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Best GPU requiring only 20amps and 450w psu

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idisarmu said:
What is the best graphics card I can get with a 450watt power supply that has only ONE 20 amp 12 volt rail?

I'm not completely sure if an 8600gt would work since some people say it requires 20amps, but others say it requires 22amps.

8600gt will definately work. It's a low end, low performing, and low powered card. Unless you run a high powered cpu, like an oced 65nm quad, or lots of extra hdds, 20amps will be enough.

No, i'm running an Intel E2160 dualcore @ 1.8ghz, one SATAII 500gb hdd @ 7200rpm, and one IDE 250gb HDD @ 5400rpm.

I really hope you are right. The 8500gt already requires 18amps.

TBH I am actually wanting an ATI HD3650, but I am unsure of the power requirements. It is basically an HD2600PRO but with faster memory and manufactured on a 55nm process- which helps lower it's energy consumption if i'm not mistaken.
Anonymous
Graphics card Master
Power supply Expert

the best thing to do would be upgrade your psu... then get a card...

there's no point in shopping around for a card when you have such a tight constraint
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Get a new PSU.

Buy.com has good deals on Corsair units all the time.

The 450vx (33amps) can be had for $45-55 when they have them on sale. It will power any single GPU card (aside from the new 280gt).
http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-vx-450w-power-supply/q/...

Or if you have a few more bucks get the 550vs (41amps).

Add a $120-160 rebated 8800gt/gts and you'll be playing the newest games on high settings.


http://www.buy.com/retail/usersearchresults.asp?queryty...

http://www.corsairmemory.com/products/vx.aspx
Graphics card Expert
Power supply Expert

I also don't change my engine oil every 3,000 miles, check the air in my tires every week, i swim less than 30 minutes after eating and if my wife asks me if this outfit makes her butt look big....i tell her the truth. So i'd understand if you didn't listen to a crazy man.

well.... uhm...... this officially sucks monkey balls.

If I want to upgrade my video card, I have to add 30-50% extra because I will also need a new PSU. I wouldn't bother getting anything better than an 8800GT or HD3870 simply because then the CPU would become the bottleneck.

PS: If the PSU blows up due to the video card demanding too much from it, wouldn't it also try to take my mobo and cpu along with it in it's smokey blue death?

idisarmu said:
well.... uhm...... this officially sucks monkey balls.

If I want to upgrade my video card, I have to add 30-50% extra because I will also need a new PSU. I wouldn't bother getting anything better than an 8800GT or HD3870 simply because then the CPU would become the bottleneck.

The cpu definately wouldn't be a bottleneck for 3870 on most games. Likely not for 8800gt either.

idisarmu said:
well.... uhm...... this officially sucks monkey balls.

If I want to upgrade my video card, I have to add 30-50% extra because I will also need a new PSU. I wouldn't bother getting anything better than an 8800GT or HD3870 simply because then the CPU would become the bottleneck.

PS: If the PSU blows up due to the video card demanding too much from it, wouldn't it also try to take my mobo and cpu along with it in it's smokey blue death?


If you have a decent motherboard, you can overlock the e2160 to 3.0ghz and it will pair nicely with an 8800gt (it just lacks the massive L2 caches compared to higher-end Core 2's and Quads).

Yes, it can screw your whole system, which is why you shouldn't cheap out on the PSU.

If you can overclock the e2160 and come up with some extra cash, get a PSU and an 8800gt.

As you can see here:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/pentium-dual-core,1...
You'll gain tons of frames if you can overclock your e2160.

idisarmu said:
well, with my mobo- I cannot overclock it past 2.02ghz. That is the limit.

What gpu would suit that speed?

It won't bottleneck 8800gt significantly in most games. Something like Supreme Commander, which is quad optimized and particularily cpu intensive, might be a problem. 3870 is slower than 8800gt, so it should work fine too.

dagger said:
Low power can't harm your components. The most that can happen is the system crash and restart.


:sarcastic: 

If you're lucky you'll get warned by a crash and be able to reboot. If you're not lucky...well, say bye-bye to your mobo and/or CPU.


I find this topic quite interesting, as I find myself in a very similar situation. I have a 430W Thermaltake PSU with 18A on the +12V, and I'm looking at the Radeon HD 2600 XT ($40 after rebate @ newegg). I'm running a 2.2GHz Athlon 64, 1GB DDR400, 2 DVD drives, 1 hard drive, and (as of right now) a Radeon X600, and it' sbeen running stable for 2 years now. Will the 2600XT work with my PSU? I'm just looking for the cheapest graphics upgrade to my (badly aging) PC, and I absolutely will not spend over $50 (shipped), nor will I buy a new PSU.

While we're on the subject, how does one calculate power usage for CPUs and graphics cards? I know that watts = volts * amps, so my PSU can theoretically deliver 216V on the +12V (18A * 12V). I know that in this equation (w = v * a), the voltage will always be +12. If the power consumption (watts) for the card or CPU isn't listed, how can I figure out the amps? How does the CPU voltage that you change in the BIOS affect the power consumption of the CPU?

Sorry for going a little off-topic there; I'm looking for a cheap GPU upgrade, and I'm just wondering how all these power requirements work in the first place...

tbh there is better performance to be extract from the 9600gt. bare in mind rhat all the watt info from nvidia is always estimated.so in real life its much lower.

but for that price point 3650 is the better alternative. but 9600GT offer the best valure for money.
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