Power Suppy? I'm a PC noob.

[TreeKo]

Alright, I've recently started to get into PC gaming, but my I bought my current PC before I learned about the custom built/gaming PCs. I have a good processor, I can't overclock it but I don't really need to. Anyways, I wanted to replace my graphics card. My current computer comes with a 300 watt power supply, and the card I want to get recommends a 600 watt power supply, so would the watt requirement be 600 or 900?
And also, the card I plan on getting is here:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500156
From what I read from the reviews, it's a pretty decent card, a tiny bit above my price range but oh well.
Thanks.

 

[mrclownface]

Alright, I've recently started to get into PC gaming, but my I bought my current PC before I learned about the custom built/gaming PCs. I have a good processor, I can't overclock it but I don't really need to. Anyways, I wanted to replace my graphics card. My current computer comes with a 300 watt power supply, and the card I want to get recommends a 600 watt power supply, so would the watt requirement be 600 or 900?
And also, the card I plan on getting is here:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500156
From what I read from the reviews, it's a pretty decent card, a tiny bit above my price range but oh well.
Thanks.

what are the spec"s of your pc?,(motherboard,cpu,psu,video card,case) if it has a 300watt psu it may be too low for that card,i am also a pc gamer,maybe i can help with some advice

 

[TreeKo]

I have a factory made Acer AM3920 E4142.

Intel i7 2600
Intel HD 2000 Graphics
Intel H67 Express Chipset
4 GB RAM
1 TB Hard Drive
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

I don't know the specific PSU brand/model, all I know is that it's 300 watts.
I'm not a hardcore PC gamer, but my current graphics card is horrible, and I want to replace it.
The graphics are apparently connected to the motherboard but Intel says that I can add a discrete graphics card using PCI Express port/slot.

I'm guessing I need 900 watts since my other components need power too, but I'm here to clarify that, and ask for reviews about the video card I'm planning to get and PSU recommendations.

 

[beenthere]

The 600 watt PSU that the video card maker suggests is for the entire computer, not just the video card. You will find many good quality PSUs in the 650-750W range from Seasonic, PC Power and Cooling, etc. You don't need a 900W PSU unless you plan to use SLI or Crossfire in the future. Below is a link to some tested and recommended PSUs that might help as your 300W unit will not be sufficient.

http://www.silentpcreview.com/Recommended_PSUs

 

[TreeKo]

I see. What about the graphics card I chose? Reviews? Personal Experience?

 

[UhavbenkildbyGW]

Video cards See http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-performance-radeon-geforce,2997.html they are usually pretty spot on to give you some ideas for different price ranges. As far as power supplies there are a few reviews on toms 500w http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/500w-psu-power-supply,2658.html ones under 75$ http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/power-supply-psu-80-plus,2746.html 700w ones http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-psu-efficiency,2796.html

Normally I do my shopping at newegg.com they have pretty good service and very competitive prices if your in the states, so you could check out the prices there. what I really like about newegg is every product has customer reviews, so if it has 1000 reviews with a rating of 5 stars I feel pretty safe about ordering it.

 

[mrclownface]

from what i have read it looks like a very good graphics card,he is right about the psu,no need for 900watts,i just set up a gtx560ti graphics card with a core I5 2500k and i use a 650watt antec true power psu..read some reviews of the gtx480 and continue to ask questions on this forum,it helped me alot

 

[photonboy]

I recommend:

1) GTX560Ti (Asus or MSI if possible). Stay away from SLI or Crossfire. See micro-stuttering article at Tomshardware if in doubt.

2) *PSU

*PSU:
The most important part for gamers is to have sufficient AMPS on the +12V rail or rails. This is either on the PSU or at the website. First, read the graphics card requirements (GTX570 requires 38A and the 560Ti requires less).

AMPS should be at least 1.25x the card requirement to be safe. 40Amps should be enough for a GTX560Ti but I'd go higher than that.

WATTAGE is a different story. Basically any 650W or higher PSU with the required AMPS is sufficient.

NCIX is a great online store. I saw an Antec PSU on sale that was a great deal. Let's see...:

http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=56788&vpn=HCG-620&manufacture=Antec&promoid=1365

Canadian link. For $77CDN that's a pretty good deal and sufficient for your needs. If you knew you would buy a more powerful graphics card eventually then pick a different one. The PSU should last your computers lifetime so just buy one.

 

[nateO10]

The easiest way to calculate the power you need is to do your own math

1) Calculate the watts & amps for all electrical components. To do this you have to read the specification on each electrical components for example maximum drawn watts, voltage, amps for your CPU, GPU, Fans, CD-ROM, SSD, hard drive, and etc.

2) you have to learn one equation;;;P= E x I;;;P is measured in watts;E -volts, I -amps, to convert all in one units.

for example an 1000W PSU with 80% energy efficiency has maximum of 1250 watts reading from the wall. This will give you the energy savings cost.

PSU you need is just the sum of Watts from all your PC components and if your thinking about future upgrade i would recommend that you add 100-200watts head room for the PSP # watts you get.