Old 425W PSU could handle GTX 550 Ti?

[clairvoux]

Hello all! A couple days ago i started a thread about what card should i buy. My choice has been made and the Gigabyte gtx 550 Ti will be the one im getting.

But i will probably need to also change the PSU. It turns out that i have a 2 year old (almost never used) 450W generic PSU at home.

Since i am on a budget, I would rather not buy a new PSU if the older one can handle the card just fine. im pretty much a n00b with PSUs, so I´d like to know what do you think.

It´s a DR-8460BTX PSU. Here are the specs (the ones i could find):

3.3v - 22A
5v - 15A
130W combined

12v1 - 14A = 168W
12v2 - 16A = 192W
All of the above is 435W combined

-12v - 0.3A = 3.6W
5VSB - 2.5A = 12.5W

Thats a total of 451,1W. i guess there´s a small magin of error.

Now here are the specs of the PC it should handle:

Intel Q9400 2,66 Ghz (unfortunately, cant overclock it because of mobo)
4.0GB Dual-Channel DDR2 memory
PEGATRON CORPORATION Benicia mobo (???)
Gigabyte GTX 550 Ti (that´s the card im going to upgrade to)
625GB Western Digital WDC

EDIT: People seem to say this PSU is very noisy. Honestly, 2 years have passed since i used it by the last time and i dont remember hoy noisy it was. Could anyone provide some feedbak about this?

EDIT2: although im on a tight budget it doesnt means you cant give your own suggestions of cheap and good effective PSUs. Newegg isnt available for me, but ill check how much the PSU costs here and compare it to other PSUs.

 

[nordlead]

GPU = 115W
CPU = 95W
Mobo, HDD, Fans, other 12V things = ~50W.

Total 12V draw needed = 260W or 22A

So, by the numbers you are perfectly fine.

I will say though, that generic PSUs generally don't always put out the power rating that they put on the case. Also, they generally don't have good protection and if they fail due to overdraw they may take out other components with them. EDIT: I think you'll be safe, but it is just a general warning that you should be aware of.

You can buy some really cheap 400W PSUs, like the Corsair CX430V2 which is a quality supply and you don't have to worry about it blowing up your equipment. They sold out at newegg, but it was $25 after rebate. It is $35 after rebate over on Amazon.com

 

[vitornob]

It should be OK, the VGA utilizes about 110W so one 12v rail should power it up.
The other rail will power the CPU.

 

[clairvoux]

GPU = 115W
CPU = 95W
Mobo, HDD, Fans, other 12V things = ~50W.

Total 12V draw needed = 260W or 22A

So, by the numbers you are perfectly fine.

I will say though, that generic PSUs generally don't always put out the power rating that they put on the case. Also, they generally don't have good protection and if they fail due to overdraw they may take out other components with them. EDIT: I think you'll be safe, but it is just a general warning that you should be aware of.

You can buy some really cheap 400W PSUs, like the Corsair CX430V2 which is a quality supply and you don't have to worry about it blowing up your equipment. They sold out at newegg, but it was $25 after rebate. It is $35 after rebate over on Amazon.com

That PSU looks like its a really nice piece of equipment.... Unfortunately, the cheapest i could find where i live was 47€

 

[clairvoux]

I just found a Tacens Radix V 450W at 27,56€ or roughly 38$. Thats cheap and this PSU seems to be extremely good too. I also found the Radix IV at 29€ or 40$. Are they as good as they seem?

 

[nordlead]

The only review I found of the Tacens Radix was in spanish and it didn't seem to have a lot of real information (other than repeating what the manufacturer claims). Without a review, your guess is as good as mine if it is a quality PSU or not. Browsing the jonnyguru forums, based on the PSU manufacturers, and general feedback I get the feeling that they are a middle of the road PSU manufacturer. Not complete garbage, but not quite as solid as a Corsair, Superflower, Antec, Seasonic or so on.

you can check websites like jonnyguru.com , hardwaresecrets.com , or xbitlabs.com for reviews if you find other cheap alternatives.

Also, don't know if this is an option, but I've seen people suggest importing from germany for cheaper parts.

Antec NEO ECO 400C 400W and SILVERSTONE SST-ST40F-ES 400W are two PSUs that might be worth looking into.

