Re: power requirement questions and card choice

[Patient_Zero]

Hey folks. I'm sure you've heard these questions a million times before. But I'm hoping you'll indulge me.
I've searched the forums from top to bottom and I'm still out of ideas.

Basically, I'm in the market for a new card, and I've narrowed it down to these two:

EVGA 512-P3-N871-AR GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130339

XFX GS250XZDFC GeForce GTS 250 1GB Core Edition
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150356

I currently have an OCZ GameXstream 600W PSU( http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341001 ) in my system, and I'm wondering if I'll have any issues running either of these cards.

According to the manufacture specs, the EVGA card requires a 450w PSU with a 12v current of 24a. It has two 6 pin PCI-E jacks. The XFX card on the other hand, requires a 400w PSU with a 12v rating of 26a(Newegg does not list this, however it is listed on the XFX website), however it only has a single 6 pin PCI-E connector. Is something like that going to cause a huge problem with PSUs with multi-rail load balancing? Or will that single PCI-E jack accomodate all that amperage?

Also, what are your opinions on the two cards listed? I'm aware that the GTS 250 cards are rebranded 9800 GTX cards, however there do appear to be quite a few differences between the cards as far as gpu size and power consumption go. But I've found almost nothing online about this particular XFX card. There are no reviews on Newegg and none to be found through Google that aren't generic Geforce GTS 250 reference card reviews. Does anyone here have any experience with this card? Any thoughts on the EVGA card? They're both below my $200(CAD) price point, which is where I'd like to stay.

For reference and power consumption consideration, here are the parts in my system.

ThermalTake Armor+ VH6000 (w/ 3 fans. 140mm, 120mm and 230mm sidefan)
OCZ GameXStream 600w SLI PSU (w/ four 12v rails @ 18A each)
Gigabyte EP45-UD3R Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale @3ghz
G.Skill 2 gig x2 DDR2800 ram.
Two 7200rpm SATA Hard drives
Hauppauge Wintv-PVR 150
Soundblaster X-fi Gamer
LG dvd read/write combo drive
Razer Lycosa keyboard and Copperhead Mouse
Belkin N52TE.

Thanks in advance for your time.

 

[evongugg]

You can use two molex connectors for the other 6-pin connector.

http://www.pcloft.com/vgacapoca7pe.html

 

[evongugg]

Both EVGA and XFX are excellent brands.

 

[RazberyBandit]

Those cards are pretty much deemed to be "identical" in relation to one another, but only if the 9800GTX+ happens to be the 55nm version. 65nm versions of the GTX+ consume more power than their 55nm counterparts.

evongugg is right on point when he says both EVGA and XFX are excellent brands, and they both provide excellent service and support. Often, cards that require two 6-pin PCI-E power connectors often provide the Molex-to-PCIE converter cable for the 2nd connection, as EVGA does with that card.

Both cards should work just fine in your system. Though they would not be at the top of my list at those price points, that is your decision to make, not mine. I'm far more inclined to look towards the GTX 260 core 216 and HD4780 1GB, but that's my opinion.

 

[Patient_Zero]

Thanks for the replies. I think I was giving mixed signals about the power supply. My PSU does have two 6 pin PCI-E connectors, so that isn't an issue. I was just wondering if the card with only one PCI-E jack would have power issues, considering that it's basically identical to the other card which has two PCI-E jacks. But I think the card redesign and smaller chip account for the need for less power.

As far as price goes, I would love to have stepped up to a 4780 or a 260, but my budget for this card is set at $200(CAD) w/tax. I'm in Ontario, so I'm going to get screwed in the arse over the tax as it is. A search for $100-$200 on Newegg pretty much leaves me in GTS 250/9800 or 4350 territory.

I think I'm going to give XFX a chance this time around, despite the fact that this card has no reviews. The extra memory, slightly higher clock speed and lower power consumption makes it ideal on paper. But I'll see how it goes. Hey, there's always the lifetime warranty to fall back on if something goes wrong.

 

[RazberyBandit]

17 reviews on Newegg US for the 512MB version: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16814150357

 

[efeat]

Both of those cards you are considering will need far less power than what they claim to need. Your PSU will handle either with ease.

A 9800 GTX+ needs about 11 amps at its highest load.
A GTS 250 is a 9800 GTX+.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-radeon-power,2122-6.html