Am I gimping my new hardware by using lower watt PS than mobo min req?

[action2288]

I built a new system. It runs fine. I have no visible problems.

New stuff:
ASUS CROSSHAIR AM2 NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard
AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+ Windsor 3.2GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM2 125W Dual-Core Processor
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory

Old stuff:
GeForce 6600
10k rpm 36gb sata HD
dvd-rom drive (removed it)

Mobo manual says I should have 600w PSU (for fully configured system).
Mine is 430w.

It also says that the 12V2 rail should have 19A.
My 12V rais are 18A max (not looking at it right now so don't remember).

1) Will my system fry because of not enough power?
2) Does it matter that I have the PSUs 4-pin connnector plugged into the motherboard's 8-pin CPU slot?
3) Am I not getting the full functionality of my new hardware because of a weak power supply?
4) If I get the 600-700w ones that I'm thinking about, will I notice a performance increase? What will I notice?

 

[action2288]

Windows XP Home Edition (w/full updates)

 

[g-paw]

If the machine is under powered, it'll become unstable, turn on and off randomly or not start at all. Would be good idea to get a new PSU. Get a Tier II in the 600w to 650w range.

 

[firetatoo]

bollocks.
"fully configured" would be with 2 video cards and all slots filled with cards, all sata ports filled.
i have a similar system
m2n-e mobo, 2gb ddr2, x2 6000+, geforce 7950gt, 2x 320gb hdd, 1x 80gb hdd, audigy sound card, linksys wireless pci card and a wireless keyboard all on a works power 430 watt.
your mahine should be fine.

 

[pinaplex]

by running your PSU over the max wattage it can handle, you greatly increase the chances of the PSU blowing out, and taking along all your components with it.

IMO, its not worth it to skimp in that area because the rest of your system is at risk. I agree with g-paw, look for a good 600w psu

 

[oldgreyhead]

link to PSU calculator

http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

My eldest Son runs

Asus p5k m/b
Intel E6750 cpu
MSI 7900 GTO video card
2 hard drives
2 x 1gb ram
2dvd drives
headset

On a Enermax 370w noisetaker PSU with 2 x 12v rails at 14a & 13a.

 

[Shadow703793]

Get a GOOD PSU like g-paw mentioned and you will be happy forever (may be not ). Once you get a good PSU you can possibly use it in your next build.

 

[firetatoo]

yeah evidently, according to the above PSU calculator i could be using a 333 watt psu.

 

[yipsl]

Mobo manual says I should have 600w PSU (for fully configured system).
Mine is 430w.

It also says that the 12V2 rail should have 19A.
My 12V rais are 18A max (not looking at it right now so don't remember).

Fully configured for your motherboard are two high powered cards in SLI.

You wrote, rails, so I assume you have at least two. There's a calculation to determine how many amps each 12 volt rail puts out in general, but I don't recall it. I found it on the forums here, so search under PSU.

If you have 18 amps on two 12 volt rails then that's the max each can put out. It might not be able to handle a card much past your 6600 at full load. I agree that it's best to have a psu that does not run close to the max to avoid failure, but if it's a good tier 2 (or 3) name brand, then it should be okay. If it's a low end, then don't trust it.

http://www.tomswiki.com/page/Tiered+PSU+Listings

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDLinks

People like 600 watt or higher psu's nowadays, but the tier 3 Antec True Power 500 watt and the tier 2 Antec Neo at 550 that I have in our two systems seems to be doing just fine, though I don't have 3850's in them yet.

I moved my old Coolermaster Realpower 450 to my 7 year old's PC. They've dropped to the lowest tier recently, but at the time I bought that PSU, it was the only tier 3 Coolermaster on the forum list. It's been going strong for two years, but it only had 22 amps on the two 12 volt rails, which meant it couldn't handle anything better than an 8600GTS in today's generation.

Some Antec's had problems a couple of years ago, but now they're stable, and made by Seasonic. If I ever build a Crossfire system, I'll get a genuine Seasonic for it and try to outpace the wattage needed for a full build.

I read somewhere that a feature in newer houses and condos shuts off power to any device in the bedroom that pulls too much juice, and that high end gaming rigs sometimes shut off under those conditions. Anyone else hear of this? Is it just a rumor?

If Nvidia and AMD keep shrinking their dies, then perhaps we'll see dual, triple and quad core GPU's on one PCB with lower power requirements than today.
If GPU's don't match CPU power savings soon, we'll all have 1000 watt psu's with 20 amps each on 4 12 volt rails!

 

[zenmaster]

You will be FINE with what you have.
Your system will not push the 430w unit.

Looks to upgrade it if you jump on a high-end GPU.