Video card and PSU help?

[-ZincaTe-]

Hi, I was planning on upgrading my video card only due to budget cost but after many hours of research i think i should get a better video card for ~$30 more. The video card i was planning on buying was a Radeon HD 7750 due to mu PSU at 300w (Crappy I know) but for ~$30 i can get a 6850. So my question is what PSU should I get for my computer?

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Approximate Purchase Date: Around May 23

Budget Range: No more than ~200 less is better of course

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming please

Parts Not Required: Everything but the psu and the video card

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg or amazon

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: Nah

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: Just try to stay withing ~$200
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

My computer specs are here: http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/gateway-dx4850-45u/4505-3118_7-34643313.html

 

[Suave145]

This will last you a long time i think.
Keep the CPU, RAM, HDD, Optical Drive
MSI H61M-P20 (G3) $50
Fractal Design Core 1000 Case $40
COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power Plus RS500-PCARD3-US 500W $50
__Total= $140

These are like the top high end of the lows if you know what i mean lol. let me know what you think

 

[-ZincaTe-]

This will last you a long time i think.
Keep the CPU, RAM, HDD, Optical Drive
MSI H61M-P20 (G3) $50
Fractal Design Core 1000 Case $40
COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power Plus RS500-PCARD3-US 500W $50
__Total= $140

These are like the top high end of the lows if you know what i mean lol. let me know what you think

and the video card?

 

[Tbrown37]

Didn't you say you were buying a 6850 for 30 bucks? Anyway what games do you plan on playing and what's the monitor res?

 

[Suave145]

yeah are you buying for 30$ ???? then its 170$ if your buying a new one then thats like 250$. Can't really cheap out anymore. Might be able to not buy a case but I don't know what the supporting form factors are.

 

[rdc85]

I would go to 6850 and put the rest of money intu PSU.........

 

[bkoop]

I wanted to suggest the 7770, it is the same performance as the 6850 on the Tom's Hardware Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart and it is a newer card and uses less power.

If you want the overclocked one it puts you $10 over budget at $159.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150599

or the stock clock at $149.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150597

Both XFX cards have a lifetime warranty.

 

[-ZincaTe-]

Didn't you say you were buying a 6850 for 30 bucks? Anyway what games do you plan on playing and what's the monitor res?

whoops i meant $30 more than the 7750

 

[-ZincaTe-]

I wanted to suggest the 7770, it is the same performance as the 6850 on the Tom's Hardware Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart and it is a newer card and uses less power.

If you want the overclocked one it puts you $10 over budget at $159.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150599

or the stock clock at $149.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150597

Both XFX cards have a lifetime warranty.[/quotemsg

is my psu enough for the 7770?

 

[Suave145]

300w is good enough for 7770.

 

[bkoop]

Is the existing Power Supply at 300 Watts enough? No

Is the new Power Supply you picked out, the Cooler Master 500 Watts? Yes

The video card uses 221 Watts at full load, here is a reference:
http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Hardware/Roundups/Sapphire_XFX_HD_7770/15.html

 

[bkoop]

I respect this site:

Radeon HD 7770 - On your average system the card requires you to have a 450 Watt power supply unit.

http://www.guru3d.com/article/amd-radeon-hd-7750-and-7770-review/7

 

[Guest]

Is the existing Power Supply at 300 Watts enough? No

Is the new Power Supply you picked out, the Cooler Master 500 Watts? Yes

The video card uses 221 Watts at full load, here is a reference:
http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Hardware/Roundups/Sapphire_XFX_HD_7770/15.html

that would be for the WHOLE system. cpu, ram hard drives, ect.
"Note that the numbers represent the power drain for the entire benchmarking system, not just the video cards themselves. "

a 300 watt IS enough. but NOT with a coolermaster those are the type of PSUs that sites over estimate the wattage needed.
Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 500 W Power Supply Review

 

[bkoop]

Well, I will stick with the Guru3D link which says 450 Watt PS.

