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Vid card upgrade that's not a power supply hog

Forum Graphic & Displays : Graphics Cards - Vid card upgrade that's not a power supply hog

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Sugarcane   12-21-2006 at 05:32:04 AM

Any pci-e cards that are a decent upgrade to an x800xl that don't require a new power supply? Have a Thermaltake 480w, 18a on 12v rail. The more I think of getting a 8800gts, the more it looks like a complete system overhaul, power supply included. Just trying to weigh my options.

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mrmez   12-21-2006 at 06:26:23 AM
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Wot else do u run? Do u OC?

Given the W's im assuming it doesnt have ne 6pin pci-e plugs.
As i keep saying, im pretty happy with my 1950xt, so a 1950pro would be good and im pretty sure it uses std plugs?

Also helps if we know what $ u wanna spend.

So, anything thats not too extreme should be fine with that psu.

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Bronze Graphics badge jaguarskx   12-21-2006 at 07:13:02 AM
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Quote :

Have a Thermaltake 480w, 18a on 12v rail.



18a on the 12v rail for a 480w PSU is quite low. Is there another 12v rail?

The X800XL uses about 50w of power:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/v [...] 0gs_3.html

You can get an nVidia 7600GT, 7900GS or the 7900GT all of which uses less power than the X800XL and should provide a significant increase in performance; even the 7600GT. The X1800GTO will also provide increased performance, but they are no longer sold.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/v [...] 0gs_6.html

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Sugarcane   12-21-2006 at 01:48:28 PM
- 0 +

Here's a link to my power supply:

Thermaltake w0014

I have 2 sata hard drives, 1 dvd-rw drive, 2 gigs of ram, 3500+, Asus A8V mobo. I can cut out one hard drive if necessary. Also have an X-Fi Platinum sound card. That's pretty much it. I don't overclock.

The power supply has no pci-e 6 pin power plug. The adapters from a 4 pin molex to the 6 pin is $2 at my local computer shop.

I had my heart set on a x1950xt for $250, then I noticed the 8800gts dropped to $399, and even $320 with a rebate from Dell. But with that, we're talking a new $120+ power supply too, no doubt. Which leads me to ask will I be limiting myself processor-wise, so then I need a C2D, so that means new ddr2 ram, new mobo, etc etc.

Maybe I'm putting too much thought into this, I'm getting confused. Basically I want a boost to my games that won't cost me over $300 if possible. If I need a new power supply, that cuts my options pretty bad.

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Bronze Graphics badge jaguarskx   12-22-2006 at 02:23:59 AM
- 0 +

Quote :


I had my heart set on a x1950xt for $250...

Basically I want a boost to my games that won't cost me over $300 if possible. If I need a new power supply, that cuts my options pretty bad.



You'll need a new PSU if you want the X1950XT. Otherwise your best bet is the 7900GT.

Reply to jaguarskx
evongugg   12-22-2006 at 02:14:25 PM
- 0 +

Here's how to calculate the Power Supply you need:

Go to:

http://extreme.outervision.com (Power supply calculator)

and add one Hard Disk, one optical drive, video card and CPU, use high end motherboard,
calculate Watts and divide by 12 to get amps. Add 2-4 amps for safety.

Compare to your power supply 12v rails.
Combined should not exceed requirements.

Max power output on 12v rails: look at box, subtract 3.3v + 5v maximum output from total
wattage of PSU and divide by 12 to get maximum amps on 12v rail. Should be higher than
requirements. That's why we add 2-4 amps.

See this PSU 101:
http://forumz.tomshardware.com/har [...] 98276.html

Top Tier PSU:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forum [...] p?t=108088

Exhaustive PSU review:
http://forumz.tomshardware.com/har [...] 10122.html

Reply to evongugg
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