I was talking about the 8600GT on the graphics card section when there was talk of psu requirements, so this is different subject i created here but not about the 8600GT.

OK let me get to the point, i wanted to know whether a Seasonic S12 430w can power a 8800gts.

I already have a answer from the other thread which is no but i was looking at one of the cards and found that the requirements is a minimum 400w with +12v rating of 26 amps.

Here is the link of a 8800gts with the psu requirements http://www.evga.com/products/morei [...] P2-N827-AR

Now my psu apparently has 29A shared between two +12v lines, what does that mean?
does it mean my psu is capable of running a 8800gts?

And here are two links with info on my psu that state it has 29A:

http://www.3dvelocity.com/reviews/seasonics12/s12.htm

http://www.tomswiki.com/page/Quali [...] els?t=anon you can find it in the middle of the page under the seasonic section.

I'm not looking into buying this card now but i wanted to know if i did get a card in the future as good as this would my seasonic s12 430w be able to handle it.

Thanks for helping me out.

The 8800GTS does require a minimum of 26 amps on the 12v. Your PSU provides 29 amps, but actual amperage will be slightly less than that. Depending on other system components, your psu may or may not power the 8800gts. Especially if you stress or max out the system the psu you have may not work out. And over time, stressing your psu out could cause overheating and failure. You might look to something with a little more 12 volt amperage and more watts for your system requirements with a 8800gts, especially when considering 'stressing' your system.

ok well i used a psu calculator on a website, i selected everything i had and also selected a 8800gts 640mb and the psu wattage came 423W. What do you think about that?

Also wanted to know in general if you had a system that went a few watts over the psu, will it be ok or is that dangerous, so like will going a few watts over could start causing overheating and failure.

I want to know because the psu is not something you upgrade regularly.

I would just say over time, like over the course of months, your psu could give out due to being overstressed. I have had psu's run excessively hot to the touch also. I see a lot of posters actually RMAing thier 'bad' 8800gts's because of 'weird' lnes on the screen. You can't tell them it's their weak psu causing the problem.

spend the $30 or so.. and get the 520hx.

The Seasonic S12 psu is what i have right now.

Badge is giving you GOOD advice. The link you provided shows 14 A for 12V1 and 15A for V2. As badge pointed out, This ratings are for Low power consumption on the %V and 3.3V rails. From your link, if you add up the listed Power (in Watts) it comes to Approx 528 Watts, Yet it is only rated at 430 Watts.

I had a 600 Watt P/S ( The Calculator shows I needed about 480W ).
I have a X1950XT Graphics card. My 12 Volt rails were V1 = 16A, V2=14A , and V3 = 6A. It Worked, but would not allow even a 25 MHz clock OC. (Most likely do to the 6A on the V3 rail which only provide power to the 6 Pin pci-e connector.

Don't forget when calculating power supply capacity to figure in the efficiency rating, most modern quality power supply can operate at a max efficiency of 80-85% when operated in the 20-80% capacity range. If you overload the power supply by operating at more than 80% theoretical capacity your reliability and efficiency decrease sharply.

I am sorry i didn't understand this properly but are you saying that my psu quality is about 528w but rated at 430w is this a good indication?, not that i would be foolish enough to start overloading my system but are you saying that i possibly can run a 8800gts.

btw i trust badge's advice and i won't be maxing out my psu, but is 423w usage of 430w stressing the psu.

Just seeking clarification on the two issues

Thanks for all your insight.

You seem to realise that GPU is not the only part that draws power from your PC but unwilling to provide the details of your build. Unless you post that there is not way we can tell you if your Seasonic will cut it and all you will get is a bunch of pointless guesses.

I don't seem to, i do know that, i'm not unwilling i just haven't given specific details my mistake , thats why i gave you an estimate of the psu usage by using a psu calculator.

Well anyway here is the info you need, to give me more specific answers

Intel Core 2 Duo E6700
2GB DDR2 800 RAM
Asus P5N-E
x1950pro possibly (i am upgrading gpu but will get something better like 8800gts in the future)
2 IDE hard disk, 1 SATA II hard disk
1 floppy drive, 2 Optical Drives
Seasonic S12 430w
2x120mm case fans

anything else i missed out?

New_Builder
(1) What I was pointing out, With numbers, is what Badge saaid. You have to take what the Manf. List as specs with a grain of salt.
If you add up all the Nrs for your P/S, It comes up to 528W, Which it can NOT provide as it is only rated at 430W. As power requirements for the +3.3 and +5V rails increase above 88 W, the power available for the +12 V rails will decrease from the Manuf. listed spec.

(2) As rgsaundes pointed out. Your PS Minimun size should be at least 20% greater than your requirements. Ideally I shoot for 50%. However this is complicated my the how tne Manuf. rate the P/S. With the High end graphics cards the 12 Volt rail is the most important Rail. Some of the cheap 600 W P/S with 2 12V/18 Amp (Total 36A) May not work whereas a good 520 W/ 34 Amp 12V rail will work.

As Zela pointed out, they would be able to provide a better analysis if they knew your system / future system components, ie Nr/type Hard drives and the Nr. of ODD. The also you power from your +12V rails.

Sorry, Saw you included your spec. while I was typing - I know I'm slow sometimes.

yeah thanks for clearing that point up for me, i understand what you are saying now.

So now everyone has details on what i am running, maybe we can get a more definitive answer.

I'd also like to thank badge, rgsaunders and RetiredChief for giving sensible advice which i am glad to take on board

All the recent buzz on PSU's on forums and WWW in general has a lot of people freaked. Try to focus, leave that behind and review the facts:

Here is an answer for you:

Recommended PSU Wattage: * 356 W
Amperage (combined)

+3.3V +5V +12V
7.2 A 11.5 A 22.9 A


Minimum UPS rating: 509 VA
Recommended UPS rating: ** 600 VA

(Copied from Pro Extreme PSU Calculator)

You also have to understand that this is a 100% peak load of every component at the VERY safe value, for instance:

[http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2953&p=12]

Th e power required @ the full load is significantly less then you might expect (the value given on Anand's link is a full system draw) and lower then you will get for the same components @ PSU calc as you will be hardpressed to stress every single component in you PC at the same time and PSU calc gives you Safe values.

So.. even with some capacitor aging and a mild overclock, you are still very safe with your PSU (witch is of a good brand I might add). You might even consider adding a X-Fi to the setup. Hope this helps you a bit.

Also remember that a better PSU, while not a must in your case, is always a safer bet and you will be well advised to ALWAYS BET SAFE!