Cooler master 500 ex PP POOR SALES adivce for 9600gt?

[mc_conor]

Hi guys you all seem very knowledgeable about this subject so any help is much appreciated.

I have a dell 530s (slimline) with:

*e8400 @ 3.00GHz
*Generic Dell Mobo
*4 sticks of DDR2 RAM (512MBytes PC2 - 6400 x2 / 1024MBytes PC2 - 6400 x2)
*2 SATA HDD
*1 Fan for CPU obv. 1 fan on mobo and one small external fan
*1 DVD drive
*1 All in one card reader (never use)
*1 wireless network card attached to mobo (never use)


Here's the tricky part:

*used to have a 2400pro on the dell standard PSU (250W 18A on 12V rail)

--- Want to play Arma 2 so upgrade to low profile card 9600gt by Zotac ---

Now this card needs 400W minimum with 26A on 12V rail. The sales guy assured me that the Cooler Master eXtreme power plus 500W could handle this easily.
It has 360W max on the 12V rail(s), of which it has two at 18A each. Which equates to 30A MAX correct? But then its never going to hit is it? The PSU has 70% efficiency rating so does that mean it will only put out about 21A then on the 12V rail?

*** The PSU is held externally and i cut a hole in the case and stuck it on the top of the case and it runs pretty cool as it is a slimline and will not fit, maybe this will help as it's cooler****

So can this run my rig ok or should i make a fuss and try and get a refund and spend a little extra for a Corsair VX550. ( If possible i would really like to avoid this)

THANKS FOR THE HELP

mc conor

 

[mc_conor]

Sorry just a quick note i'm running it at the minute and there are no problems as of yet. Apparently the 12V rails are evenly distributed.. one for CPU, one for GPU. This could help?

 

[mc_conor]

One of you guys must know some of you really know your stuff on here. Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[delluser1]

You should have looked here for advice prior to buying a psu that really isn't compatible with your system.
The CM 500, though not a very good power supply, is certainly enough for your system, but you could have gotten a much higher quality Seasonic 300 watt unit that would fit in your system and power it just as well if not better.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151090

 

[JDFan]

While it will handle things fine the question is will it fit in your slimline case ?? For situations like your a good alternative is the Drivebay PSU's ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817104054 ) - if you have an empty drive bay - as you then continue to use your original PSU to power the system and ust use the extra power provided by the drive bay PSU to power your video subsystem (that way you can also use it in the next system you build and you can be sure that you have enough stable power to run the video card.)

 

[mc_conor]

Thanks a lot for the replies Delluser and JDFan.

JDFan as i'm in the U.K. this seems to be the only option for a drive bay PSU:

http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/3299293/art/maxinpower/ps-525-300w-power-supply.html?srcid=867

its specs are here:

http://www.maxinpower.com/products/ps-525.htm

Would this suffice for a 9600gt?

 

[delluser1]

http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/3299293/art/maxinpower/ps-525-300w-power-supply.html?srcid=867

its specs are here:

http://www.maxinpower.com/products/ps-525.htm

Would this suffice for a 9600gt?

Only one 5.25 inch drive bay on a 530s , so you would have to
A) Mount it outside the system, you've already done that with what you have.
B) Get an external DVD drive and mount the drive bay psu in the sytem, which add's another heat source to the box.

 

[JDFan]

Assuming the specs are correct it should work fine ! - Never really heard of that company and can not find many reviews of that product but it seems to be a 300W PSU with dual 20Amp rails which would be plenty for your needs since that is only for the video cards and not the rest of the system.

EDIT : after looking at a pic of your system - Macuser1 is correct there is not much room in it for any upgrades but the 2 options he listed would be workable - though another option would be to buy a new case\PSU and just move the entire setup into a regular size case so you could also get something other than a slimline barely adequate video card (unless you've already purchased it and can not return it) - by doing that you would open up the possibility to get a better video card as well.

 

[mc_conor]

To be honest i think i will just leave it. My system isn't that great and changing case etc. then having to buy another new card and power supply for a now more marginal increase isn't really worth it anymore.

The computer is hidden behind a 32" LCD and it doesn't bother me that a big black PSU is resting on top of it, can't even see it.
As long as the PSU can handle the new card and the system ok im fine with it. [it has ran fine so far with no problems whatsoever and you guys think it's ok too]

Arma 2 was the only reason for the 9600gt so i'll just leave it a while and build a proper pc designed for gaming instead of trying to salvage this confused hybrid.


Thanks a lot DellUser and JDFan for your time and knowledge, you have both been really helpful.

 

[JDFan]

IF you already have the parts then yeah I'd just live with it - though do take the lesson on buying Slimline cases into your next purchase decision! - that PSU should run the system fine and just a bit of FYI since your question wasn't answered yet - the 70% efficiency means that of the amount of power that it pull into the system from your outlet at least a minimum of 70% of that is turned into useable power for your system (so the higher the efficiency the lower the cost to run your system since less is lost during the conversion from your input electrical supply to the final power used by the system - most better quality PSUs are at least 80% efficient with some higher than 90%) - Another added benefit of an efficient PSU is that since it is converting less power (since it is not wasting as much) less heat is buildup inside the PSU.