Amperage , power and other things...

[Zero Bog]

Hi ! I have a PSU with 500W, and 15A on 12V rail ( i know it's small) , but recently i bought a MSI GT 440 video card that need >38A , so i'm liable to bought a new PSU . My question is what you recommend me to buy ? I notice that must have min. 450W .

 

[rolli59]

No way is a GT440 going to need 38amps or more from the +12volts! It does not have an external power connection which means it pulls less than 75watts. Your PSU have more than one +12volt rail?

 

[ko888]

For a system using a single GeForce GT 440 graphics card NVIDIA specifies a minimum of a 300 Watt or greater power supply that has a combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of 22 Amps or greater.

 

[ko888]

What is the brand and model of your 500 Watt power supply unit?

 

[Zero Bog]

oh , i have 2 rails , v1-15A and v16A , and my PSU is poor (for that i'm going to buy a new one) .... Premier LC 8500 BTX

 

[Zero Bog]

oh , i have 2 rails , v1-15A and v16A , and my PSU is poor (for that i'm going to buy a new one) .... Premier LC 8500 BTX

 

[rolli59]

It will never the less handle that card fine it is the combined rating that is important!

 

[Zero Bog]

So , it's ok if i buy a PSU with dual or quad rail like this: Inter-Tech Combat Power 550W quad rail 18A or is still good enough my dual rail 12v1 -15A and 12v2- 16A ?

 

[Zero Bog]

So , it's ok if i buy a PSU with dual or quad rail like this: Inter-Tech Combat Power 550W quad rail 18A or is still good enough my dual rail 12v1 -15A and 12v2- 16A ?

 

[delluser1]

$17 power supplies are best used as door stops

 

[Zero Bog]

.... ?

 

[delluser1]

.... ?

Premier LC 8500 BTX ......$17 power supply

 

[Zero Bog]

aaa, i know that

 

[rolli59]

Intertech is not much better, if you are buying a new one buy quality Antec, Corsair, Seasonic, Enermax, XFX, OCZ...........

 

[Zero Bog]

Ok,I'll buy an Enermax, but what can you tell me about quad or dual rails system ? How does it work, is better than a single ?

 

[totalknowledge]

I was trying to find a link with the long answer, but can't find it atm... the short answer is that it doesn't really matter. To further complicate the question some multi rail psu's are really single rail systems with individual over voltage protection circuits.

This is a pretty good deal for a decent psu right now.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027

 

[obsidian86]

Ok,I'll buy an Enermax, but what can you tell me about quad or dual rails system ? How does it work, is better than a single ?

http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3990

 

[truegenius]

Hi ! I have a PSU with 500W, and 15A on 12V rail ( i know it's small) , but recently i bought a MSI GT 440 video card that need >38A , so i'm liable to bought a new PSU . My question is what you recommend me to buy ? I notice that must have min. 450W .

gtx440 itself consumes around 60w only and if you have a 100w cpu then you need around 160w on 12v rail (combined) and thus means you need around minimum 14a rating on 12v rail (combined).

so check combined wattage on 12v rail of psu, if around 200w (aging) or above then you can use that 440 with your current psu (no overclocking)

i think your psu have around 300w capacity on 12v rail, if so then you can try overclocking too, tell us the combined wattage on 12v of your psu

 

[Zero Bog]

12V1(15A) + 12V2(16A) = 180W+192W=372W How is it?

 

[rolli59]

12V1(15A) + 12V2(16A) = 180W+192W=372W How is it?

It is not that simple, on the sticker there is often a combined Watt rating for both rails usually it is lower than just adding them together on their individual max load.

 

[Zero Bog]

For a system using a single GeForce GT 440 graphics card NVIDIA specifies a minimum of a 300 Watt or greater power supply that has a combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of 22 Amps or greater.

Yeah , you're right! On video card's box write exactly what you say , + "Minimum system requments based on a INTEl i7 3,2 GHz"

 

[Zero Bog]

I calculated the current rating on my poorly PSU and is around 26A, so i think is enough. Momentary i don't want an upgrade of psu , but later , surely I'll buy an ENERMAX or OCZ.

 

[truegenius]

26A on 12V rail means 312w (my prediction was of 300w in my previous post), thus you can easily use that gtx440, even you can consider hd6670 or maybe 6750

 

[totalknowledge]

This one is only a good deal till the 18th...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016

Then I am sure there will be a different one that is a good deal.

This one is a good deal without rebates and such.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151094

 

[Zero Bog]

26A on 12V rail means 312w (my prediction was of 300w in my previous post), thus you can easily use that gtx440, even you can consider hd6670 or maybe 6750

In fact , I was wrong, my psu provides 350W on +12V rails, that means a 29A !