Getting a graphics card, will this PSU do?

[sibela]

Hi there,

these last weeks I've stumbled upon this site several times while researching lots of hardware-related stuff, and I think it's a great community. I've learned a lot from here, but I'm still rather new when it comes to hardware, so please bear with me


Okay, so I'm getting a Radeon HD 6950. I found a great opportunity to buy it at a nice price, and I'd like to turn my new PC gradually to a small but sorta decent rig

Here's my setup:

Intel Core i3 540
Intel DH55TC Mobo
WD 1TB HDD
1 Kingston DDR3 4GB RAM (I'm getting another one, so they'll soon be 8GB)
600W PSU


Pretty basic system so far. Core i3 540 is a cheap processor, but I find it to be very good and has given me no problems at all. I plan on upgrading it later to a core i5 when needed though.

My concern is, the PC case I bought already included the 600W PSU, but it comes with only 1 PCI-Express 6-pin connector, so I'd need to use a Molex adapter to fill in the missing one. I believe the GPU might be kinda power hungry, specially because it's the 2-fan model. On top of it, there's not a whole lot of info available online -nor on the manual- about my case/PSU. You can see it here: http://www.pcenlinea.com/mp/63533.html . I'll gladly translate if you can't read Spanish.

So,

-will the 600W my PSU provides let me be on the safe side? Specially since I'd have to use an adapter..
-Would you recommend getting a separate PSU so I can replace the original one? If so, what about its wattage? Any good brands?


Ps.
I don't plan on Crossfiring or overclocking my graphics card anytime soon. If needed, I might OC my CPU a bit, at least until I get a better one. (any recommended i5 version compatible with my mobo?) Not sure about it yet, since I don't know much about OCing and although the i3 is a fairly cool processor, I got no extra cooling system, so I wouldn't touch ANY of these things until I know them well.


Thank you very much in advance!

 

[Maziar]

Hello and welcome to the forums !
I don't think that's a good PSU,I strongly recommend buying from reputable brands such as Corsair,Enermax,Antec etc.
A decent 600W PSU (or higher if you want to upgrade your other components) should do the job fine

 

[night_wolf]

i agree with maziar Get a better psu, The radeon 6950 takes about 250 - 300 while on load.

And just do your research, you wouldn't want to get bottlenecked.

 

[sibela]

Thank you!

Okay, thanks for the advice, I'll check those brands out. If I wanted a bigger wattage, would something around 700W -maybe even 800W be alright? I need to get some more components, like a DVD drive, a card reader, and probably replace my processor when the time comes. I'd like the PSU to last through my upgrade paths

Oh yeah, I am aware my processor could get my GPU bottlenecked in newer games, hence the thought I could OC it. I've read the i3 540 can provide incredible performance if it's well OCed. Do you think that doing it could let me live for now, or should I be already searching for a new processor? If so, it'd most likely be a core i5, do you know a good model compatible with my Intel DH55TC?

 

[Maziar]

800W is overkill,a decent 600-700 PSU is enough
Well I personally would go with a better quad core CPU especially since you don't have a overclocker board.
Core i5 760 is a great upgrade IMO

 

[sibela]

Oh, I see, I didn't know my board wasn't able to overclock. Pretty cheap one, lol, guess that's no surprise then.


I've seen these PSUs around Newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139020
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341018

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=17-371-044&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=5#scrollFullInfo

I think I'm leaning towards the last one. Good brand, good wattage, good price. Not modular though, that'd be its downside... besides, it's out of stock now, but I'll be ordering in probably 2 weeks. I hope they're back on stock by then.

Some PSUs include 6-pin PCI-e cables, while others have 6+2 PCI-e. What's the difference? (besides 2 pins lol, will they work on my Radeon 6950?)

---
Core i5 760 seems a pretty solid CPU. I'll look it up again once I start saving for the upgrade runs at 2.8 GHz stock speed, against the 3.07 GHz the core i3 540 provides, though. I used to think the better the cpu, the faster speeds. Core i5 is quad-core, tho. I want to learn more about all of this, lol

 

[Maziar]

My vote goes to either the Corsair TX650 or the Antec650 both are great and can handle your rig perfectly fine.

 

[sibela]

Ok, it is decided then. I'll be getting the Antec 650W one, great value for the money. It has PCI-e 6+2 pins, already sorted it out, they WILL work on my card, and afd an extra bonus if in the years to come I upgrade to a 8-pin card

I think it's all sorted out now. I'll later upgrade my processor to an i5, might even look around more if I decide to go all out and upgrade my mobo while I'm at it. We'll see when the time comes.


Thanks for the input!

 

[sibela]

Best answer selected by sibela.

 

[beenthere]

As you can see when it comes to PC hardware, PSUs, power requirements, etc. "opinions vary".

You can get a totally objective, accurate, scientific answer to your Vid card and PSU power requirements by using the link below. Once you see how easy it is to do, you can determine exactly what you need for your current or future PC builds and also help other people with similar questions to yours. Empowerment is a wonderful experience!

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/314712-28-please-read-determine-power-required

 

[sibela]

As you can see when it comes to PC hardware, PSUs, power requirements, etc. "opinions vary".

You can get a totally objective, accurate, scientific answer to your Vid card and PSU power requirements by using the link below. Once you see how easy it is to do, you can determine exactly what you need for your current or future PC builds and also help other people with similar questions to yours. Empowerment is a wonderful experience!

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/314712-28-please-read-determine-power-required

Thanks for the link! I'll be sure to check it out. I believe Maziar's advice to be good, but checking that thread won't hurt

My doubt now is about PCU/mobo, I'm wondering if I should get a 1155 socket mobo with an i5 or just keep my 1156 mobo and upgrade to a compatible i5. That's another topic though, so I gotta research some more and open a new thread if necessary