V rail. Here is an example of a basic 430W PSU.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026

Notice that unlike other PSUs, it can only do 384W on the 12V rail. If you want to only load a PSU up to around 75-80% of it's output then you have a "ceiling" of around 300W total. Add in that this PSU only has a single 6+2 pin PCIe plug, it just isn't designed for a GPU as large as a 770, 7950, etc.

You're the one who should look it up before spreading misinformation.

The efficiency rating is irrelevant, PSU wattage is the output rating.

And we're talking about the maximum power draw when both CPU and GPU are at full load. Realistically you practically never have full load on both.

As for the power connector, go back and check my first post in the thread.

I mentioned efficiency rating because gold units for example can output 99% of the output on the 12V rail. Bronze units do not. I think there are a couple of gold 430W units but they are rare in the wild. The reason why this is important is spelled out above. If the total 12V output is only 384W (not the 430W like one might think.) and you are loading it up to 300W, that's too close to what the PSU can do.

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/62331-msi-geforce-gtx-770-lightning-review-7.html

Yes, they are measuring the system draw before PSU efficiency is taken into account. Actual system draw is lower then this. But even still this is (400W * .82 = 328W) higher then the "300W limit" of what a 430W PSU should output. Can it be done? Probably. Can it be done for years without harm to the system? Probably not. I'd even say definitely not. Which is why you don't see multiple PCIe plugs on 430W units. Even the people who make them think it's a bad idea.

There isn't really a connection between efficiency rating and 12V capacity. It's only an efficiency rating.



There is not a 300W limit to what a 430W PSU should output. There's a 430W limit, as well as an amperage limit for the 12V rail(s). In that context it would be useful to know which particular PSU model OP has.

That review was looking at power draw at the wall, so it's impossible to know exactly what the power draw at the PSU was. In addition, it was using a much more power-hungry CPU than OP, an overclocked Core i7-3930K. That thing has a 130W TDP at stock, so with the overclock we're probably talking 150W or more. OP is using a Core i3 that draws around 50W at full load.

That system's power consumption shouldn't pass up 300W. Only thing is the EVGA 430W (only 430W PSU I can think of) does not have enough PCIe cables. But Sakkura is right, people saying "430W is not enough" are very misled.

But there are 450W PSUs with many PCIe connectors. The Corsair CX450M has two 8-pin PCIe cables. The Corsair Vengeance 400W has two 8-pin PCIe cables. Yep they are better than the EVGA 430W indeed. I think all the OP needs to know is he needs a higher quality PSU, not at all necessarily a higher wattage one. My example goes back to the Corsair Vengeance 400W, much better choice than the EVGA 430W, more PCIe cables and higher quality.

There isn't really a connection between efficiency rating and 12V capacity. It's only an efficiency rating.

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You are missing the forest worrying about a tree. I've already explained this, it's not that hard to understand.

There is not a 300W limit to what a 430W PSU should output. There's a 430W limit, as well as an amperage limit for the 12V rail(s).

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Again, already covered. Why can't you understand what I'm trying to say? Stop focusing on small parts of I'm saying and look at the big picture. Gold units can (usually) output 99% of the output on the 12V rail while bronze units can't. Unless you want to stress a PSU to 100% of it's output there is a ~300W "limit" on a bronze 430W PSU. Why are you trying to be dense? These are usually simple concepts to grasp.

Only thing is the EVGA 430W (only 430W PSU I can think of) does not have enough PCIe cables.

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Really? I linked a Corsair 430W unit above. That's two 430W units. And according to us both they both lack the number of PCIe plugs needed to make this work. 380, 430, and 520W units tend to be older, bronze rated units that can't do what more modern designs can do. They are older basic units. I'm not "misled" when I say this.

Don't know where you get that 99% number from. You are making generalizations. Most power supplies are capable of around 120% of their rating before they shut off. Corsair RM650x, handles 800W continuous fine. Seasonic Prime Titanium 7650W, can handle 1050W continuous.

There is no 300W limit. It's just a number you are saying that doesn't seem to have any backup in my honest opinion (not trying to be rude or anything). I think you are using the word "limit" too loosely rather than in the literal sense, which can cause confusion.

Also, the Corsair 430W slipped my mind. I ain't perfect, don't always remember every PSU. But it's similar to the EVGA 430W anyway in that both can handle 430W of power output.

Ryguybuddy please do not ever unselect an answer that has been picked by an OP. If you feel it has been picked in error point it out in the thread and contact a moderator.

A 430w power supply ( almost has to be a Corsair CX ) will run a system with a GTX 770. It loads the power supply more than I would be comfortable with but it is electrically sufficient.

The efficiency rating doesn't matter when it comes to 12v rail output. Older group regulated platforms almost never approach their full rating on the 12v rail alone while more modern DC to DC designs do it easily.

Let me try these words. And yes I'm generalizing. Until we have specific units it's all we can really do.

