Need help choosing an AGP card for this system

[Cosmo]

Hi, I'm planning on upgrading my system one last time before moving to a PCI-E system (probably when AM2 is released) but don't know which card would best fit my system.

AMD Athlon XP 3200+
DFi LanParty NF2 Ultra B (Rev 2)
2x 1Gb PC3200
400w PSU running 28a/30a/15a (+3.3v/+5v/+12v, respectively)

Now, I was considering a 6800GS, or at least a 6600GT, but I've read that you need at least 18a in the +12v rail for them to work properly. In fact, some sites claim you need a 24a +12v rail minimum to run current generation PCs.

So, basically, what I'd like to know is if anyone here is running a 6600/6800 card (or above) with a similar PSU and what is your experience with it? Are there any good alternatives? Is ATi less "power-hungry"? In one site they claim that ATi cards use the +5v rail more so it's not such a big deal as it is with nVidia. I really don't know what to do and I don't want to spend all my money on a card only to find out I have to buy a new PSU on top of it.

Any help appreciated!

 

[FlyGuy]

I have a 6600GT with a 350W power supply using three hard drivers and three cdrom/dvd drives and have no issues. 24A on the 12V rail is probably a combined amperage. I don't know how many amps my single rail has but I don't have any issues. If you can float the $S$ for the GS you will definitely enjoy it I'm sure.

 

[nottheking]

Bah, above 16-17 amps on the +12v rail is abnormal. Past that point, a power supply usually simply adds ANOTHER +12v rail. (my own PSU has a pair of +12v rails, each at 17 amps)

Given that the 6800GS isn't exactly meant as a top-level part, (even if, oddly enough, it appears to use the greedy NV40 core) I don't think it would require a highly powerful +12v rail to run well. 15 amps should be just fine. And your processor isn't consuming that much power, which should help as well. (heck, I once ran an X800XT with an older power supply, that had only 11 amps on the +12v rail, though it was slightly unstable; you're in a far better position than that)

 

[n1ckml007]

I run a BFG 6800 OC AGP card with two 7200 RPM HD's, and have no problem with my Antec 340watt. If I upgrade to a PCI-E board in the future, I would go with BFG again.

 

[nottheking]

I run a BFG 6800 OC AGP card with two 7200 RPM HD's, and have no problem with my Antec 340watt. If I upgrade to a PCI-E board in the future, I would go with BFG again.

Yes, but what is the strength of your +12v rail? The total rated wattage itself is irrelevant, it's how it's divided up among the different voltages. When it comes to power components, it's the +12v rail that's usually doing most of the feeding for your video card and CPU, so it's good to have it rather strong. Fortunately, good PSU makers realize this, and tend to place better priority on that rail, usually giving even modest units 16-17 amps on it, and switching to multiple +12v rails for higher-end models.

 

[StigHelmer]

I've got a Zalman 400W thats powering:
-Barton 2800+
-Asus X850XT
-4 ATA drives
-1 DVD-RW
4 fans, floppy, the rest..

I think you'll do alright.

 

[Cosmo]

Thanks to everyone who replied! I'm a bit more at ease now.

In case anyone cares, the reason I got so worried is that in the nVidia forums they were saying you needed at least 24a which is almost double what I have!

Here's the link. It's quite long, but the first post is all it takes to get the general idea:

http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=1029

Even if no one here has problems with it, I hope the information is useful for some