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Radeon HD 6850 psu requirement

Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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I want to get a get a 6850 card, but I am worried my psu is pretty bad.

this is it: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WINPOWER-BLACK-SILENT-650-WAT...

(I did not buy it from ebay, I got it from Novatech)

Now I am on a very tight budget, so I would rather not have to buy a new psu but if it has to be done than it will.

But from the specs on the ebay page, will it be able to handle the 6850

thanks in advance for any replies

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Should be ok. The 6850 draws about 150 W at full load.
I don't know what your system specs are but I can make a few assumptions.
CPU : 125 W (Max)
Motherboard: 30 W
HDD: 15 W
CD/DVD: 30 W
Case Fans (3): 10 W
Memory: 10W
Video Card: 150W
Total: 370 W
80% Efficiency: 444 W
15% Degradation/Upgradability: 510 W

Your PSU is 650 so you should be good to go.
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Graphics card Master

It's enough. ( 28 on both i believe ? ) Though it's probably not the best of psu's and you might want to consider buying a better one in time, when they have a nice offer from Antec, Corsair, Seasonic or xfx.

GreenDutchAlien said:
It's enough. ( 28 on both i believe ? ) Though it's probably not the best of psu's and you might want to consider buying a better one in time, when they have a nice offer from Antec, Corsair, Seasonic or xfx.


Phew, thank you very much. I will buy a better one in time, but I don't understand what the difference is between a 650w unbranded psu and a 650w Corsair one for example, is it just more reliable?

Hardware secrets has a review of a different Winpower model.

They seemed to like it.

As a side note, my Antec Earthwatts 380W handled a 6850 just fine in my lower end computer (testing it for a coworker).


A decent tool for checking how much power you'll need for a computer:
PSU Calculator


Most important, however, is the quality of the PSU.

Conclusion of review. Point 4 is especially worth noting. Amps on the 12V rails are important. Many PSUs advertise wattage that they cannot actually reach in the real world.

Sorry for the extra information, but I feel this information needs to be shared more often.
Graphics card Master

So it says it's capable of delivering 460watts.Which means you should be fine running it with the 6850.But sometimes they don't deliver what it says on the label.It always seems to be a hit or miss with a non name brand PSU.

I do agree with robjordy that you should upgrade your PSU when you have the money.
Graphics card Master

Defenitely more reliable. Sometimes a cheap 650W psu delivers just 500W or less. Also the quality ones have more stable power output and thats maybe the most important thing for your system. Also like stated before are the amperes, if those aren't enough your system will not run ( properly ) When you have one which is 80+ certified you also save money on your electrical bill.

GreenDutchAlien said:
@Kokusho ; watts aren't the only important thing, at least as important is the total amperes on the 12v rail. I can't imagine it hasn't got enough with it's 650W, but still.


Yes, I know. But I figured it was a safe assumption to make with it being 650W
Graphics card Expert

80% efficiency does not mean it puts out 80% of the claimed wattage. It means that for every 0.8W DC it puts out it draws 1W AC. So, as long as that 650W PSU actually meets the specs on the side of the box it can put out 650W. At full load (650W) it will be drawing 812W from the AC outlet.

The difference between a quality brand like Corsair, Antec, Seasonic, SuperFlower, and so on and the super cheap stuff is that the good brands actually meet the "specs" on the side of the box. They also typically don't explode if you overheat them slightly, and they stay within ATX specs. In my mind, cheapo manufactures pay monkeys to slap stickers on the PSU cases. Hopefully what was put on there is correct. In the real world of power supplies what you see on the side of the box would be considered a tiny subset of the specs.

Most PSUs that can't meet their specs fail in temperatures above 20-25C. If you keep the input air cool almost all of them can meet their spec. Also, typically the voltage regulation is fine in a cheaper unit so long as you stay below 70-80% load.

Now, as for your PSU. It was made by HEC and rebranded as Winpower (or at least that used to be the case). HEC makes midrange PSUs. They aren't as good as the brands I listed above, but they aren't exactly junk either. You easily have enough Wattage on the 12V line and it should put out clean power within ATX specs, but without a specific review they could have put out a dud.

EDIT: as a final note, I'd just stick with your PSU since it should be good enough quality. I wouldn't bother buying a new one unless you were actually going to push the system. You'll probably use around 300-350W which wouldn't stress the PSU.

EDIT 2: (a final final note) I also wanted to say I agree with the above posters about being cautious about unknown PSUs. Only reason I'm giving this one a pass is was made by HEC.

nordlead said:
80% efficiency does not mean it puts out 80% of the claimed wattage. It means that for every 0.8W DC it puts out it draws 1W AC. So, as long as that 650W PSU actually meets the specs on the side of the box it can put out 650W. At full load (650W) it will be drawing 812W from the AC outlet.

The difference between a quality brand like Corsair, Antec, Seasonic, SuperFlower, and so on and the super cheap stuff is that the good brands actually meet the "specs" on the side of the box. They also typically don't explode if you overheat them slightly, and they stay within ATX specs. In my mind, cheapo manufactures pay monkeys to slap stickers on the PSU cases. Hopefully what was put on there is correct. In the real world of power supplies what you see on the side of the box would be considered a tiny subset of the specs.

Most PSUs that can't meet their specs fail in temperatures above 20-25C. If you keep the input air cool almost all of them can meet their spec. Also, typically the voltage regulation is fine in a cheaper unit so long as you stay below 70-80% load.

Now, as for your PSU. It was made by HEC and rebranded as Winpower (or at least that used to be the case). HEC makes midrange PSUs. They aren't as good as the brands I listed above, but they aren't exactly junk either. You easily have enough Wattage on the 12V line and it should put out clean power within ATX specs, but without a specific review they could have put out a dud.

EDIT: as a final note, I'd just stick with your PSU since it should be good enough quality. I wouldn't bother buying a new one unless you were actually going to push the system. You'll probably use around 300-350W which wouldn't stress the PSU.

EDIT 2: (a final final note) I also wanted to say I agree with the above posters about being cautious about unknown PSUs. Only reason I'm giving this one a pass is was made by HEC.


Thanks, I'll keep that in mind
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