450W PSU and 8800GTX

[AKJ]

Will a 450W PSU be enough for a 8800GTX? The PSU came with my case, so its not one of the "good" brands. Im not planning on getting a 8800GTX soon, but would like to know if i would need a new PSU if i do the card upgrade (keep my options open).

I have two SATAII HDDs, one 7900GTX, one DVD Writer, two 1GB DDR2 sticks, one sound card.

 

[mkaibear]

No.

It shouldn't really be enough for your current system!

 

[AKJ]

lol, well i dont have any power related issues at the moment hey

 

[doolittle]

I put in your current system in the PSU calc and got about 275w, when I put in the 8800gtx it shoots up to 368w.

So your +12 should be combined min 22A for your current setup and 31A for the upgrade.

 

[AKJ]

OK, there are two 12V amp ratings. 15a and 16a. So combined would be 31a, right?

 

[Granite3]

Yep,

According to my built in power meter, I am pulling about 210 - 250 Watts with an e6600 OC'd with 3 gig ram, 2 hds, 2 dvdrws, and a 8800 GTX.

All about the 12v rail, not high wattage.

It (GTX) uses 2 6 pin connectors so you might want to get a 2.2 compliant PSU that offers 2 dedicated 6 pin connectors for the vid card.

I am using a Thermaltake TruPower 550W 2.2, with TWV (total watts viewer)

 

[doolittle]

Well usually they are the "peak" per-rail wattage but it should list the +12 combined watts or maybe the +12, +3 and +5 combined at least.

Do you know what model PSU, that should be listed at least.

 

[AKJ]

The PSU is 2.2 compliant. It has two power cables for gfx cards aswell. Its a "no name brand" psu that came with my case lol.

 

[doolittle]

Hmm then it probably does not list the wattage nicely like this:

This one says similiar, 16a per rail but the total is 320w, and 320/12=26.7A total so the continuous amps is only 13.3A per rail. Probably not a good choice for a 8800gtx...

Have you checked out the GPU PSUs like the Thermaltake W0099RU 250W, it is under $50 (if you search amazon), it would take a great load off your crappy 450w.

 

[Granite3]

That add in Thermaltake is a great choice.

 

[Doughbuy]

I'd still recommend a name-brand PSU for stability, since even if you get the bay mounted PSU, you're not sure about the voltage being supplied to your mobo and the ripple which can cause problems. A better PSU will also have better efficency, generate less heat, and will be able to take what it's rated too and maybe more.

It's the heart of your system... don't want to skimp out on a new heart... if you needed heart surgery, will you take the cheap no-name heart, or a real quality heart? (WTF am I talking about...)

 

[doolittle]

If your gonna get a 8800GTX then get a decent PSU for crying out loud.

The whole idea of a dedicated GPU PSU is to balance the load distribution, the load of the 450w drops to about ~200w - so it is actually safer than running with the 7900gtx at 275w.

 

[Doughbuy]

Double post?

 

[stefx]

You can add a second power supply in a PC and connect some specific elements to it (Gfx card, HD, etc) ?

 

[doolittle]

Yes that also works great. Well it worked great for me...

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You have to be a modder at heart. Or really cheap

 

[AKJ]

I get the point guys, and i never disputed the fact that a good PSU is very important. See, good pc components are extremely expensive in South Africa. Dont get me wrong, we're actually a very technologically advanced country, but the Rand (our currency) is much weaker than the Dollar.

My PC cost me R14 500 as is. So if i do a direct Rand to Dollar conversion, it would have costed $2071.43. Now, an Antec 550W Tru Power 2 PSU costs an extra R1500. Which is $215. Do you guys see what im getting at here?

At the moment, my 450W PSU is more than enough for my 7900GTX, i WILL however upgrade my PSU if i get a 8800GTX.

 

[Nandos]

Just saw this post now,had to reply. It is quiet hard here to buy PC parts.Especially something like a good PSU.They make you pay alot here and on top of it the parts take a while to get here.Especially something like a PSU for a grafics card.

 

[Threshold]

I will never understand for the life of me why people would even think about purchasing such high end parts as the 8800GTX and then feed it with an insufficient PSU which in turn can potentially leave you without a system at all.

If your gonna get a 8800GTX then get a decent PSU for crying out loud. I myself went overkill with mine but I'd rather be safe than sorry and chances are I will be able to go on this PSU for a long time before I will ever need a new one.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817703006


60 kick ass amps on a single 12v rail! unlike dual 12v rails psu's I dont have to worry about the power being properly spread to the components that most need it.

Here is another alternative yet more affordible psu that would be a great choice for the 8800GTX

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817163111

I have to agree. It's like all these people I see buying [insert processor here, C2D/X2) and ValueRAM. ... Spend another $30 on your RAM, jeez. It's not that hard.

I am personally aware of how much things cost in South Africa, having a few friends there, and I feel your pain. It doesn't change my agreeing with the recommendation of pretty much everyone else here, though.