Bronze units tend to be older group regulated units. Group regulated units can't output all the available power on the 12V rail. I picked a random 430W unit when I picked one and linked it. I was actually hoping for a non 80+ unit so I can stress it as a fire hazard as well but I didn't get one of those. The one I picked, because it's a group regulated unit, can really only output 384W. It says it's a 430W unit but some of that is tied up in the 3.3 and 5V rails which the GPU and CPU can't really use. More modern Gold rated units use DC to DC tech, and can output "all" of the rated output on the 12V rail if need be.

I know there is no 300W limit. Most people would suggest not loading a PSU to it's max output. I know people on this forum who would say to load only to 50%, which I find silly. If your system draw was 300W, you'd really get a 600 or 650W PSU? Your idle efficiency would be horrible. A 450-500W unit in that case would be a better idea. If you care about the lifespan of your PSU and by extension the parts in your machine I'm assuming you wouldn't load it to 100% either. 80% is where the efficiency starts to go down a lot, so that's where I "draw the line". Yes, it's not a hard limit. I used the " " for a reason. Again, not sure why this is so hard to understand. I thought this was basic common knowledge?

Edit: Anort, please read this post which I wrote while you were writing. Also keep in mind you'd need to resort to adapters to make this work. Which crosses another line for me. If you want to use an adapter to force a PSU to do something the manufacturer thought was a bad idea and load it to nearly 100% that's your call. Good idea? Not so much.

PSU lifespan doesn't necessarily decrease as load increases. It depends on a lot of factors particularly the fan curve and other things. I even can site professional sources from Jonnyguru saying this if need be.

You want to have a look at some of JG's reviews, PSU's have had their lifespans terminated due to increases in load and I would call that a dramatic decrease! :lol:

Yes but not every PSU. Most likely the majority of PSUs indeed will not last as long under full load compared to 50℅ but it cant be said about every power supply, it is far too complex to generalize every power supply and make such assumptions. Jonnyguru reviews have nothing to do with it - they review brand new power supplies, there is no indication of lifespan decrease at all from a Jonnyguru review.

And believe me, I used to always be under the same misconceptions. I even asked this question on Jonnyguru:

Okay but even the same platform. Let's take something like the Enermax Revolution X't II. Let's say your hardware is 435W always. I feel like the 450W one would not last as long as the 650W one. Or is there really no guarantee?

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The response:

First you should take a look at the differences of those two.

Are there any? And if they are what are the changes?

Most things stay the same, the only differences are upgraded FETs for higher load, a different transformer and a bigger primary cap. On the secondary side, the caps sometimes even stay the same. So no difference there...

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Stephan Payne brings up great points. When talking about the same platform it usually is just a few components upgraded and everything else is the same. Then consider that the lower wattage unit will probably have the fan running faster at the same load, there are plenty of times where a PSU running at a higher load could last longer than one running at a lesser load.

I, 4745454b, in order to save computer parts everywhere believe these facts about PSUs be to true. First, that no "fire hazard" PSU should ever be plugged in. Second, that one shouldn't run their PSU at or even near max load. It can be done yes, but even PSU reviews don't test what happens after doing it for years. And it lowers the efficiency of the unit, increases the temp, and noise from the fan. Third, adapters should never be used to force a PSU to do something it wasn't designed to do.

I've had some PMs about this, and this will be my final post in this thread on this subject. I am VERY aware of how PSUs work. Just because I said I only load a PSU to 80% of it's output max doesn't mean I thought a PSU could only output 80% of its listed wattage. Or that a bronze unit can only do 82%. How do I pick what size PSU I need? I figure out how much power I need. Both by reading reviews of the GPU I'm running and from adding the stated TDPs. They are usually close together. For this mythical rig, lets say I need 350W of power. Because I personally chose to load a PSU to only 80% of it's 12V rail, that means I need a PSU that can output 437.5W. Might be a 450W, but I'd probably just move to a good 500W. I've met people on this forum who want to only load a PSU to 50%, because that's where a PSU is most efficient. This means they need 700W on the 12V side, so they'd probably pick a 750W.

In my post above I did use the " " symbols when I said "limit". I know there is no OCP setting on a 430W PSU that limits the 12V output to 307W. Duh. Read this sentence again.

But even still this is (400W * .82 = 328W) higher then the "300W limit" of what a 430W PSU should output.

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I am really at a total loss as to why some think it's ok to use some adapters and pop a card with a draw too high in this system. Mathematically it barely works out. I highly doubt it would work out over a period of years. YOU can run a PSU at near 100% load if you want, but most of the time people would argue it shouldn't be done. And I feel if this were any other thread people would agree.

PSU lifespan doesn't necessarily decrease as load increases.

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Perhaps, I agree how much this is true depends on the platform. As mentioned above there are plenty of junk PSUs that fail to make it through tested because they increased the load. But loading any platform up to 100% and expecting it to last isn't something I'd risk with anyone's money. Again, any other thread and people would say it's too close to the max and to upgrade the PSU. I'm not sure why this thread seems to be so opposite of any other I've been in.

The OP has disappeared and I think I will too. I highly urge anyone reading this later on to believe me.