To the Orginal Poster, this PS is 80Plus Certified:
OCZ ModXStream Pro 500W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016

And only $44.99 after $20 mail in rebate

 

[Guest]

ok, now look at the chart just above that and see the card itself draws just 86 watts.
the 450 watt recommendation is for the "average system" which does not consider a "quality" PSU.

its simple a pci slot supplies 75 watts and the six pin supplies another 75 watts max. the max the card needs would be 150 watts.

if you want to help, go for it but get your facts straight.

 

[delluser1]

I respect this site:

Radeon HD 7770 - On your average system the card requires you to have a 450 Watt power supply unit.

http://www.guru3d.com/article/amd-radeon-hd-7750-and-7770-review/7

I respect that site also
Not so much when it comes to thier psu reccomendation's

Thier overclocked, water cooled, extra bling I7-965/X58 system drew 231 watts when running thier game like application, that's around a 210 watt DC load when the efficiency of thier psu is factored in.
They're reccomending more than twice as much power as thier system needs, based on a gaming load, for an average system.
What's average about thier system ?

The OP's non overclockable I5 Gateway system won't draw anywhere near that

 

[bkoop]

The existing Power Supply comes with the Gateway, nobody even asked how many Amps on the +12V rail.

Lots of people here, seem to like the CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 V2 500W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027

Only $49.99 after $10 mail in rebate

This comes from the AMD website:
500W (or greater) power supply with one 75W 6-pin PCI Express power connector recommended

 

[Guest]

The existing Power Supply comes with the Gateway, nobody even asked how many Watts on the +12V rail.

its CONTINUOUS amps that matter not max watts

Lots of people here, seem to like the CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 V2 500W

and for what configuration is that recommended for? a 7770 or a 7850?

This comes from the AMD website:
500W (or greater) power supply with one 75W 6-pin PCI Express power connector recommended

again there are many low quality PSUs out there. the manufacturer over estimates the needed power supply to compensate for that. look at one of your posts:

The video card uses 221 Watts at full load, here is a reference:
http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Hardware/Roundups/Sapphire_XFX_HD_7770/15.html

which clearly states:
Power Consumption:
To measure power usage, a Kill A Watt P4400 power meter was used. Note that the numbers represent the power drain for the entire benchmarking system, not just the video cards themselves.

granted that gateway PSU isn't enough. however the OP does NOT need to get a quality PSU that is close to twice the wattage as his/her system needs.

 

[delluser1]

This comes from the AMD website:
500W (or greater) power supply with one 75W 6-pin PCI Express power connector recommended

7770, 93 watts Furmark
http://ht4u.net/reviews/2012/amd_radeon_hd_7700_test/index17.php

7970, 296 watts Furmark
http://ht4u.net/reviews/2011/amd_radeon_hd_7900_southern_island_test/index22.php

AMD's requirement for the 7970 ;
500W (or greater) power supply with one 150W 8-pin PCI Express power connector and one 75W 6-pin PCI Express power connector recommended.
http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/7000/7970/Pages/radeon-7970.aspx#/2

You really put faith in manufacturer's power requirement's ?

 

[-ZincaTe-]

Thank you to all who replied but after long hours of thinking i think i should get the 6850

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102908

and the PSU bkoop recommended

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027

So, Does it look good so far and can my video card fit inside my case? (just want to make sure)
Also, of course if I don't need a 500w psu please tell me

 

[bkoop]

Newegg does not list the dimensions, probably because Sapphire does not list the dimensions, so you will have to call them, normally the only issue is the length and you can check with the power off and a wooden ruler about the length.

Of course, it requires two slots, so you have to check to make sure nothing is in the slot next to the PCI Express x16 slot.

Just be aware the Sapphire has a two year warranty and the XFX 7770 has a lifetime warranty.

The dimensions of the Corsair are 5.9"(W) x 3.4"(H) x 5.5"(L), so you could check that when you in there.

Since you mention the power supply, tell us the model number and what it says under +12V.

Do you have any warranty left on the Gateway, changing the PS may void that, but you can call and ask Gateway.

How many fans in that box? If the PS is the only fan, we should know that.

How is your monitor connected, VGA or HDMI?

