660ti & Q9550 on a xilence 500 watt power supply?

Lazarus44

Commendable
Sep 17, 2016
24
0
1,520
Now please don't go recommending a seasonic psu right away, hear me out first

Cpu is overclocked to 3.4ghz@1.071v (max that the 800 ram allows) paired with 2x2gb ram. Gpu is a gtx 660ti.

These are all parts lying around, that I put in a leftover case and with a power supply none wanted to have, I have a complete pc which I plan to gift to my nephew, seeing he's using intel HD graphics for 3 years now.

Power supply is a xilence performance C 500 watt. From their website and the spec sheet given there I know this is actually a 350 watt power supply. According to a power supply requirement calculator the systems draw 377 watt of power. Ouch

I've set the power target of the 660ti to 80 percent in afterburner, and set the games he plays (overwatch & fortnite ofc) to have more than 60 fps at all times & enabled v-sync, so the card doesn't go 100 percent.


According to a study of the 400 watt version (which is actually a 250 watt psu) it can actually provide that wattage, although with higher ripple. They tested it to 160 percent, and in my worst case it would go 108 percent.


So in conclusion, how high is the danger of failure? I plan to replace it in the future, there are no good deals atm (yes I'm cheap, but hey he gets a 660ti)
 
Solution
Well, I think you've answered your own question, but maybe not realised it. If you think the system is pushing 370+w, and the PSU only supplies 350w max (The reviews for lower wattage models are not good at all, and don't meet their rating) why would you take the chance. Turning back power usage on the GPU will just hobble the performance most likely, or cause crashes in games when the GPU is maxed.

The likelihood of failure is high, specially if it's not giving it's rated power, and it's a few years old. Look at something like this: PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Power Supply: Corsair - CXM (2015) 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total:...
Well, I think you've answered your own question, but maybe not realised it. If you think the system is pushing 370+w, and the PSU only supplies 350w max (The reviews for lower wattage models are not good at all, and don't meet their rating) why would you take the chance. Turning back power usage on the GPU will just hobble the performance most likely, or cause crashes in games when the GPU is maxed.

The likelihood of failure is high, specially if it's not giving it's rated power, and it's a few years old. Look at something like this: PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Power Supply: Corsair - CXM (2015) 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $29.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-07-14 14:00 EDT-0400

It's cheap, but will power the system easily, and can swap into a new system (moderate build too). I think it has a 3 or 5 year warranty. It's semi-modular which can help with keeping an old case, clean and tidy :)

With a decent PSU, that system is better than some entry level systems. Admittedly a little snookered by the 2gb vram on the 660ti, but still 1080p low settings with decent FPS.
 
Solution

Lazarus44

Commendable
Sep 17, 2016
24
0
1,520
You're right, ofcourse. Needed a bit of motivation to do the right thing :)

Didn't feel right to use a molex to pcie anyway. I would probably be better to give nothing rather than a pc that's going to fail a few days later.

Thanks btw
 


Yeah, I agree, molex is just a dirty way of doing it :( And that's, bang on, it wouldn't take much to break that PSU and risk killing other components. You're better of. And as i said, a newer PSU could be put into a decent mid-gaming system for a year two, further down the line.

Often other posters will be purchasing nice components, or updating an older system, and the one thing they forget is the PSU. Having something decent and not having to worry is worth the money, but specially for the piece of mind.

Glad to be of help.

Have a good evening! :) At least it's evening in Ireland right now :)