Minimum Power Supply 2x GeForce GT 520

[alexthager]

Hey. I just purchased 2 Evga GeForce GT 520 Video cards. Could I run 2 of these cards off of a 300W Power Supply?

 

[sykozis]

It's possible, but not recommended.

300watt is the minimum recommended by eVGA for a single card. I'd recommend at least 350-400watts to run 2 and be safe.

 

[Zero_]

It is possible.

Why would you need 2x 520's anyway? For whatever intents and purposes, getting something like a HD6570 would have served you better.

 

[alexthager]

It is possible.

Why would you need 2x 520's anyway? For whatever intents and purposes, getting something like a HD6570 would have served you better.

I'm using 2 so I can run 4 monitors. on DVI.

 

[galeener]

You could try it but i wouldnt also what is the rest of your system components.
It also depends on if its a quality 300 watt supply or a cheapo that probably isnt really 300 watts.

 

[Desert Eagle]

I must be missing something here. How can a computer with a 300 watt PSU also have a mobo that is capable of SLI?
Assuming you could SLI 2 GT 520's then that will be ~ 60 watts and I wouldn't try it. jmo

 

[alexthager]

They aren't going to be SLI'd. They will be ran individually. I used to run 3 4350's so I could have 6 monitors. And it's a built in 300W power supply by the way. Here's the case. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811154107

 

[galeener]

It doesnt matter if they are to be slied or not the still will require more power than you have available This is from evgas site
Minimum of a 300 Watt power supply.
(Minimum recommended power supply with +12 Volt current rating of 18 Amps.)
And thats for 1

 

[sykozis]

GT520 doesn't support SLI, so that's not an option.

Allied produces entry-level power supplies. Not something you'd want to attempt SLI with. Since you'd only be using the primary 12v rail, which is only rated for 13A max, it wouldn't be recommended to use that particular PSU to power even 1 GT520 as it doesn't supply adequate amperage according to the card's manufacturer.

 

[alexthager]

What about a Delta 350W Power Supply or this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817170014

I'm looking for the cheapest way to run 2 GT520's.

 

[sykozis]

Delta is another cheap OEM brand....they're on par with Allied, but still garbage.

Antec, Seasonic, FSP, Corsair, PC Power and Cooling, Silverstone.....those are the brands to look at. The power supply is the absolute worst component to cheap out on. If a cheap power supply fails, you risk losing every component in your computer.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371029 $45USD
that's the lowest PSU I would recommend. It's rated for 30A on the single 12v rail

 

[alexthager]

Delta is another cheap OEM brand....they're on par with Allied, but still garbage.

Antec, Seasonic, FSP, Corsair, PC Power and Cooling, Silverstone.....those are the brands to look at. The power supply is the absolute worst component to cheap out on. If a cheap power supply fails, you risk losing every component in your computer.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371029 $45USD
that's the lowest PSU I would recommend. It's rated for 30A on the single 12v rail

I know it's bad the cheap out on, that's why I have an AX1200. This is for a computer I'm building, and I don't have $40 to spend on a PSU.

 

[sykozis]

Then I'd assume you don't have the money to replace any parts that get damaged when the Allied or Delta PSU fails either....

 

[alexthager]

Then I'd assume you don't have the money to replace any parts that get damaged when the Allied or Delta PSU fails either....

No need to get sassy. In order to keep the price low in the computer I sell, I can't spend $40 on a PSU. I'm looking for some options less than $25.

 

[delluser1]

What about a Delta 350W Power Supply or this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817170014

I'm looking for the cheapest way to run 2 GT520's.

GT520 has a max power rating of 29 watts and requires a 300 watt minimum psu
http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gt-520/specifications

GT220 has a max power rating of 58 watts and requires a 300 watt minimum psu
http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gt-220/specifications

I'm pretty sure you could run a pair of 520's ( 29 x 2 = 58, go figure ) on a 300 watt psu if you really wanted to.

