Will a 6850 work on 425W PSU?

[anacandor]

First up, it's an aging dell xps 420 system,

Vista 32 bit
Q9550 @2.83
3GB ddr2
9800gt (512mb, the older one, not green)
500Gb wd HD
425W dell PSU (18amps on +12V)
1680x1050 monitor

As far as i know dell's psu's are rated differently, and tbh i just got no idea what will fit with it or whether i should grab another psu will im upgrading.

Any ideas on the best card for the psu?

 

[skolpo]

Dell tends to rate their PSUs lower than they really are. It looks like the HD 6850 draws about 260W at load (full system). You shouldn't have any problems running the card on a 425W PSU.

 

[anacandor]

Dell tends to rate their PSUs lower than they really are. It looks like the HD 6850 draws about 260W at load (full system). You shouldn't have any problems running the card on a 425W PSU.

Thanks for the reply, and just out of curiosity, could it push a faster card than the 6850?

 

[skolpo]

Well, yes, a 425W PSU can run a single HD 5870, but I wouldn't try it if the PSU is rated at 18amps on the 12v rail. Just stick with the HD 6850. You can't go wrong with that.

 

[anacandor]

Best answer selected by Anacandor.

 

[anacandor]

love your work skolpo, exactly what i needed to hear

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey