Hey all,

I'm builing a PC for my little brother and I'm trying to stay within my parents budget. I want to get his a set up with an 8800GTS and have a 500W Antec Power Supply.

Here are the Antec 500W specs:

+5V 0.3A 30.0A ±5％ 50 50
+12V1 1.0A 18.0A ±5％ 120 120
+12V2 1.0A 18.0A ±5％ 120 120
-12V 0A 0.3A ±10％ 120 120

+5VSB 0A 2.5A ±5％ 50 50
+3.3V 0.5A 30.0A ±5％ 50 50

My question is: Will this PS be enough to power the 8800GTS?

The system as it stands has the following: 250GB HD, 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo, 2 GB Corsair, Gigabyte mobo, DVD burner.

I really need a straight-forward answer. Thanks in advance!

If it's an Earthwatts then yes. If it's a Smartpower 2.0 500W, answer is maybe. If it's a Basiq 500W, then answer is probably. Reason being the combined output of the 12v rails varies by the models. Earthwatts is 34 amp combined, basiq is 27 amp combined, and SP2 is 25 amp combined.

Honestly, with all three in your system it's probably a yes, BUT, I won't guarantee is for the basiq or SP2.

Yes to all three.

The power requirement for the 8800GTS is 26 amps on the 12v rails.
If there is a combined power figure for the 12v rails, divide the Watts by 12 to get the amps.
I think you are just fine.

You could probably run it on a 320-watter with no problem. You're amps are fine.
look at this:
http://forums.slizone.com/index.php?showtopic=405
This guy SLI'ed 2 8800GTS's and is not even getting above 400-watts @ stock. I'm not worried to use an e8400 with SLI'ed 8800GTS either.

People seem to buy way more power then they need. Any gamer that has a budget below $1500 will not need more then 600-watts of power, unless you have like 12 cheap hard drives or a really sucky 600 watt. (correct me if I'm wrong).

Check out Jonnyguru.com. There is a wealth of PSU information on there, as the guy who made the site works for BFG Tech's power supply division.

The problem is when people talk about 400, 500 and 600 watt power supplies like they are equal. An antec earthwatts 380W provides more 12 volt power than a smartpower 2.0 500W does.

I know this isn't 100% accurate, but it's a good source of looking into max combine 12v power. It's a sham that so many companies skimp on their spec labels and don't provide the most important info. http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=205763

^Agreed.

Yea I don't see why not considering my E2180 @ 3Ghz and 8800GT @ 700/950 works just fine on my TT 500W purepower which only has 14A Rail 1 and 15A Rail 2 (BTW my PSU is rated as Tier 3/4 of the list which is to avoid, so I would take that chart if you find it with a grain of salt)

Thanks for your help.

Real quick: I did get the Antec 500W Basiq PS. Since this computer is for my little bro, my parents want me to stay within a budget and the Basiq is 29.99 after rebate.

Will the Basiq be able to handle the GTS?

Thanks.

The Basiq 500W is not nearly as good quality as the Earthwatts 430W, but with 27 amps it should be enough for an 8800GTS.