Do you think my PSU is good enough?

[Dave_guitar]

Hi!
I want to buy a CPU, namely AMD Phenom II x4 965 3.4 Ghz, but I'm not sure if my PSU is good enough.
I have: Asus M4a785-M
Galaxy 9600GT 1Gb 650Mhz
4gb Ram ddr 2 (2 modules)
1 Hard , 1 DVD-Rw and 2 case fans.
I realy want to know if the PSU can handle it.
I must mention that now I'm using an AMD Athlon II 250 x2 3.0Ghz, and everyting works well.

 

[Dave_guitar]

Hi!
I want to buy a CPU, namely AMD Phenom II x4 965 3.4 Ghz, but I'm not sure if my PSU is good enough.
I have: Asus M4a785-M
Galaxy 9600GT 1Gb 650Mhz
4gb Ram ddr 2 (2 modules)
1 Hard , 1 DVD-Rw and 2 case fans.
I realy want to know if the PSU can handle it.
I must mention that now I'm using an AMD Athlon II 250 x2 3.0Ghz, and everyting works well.

My PSU is Spire BlackMoon 450W

 

[UnlimitedBanana]

My PSU is Spire BlackMoon 450W

It's more than enough mate!
I'm running a CrapperMaster Elite "460W" PSU, though I'm sure it will blow up if it drew that much!
I am running a similar system to yours:
Phenom II x4 965
Sapphire Radeon HD6750
8GB DDR3 Corsair Vengeance
1HDD, DVD drive and some fancy front panel thermometer

You'll be just fine, make sure you update your mobo's BIOS though. Since you're gonna be running the chip in AM2+ DDR2 mode instead of AM3 DDR3. And I should mention. Don't overclock, your motherboard will almost reach it's limits at stock with the 965.

 

[Dave_guitar]

It's more than enough mate!
I'm running a CrapperMaster Elite "460W" PSU, though I'm sure it will blow up if it drew that much!
I am running a similar system to yours:
Phenom II x4 965
Sapphire Radeon HD6750
8GB DDR3 Corsair Vengeance
1HDD, DVD drive and some fancy front panel thermometer

You'll be just fine, make sure you update your mobo's BIOS though. Since you're gonna be running the chip in AM2+ DDR2 mode instead of AM3 DDR3. And I should mention. Don't overclock, your motherboard will almost reach it's limits at stock with the 965.

Thank you for the answer!

 

[dscudella]

Hhmm, the Spire Blackmoon 450 only has 18A on the 12V line, I don't know if that's gonna cut it. The thing that will save you is you're not really running anything that's going to draw a lot of power. If you upgrade your Video Card you WILL have to definitely upgrade your PSU.

That "CrapperMaster" Elite 460W PSU has 36A combined on it's dual 12V rails. I trust it more than the Spire.

Look at it this way. Multiply your Amps by your volts and that gives your maximum draw on that line.

Spire 450W: 12V * 18A = 216W maximum wattage on your single 12V rail

CM Elite 460W: 12V * 36A = 432W maximum wattage on your dual 12V rails

 

[UnlimitedBanana]

Hhmm, the Spire Blackmoon 450 only has 18A on the 12V line, I don't know if that's gonna cut it. The thing that will save you is you're not really running anything that's going to draw a lot of power. If you upgrade your Video Card you WILL have to definitely upgrade your PSU.

That "CrapperMaster" Elite 460W PSU has 36A combined on it's dual 12V rails. I trust it more than the Spire.

Look at it this way. Multiply your Amps by your volts and that gives your maximum draw on that line.

Spire 450W: 12V * 18A = 216W maximum wattage on your single 12V rail

CM Elite 460W: 12V * 36A = 432W maximum wattage on your dual 12V rails

I really don't think that my 460 Elite will put out 432W on it's 12V rails, it's possible but this is one cheap PSU and it was the only one I could afford and was enough theoretically to support an HD6750. I would much rather have gone with a Corsair 430W for 10 euros more, but well what's done is done

 

[dscudella]

The design of the cooler master elite 460 is flawed. It's labeled as a dual rail but it actually is a single rail. It also doesn't put out 460W, it puts out 420W MAX. It's the same PSU as the Elite 400W, exactly the same.