 

[clairvoux]

i live in spain and Tacens could be a spanish brand. Thats probably the reason they are so cheap here. I found a review of a 750W RADIX IV too, its not i was looking for but it gives an overall idea of the rest of the products. unfortunately its in spanish once again.But it contains a lot of graphs and numbers, so you could check them out too. Here´s the link just in case someone wants to check it out:

http://traficantesdehardware.com/Reviews-Hardware/Review-Tacens-Radix-IV-700.html

Keep in mind this is a Radix IV 750W PSU, not what im looking for but it should give an idea of how the others are.

Summarizing this review, it got 4*/5* and here are the pros and cons translated:



PROS
High efficiency 80+ Silver
Nice Cooling
Good voltage stability
Very Silent
Shielded cable
Decent presentation
Number of connections

CONS
Non modular

 

[ko888]

If you value your system don't ever hook up that DEER DR-8460BTX 450W power supply unit to your new system.

DEER is infamous for making power supplies that die in a spectacular shower of sparks destroying anything that is attached to them.

The Tacens RADIX V 450W (1RV450), that you refer to, is made by HEC/COMPUCASE.

The RADIX V Series is new so that is why there isn't any reviews by any reputable review sites. There's no published specifications, that I can find, on the Tacens RADIX V 450W (1RV450) so its maximum continuous +12V current rating is unknown.

 

[vitornob]

i live in spain and Tacens could be a spanish brand. Thats probably the reason they are so cheap here. I found a review of a 750W RADIX IV too, its not i was looking for but it gives an overall idea of the rest of the products. unfortunately its in spanish once again.But it contains a lot of graphs and numbers, so you could check them out too. Here´s the link just in case someone wants to check it out:

http://traficantesdehardware.com/Reviews-Hardware/Review-Tacens-Radix-IV-700.html

Keep in mind this is a Radix IV 750W PSU, not what im looking for but it should give an idea of how the others are.

Summarizing this review, it got 4*/5* and here are the pros and cons translated:



PROS
High efficiency 80+ Silver
Nice Cooling
Good voltage stability
Very Silent
Shielded cable
Decent presentation
Number of connections

CONS
Non modular

Keep away from this PSU, I don't trust that this is a good PSU simple cause it says it have a 80+ Silver badge, but it doesn't have. Just check in 80Plus.org website and you will see that only the VALEO III 500 and VALEO III 600 have a true 80 badge.
"http://www.plugloadsolutions.com/80PlusPowerSuppliesDetail.aspx?id=210&type=2".

If u want a Tacens get one of this two PSU don't get any other.

How is possible to trust a brand that lies

 

[clairvoux]

LOL. The DEER was pretty much out of the way by now, but its always good to know.... id love to see it go out in such a way, it'd be fun to watch, obviously not on my PC.

As for the Tacens PSU, it doesn't say it has got the +80 certification. On the first paragraph of the review i posted it says, they all reach an efficiency level that oscillates between 85% and 88% efficiency, but they do not have the certification (yet???).

"gracias a su excelente rendimiento que oscila entre el 85% y el 88% a unos niveles de carga del 20% y del 100%, respectivamente ( las potencias son 450, 500w, 600w y 700w y no tienen certificación). Gracias a su PFC activo, todas ganan en fiabilidad, estabilidad y durabilidad. Hoy gracias a SI2010 traemos la Radix IV 700."

I'm not really sure about the Radix.... Ive been looking for forums and stuff like that (mostly Spanish) and they all say it is very silent and overall a decent PSU, but at the same time, when you look at it, it kinda makes you want to think twice before you buy...

 

[ko888]

Doesn't Tacens mean "Silent" in Latin?

I would be leery about buying a PSU that uses HEC/COMPUCASE as its OEM.

I've only ever seen two reviews by jonnyGURU.com that ever recommended a PSU made by HEC/COMPUCASE. It was the Xigmatek NRP-MC702 700W and the COUGAR S700 (now discontinued).

Usually HEC/COMPUCASE made power supplies get a poor to mediocre rating.

Cougar is a part of HEC/COMPUCASE with an R&D engineering team in Germany.