Wondering about PSU with a GTX460

[dsiglin]

So I just snagged a GTX460 (Galaxy brand that uses 2x6pin PCI) and my current PSU is a Antec Earthwatts 80+ 500W. This

I'm wondering if this will be sufficient? I am running a E6750(2.4 C2D), 4gb 800mhz, 2 SATA HDs.

The reason I ask is while L4D2 never dips below 40fps and spends 90% of time at 60fps, DarkSiders is only a steady 17fps. The cutscenes are choppy whereas with my old card (9800GT) everything ran fine. I've updated to latest drivers (260.99)

 

[iam2thecrowe]

id say yes that is a good psu, unless it is a bit old. Antec had a period where they did not use good capacitors. If your confident and are aware of all the hazards (electrocution etc.), open up the PSU and look for bulging or leaking caps. I think This is unlikely and it is more likely that you need some driver tweaking/settings tweaking for the new card.

 

[dsiglin]

It is about a year and a half old. I ran Bad Company 2 (can't get fraps to show me fps due to BC2's idiosyncrasies) and I can now run it on high with smooth performance. So I guess the problem lies with Darksiders.

Can you suggest any tweaking software or is the nvidia control panel good enough?

 

[iam2thecrowe]

you can try adjusting settings in the nvidia control panel one at a time to see if there is any impact in performance. I've never actually heard of that game so i cant say what tweaks/settings you can change. Maybe check if there is a later patch for the game.

 

[17seconds]

Your PSU is sufficient.

You can download and install Afterburner to overclock your card and monitor clock speeds, temps, fan speeds, and FPS:
http://downloads.guru3d.com/Afterburner-2.0.0-Final-download-2562.html

To help with tweaking Battlefield Bad Company 2 (and other games), here is an excellent guide directly from Nvidia:
http://www.geforce.com/#/Optimize/Guides/bfbc2-tweak-guide

 

[dsiglin]

Thanks for the BC2 tweaking guide.

I better leave graphics card overclocking alone though. Too afraid of ruining the card.

 

[17seconds]

Just in case you change your mind:

http://www.guru3d.com/article/geforce-gtx-460-review/24

 

[dsiglin]

So a new wrinkle.

My video card requires are minimum of 24amps on the 12 volt rail.

My PSU is 22amps on each 12volt rail. It has two 12volt rails.

The video card has two 6pin PCIE connectors. How can I figure out if they are separate rails or if they share the same rail? If they are on separate rails then the video card has enough amps. If they are connected to the same rail I have a problem because the video card is underpowered.

EDIT:
I found the answer to my own question. I just read that when a video card says it will need 24amps it means the PSU needs to supply 24amps to the whole computer, not just the video card. I realize this is probably not news to most people but I wasn't aware of this. My PSU should be fine then.

 

[dsiglin]

Best answer selected by dsiglin.