A Delta 350 is a far cry from and Allied or Logysis pos

 

[alexthager]

GT520 has a max power rating of 29 watts and requires a 300 watt minimum psu
http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gt-520/specifications

GT220 has a max power rating of 58 watts and requires a 300 watt minimum psu
http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gt-220/specifications

I'm pretty sure you could run a pair of 520's ( 29 x 2 = 58, go figure ) on a 300 watt psu if you really wanted to.

A Delta 350 is a far cry from and Allied or Logysis pos

Alright, that really helped, can anyone back that up?

 

[sykozis]

Wattage makes very little difference. If the power supply can't produce enough amperage, damage WILL occur. To the PSU, as well as any components being starved.

 

[alexthager]

Wattage makes very little difference. If the power supply can't produce enough amperage, damage WILL occur. To the PSU, as well as any components being starved.

With that said, which would be better the 350W Delta or 480W Logisys?

 

[sykozis]

With that said, which would be better the 350W Delta or 480W Logisys?

The Logisys only produces 16amps and 192watts on the 12v rail. It doesn't even meet current PSU standards. With Delta, you'd have to use a server power supply to find one that produces enough amperage. Since you're not using a PCIe Aux power connector, you'll only be using a single 12v rail. None of Delta's consumer units produce the necessary amperage across a single rail to safely power even 1 card. They're a cheap OEM.....

You need a power supply that produces at minimum 18amps on a single 12v rail to adequately power 1 GT520. You'd need at least 24amps on a single 12v rail to safely power 2 GT520's. I understand you want cheap....but the components don't care about price when they're being underpowered and experiencing surges and unsafe power ripples due to low-quality (no-quality) power supplies.

 

[alexthager]

The Logisys only produces 16amps and 192watts on the 12v rail. It doesn't even meet current PSU standards. With Delta, you'd have to use a server power supply to find one that produces enough amperage. Since you're not using a PCIe Aux power connector, you'll only be using a single 12v rail. None of Delta's consumer units produce the necessary amperage across a single rail to safely power even 1 card. They're a cheap OEM.....

You need a power supply that produces at minimum 18amps on a single 12v rail to adequately power 1 GT520. You'd need at least 24amps on a single 12v rail to safely power 2 GT520's. I understand you want cheap....but the components don't care about price when they're being underpowered and experiencing surges and unsafe power ripples due to low-quality (no-quality) power supplies.

Thanks for the detailed answer. That makes sense. For the lowest price possible, what power supply would you choose, even if it isn't a huge brand. This computer is going to be powering a AMD Llano 2.6GHz Quad-Core APU, a 90GB SSD, and 1TB HDD. Be serious here though, no Antec or Corsair. Something cheap, but enough to get the job done.

 

[alexthager]

Is this any better?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817170018

 

[DJDeCiBeL]

Is this any better?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817170018

No, because of the 16A on the 12V rail. The Antec that sykozis recommended is perfect. Whatever brand you decide to go with (while it's important to get a quality unit), is basically irrelevant for this build as long as there are enough amps on the 12V rail. ~30A should be what you're aiming for.

 

[sykozis]

Is this any better?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817170018

That's the same unit you linked last time. It's not compliant with any of the recent power specs. It's an outdated single-rail unit designed for older ATX12V systems. It's non-ACPI compliant. You need to find a unit that's at least ACPI 2.0 compliant with a single 12v rail rated for at minimum 24amps.


This is the cheapest (both price and quality) unit that produces enough amperage....but don't blame me if a mushroom cloud appears at power-on: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817822011

These are 2 considerably better units:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207018

 

[alexthager]

Alright, here's what I've found. Can anyone verify this would work?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171046

 

[sykozis]

The PSU produces 27amps total across 2 rails, of which you'll only be using 1, rated for 18amp..... It will work just fine for 1 card, but will be overdrawn trying to run 2 cards.