 

[delluser1]

So, Does it look good so far and can my video card fit inside my case? (just want to make sure)
Also, of course if I don't need a 500w psu please tell me

The card is 9" overall, 8.5" inside the case, no problem with it fitting
http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews/1053/pg7/amd-radeon-6870-and-6850-graphics-card-review-sapphire-radeon-6850.html

For your system with a 6850, 500 watts is overkill
Power consumption page
http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews/1053/pg20/amd-radeon-6870-and-6850-graphics-card-review-temps-noise-power-overclocking.html
254w from the wall running Furmark ( higher power draw than gaming ), with a ~90% efficient psu, that equals roughly 230w load on the psu

Next check the system setup
http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews/1053/pg8/amd-radeon-6870-and-6850-graphics-card-review-test-system-and-methodology.html

Then look here and see how much less power an I5-2400 system ( no it's not your cpu, it use's a couple more watts ) uses compared to the I7-980x
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2011/01/03/intel-sandy-bridge-review/11
65 watts at idle
114 watts under full cpu load

Check out Tom's Dec. 2011 $600 build
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-i5-overclock-performance-gaming,3097.html
I5-2400 and 6870 with a 430 watt psu
Power consumption page
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-i5-overclock-performance-gaming,3097-13.html
239 watts from the wall running Prime and Furmark ( much higher power draw than gaming ) ~84.5% efficiency = ~202w DC load

Go back to the video card review power page, there's a 41 watt ( AC ) difference between the 6870 and the 6850

That should be enough info to confuse the hell out of you, or make you understand that a 380w psu would be fine for your system with a 6850

With all of that out of the way, the CX500 is a better deal price wise than any 380w I would reccomend ( same after rebate as EA380 ), go for it

 

[bkoop]

This would save you $15 upfront but only $5 after rebate.

CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 430W

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026&Tpk=Corsair%20430W

 

[-ZincaTe-]

The card is 9" overall, 8.5" inside the case, no problem with it fitting
http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews/1053/pg7/amd-radeon-6870-and-6850-graphics-card-review-sapphire-radeon-6850.html

For your system with a 6850, 500 watts is overkill
Power consumption page
http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews/1053/pg20/amd-radeon-6870-and-6850-graphics-card-review-temps-noise-power-overclocking.html
254w from the wall running Furmark ( higher power draw than gaming ), with a ~90% efficient psu, that equals roughly 230w load on the psu

Next check the system setup
http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews/1053/pg8/amd-radeon-6870-and-6850-graphics-card-review-test-system-and-methodology.html

Then look here and see how much less power an I5-2400 system ( no it's not your cpu, it use's a couple more watts ) uses compared to the I7-980x
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2011/01/03/intel-sandy-bridge-review/11
65 watts at idle
114 watts under full cpu load

Check out Tom's Dec. 2011 $600 build
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-i5-overclock-performance-gaming,3097.html
I5-2400 and 6870 with a 430 watt psu
Power consumption page
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-i5-overclock-performance-gaming,3097-13.html
239 watts from the wall running Prime and Furmark ( much higher power draw than gaming ) ~84.5% efficiency = ~202w DC load

Go back to the video card review power page, there's a 41 watt ( AC ) difference between the 6870 and the 6850

That should be enough info to confuse the hell out of you, or make you understand that a 380w psu would be fine for your system with a 6850

With all of that out of the way, the CX500 is a better deal price wise than any 380w I would reccomend ( same after rebate as EA380 ), go for it

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

First of all, thank you for that wonderful information my knowledge on psu is very limited :lol:
So even though the CX500 is overkill, I think I still should go for it (in case of future upgrades and such and because the price difference between the 430 and the 500 is only $15)
I also will be going for the 6850 I mentioned, which means I have to find some extra cash laying around

Wait, since this my first time actually installing/replacing a psu. Will the CX500 psu fit inside my case and is compatible with all the parts? (Sorry for all the questions, i REALLY want to make sure everything is correct before ordering in ~two weeks)

 

[-ZincaTe-]

Best answer selected by -ZincaTe-.