Hardware Secrets tore it down to the components. They lied on the label, their marketing and were caught on it.

It's not a bad PSU, it's just not as good as they say it is. It also only has 35A not 36A on the 12V rail for an output of 420W which is the exact same as the Elite 400W. However, it's still better than the Spire which only has 18A on the 12V for a max output of 216W.

 

[Dave_guitar]

Hhmm, the Spire Blackmoon 450 only has 18A on the 12V line, I don't know if that's gonna cut it. The thing that will save you is you're not really running anything that's going to draw a lot of power. If you upgrade your Video Card you WILL have to definitely upgrade your PSU.

That "CrapperMaster" Elite 460W PSU has 36A combined on it's dual 12V rails. I trust it more than the Spire.

Look at it this way. Multiply your Amps by your volts and that gives your maximum draw on that line.

Spire 450W: 12V * 18A = 216W maximum wattage on your single 12V rail

CM Elite 460W: 12V * 36A = 432W maximum wattage on your dual 12V rails

So, in the end do you think it will work?

 

[dscudella]

I would say no. The Spire is just poorly designed. It doesn't have enough Amperage on the 12V line to push the amount of Wattage you'll be needing.

 

[Dave_guitar]

I would say no. The Spire is just poorly designed. It doesn't have enough Amperage on the 12V line to push the amount of Wattage you'll be needing.

And let me understand, the 12v rail powers the gpu and the 5v rail the CPU? Because it says that the 5v rail is rated at 30A and the 12V rail at 18A. Even this means that there's no way to work?

 

[dscudella]

The CPU, PCIE slots, Video Card, Motherboard, SATA HDD's & SSD's and 4 pin Molex are 12V if I remember correctly.

Your USB ports and anything plugged into them are 5V.

I would recommend you replace your PSU before you upgrade. A good / cheap PSU is the Antec VP-450. It's a very solid PSU as you can see HERE. It has 80+ efficiency but doesn't have the circuitry to qualify it for the actual certification.

 

[FinneousPJ]

The CPU hasn't been on the 5 V since like ten years ago. People still by PSU designed in that era though which causes problems.

 

[Dave_guitar]

The CPU, PCIE slots, Video Card, Motherboard, SATA HDD's & SSD's and 4 pin Molex are 12V if I remember correctly.

Your USB ports and anything plugged into them are 5V.

I would recommend you replace your PSU before you upgrade. A good / cheap PSU is the Antec VP-450. It's a very solid PSU as you can see HERE. It has 80+ efficiency but doesn't have the circuitry to qualify it for the actual certification.

Thank you for your answers! And one more thing: My motherboard has a 4 pin cpu power connector and if I want to buy, let's say a Seasonic 620w that has a 8 pin cpu power connector, how I will have to connect it?

 

[dscudella]

The 8 pin connector should "break" in half to become a 4 pin for older mobo's.

BTW, good choice on PSU's, I didn't know what your budget was for a PSU that's why I recommended the Antec. The Seasonic is also one of the best. It's 620W will give you enough headroom to upgrade your entire system to current models and still have plenty or wiggle room.

 

[Dave_guitar]

The 8 pin connector should "break" in half to become a 4 pin for older mobo's.

BTW, good choice on PSU's, I didn't know what your budget was for a PSU that's why I recommended the Antec. The Seasonic is also one of the best. It's 620W will give you enough headroom to upgrade your entire system to current models and still have plenty or wiggle room.

Thank you again!
I think I will buy the next components:
Asus M5A97
AMD Phenom II x4 965
Seasonic S620w
8Gb of Ram From Kingston or Corsair
And maybe next year, a Gtx 660 non ti
Thanks again!!!!

 

[Dave_guitar]

And one final question(lol)
An Amd Phenom 945 will not work either?

 

[dscudella]

Ooh, you're encroaching on territory where I might not have the best answer. AMD's aren't really my thing lol, sorry. I do know that the 965 BE is easily the best gaming CPU AMD has especially when overclocked. You do need an aftermarket cooler (Hyper 212) to reach those speeds though. I also think the 990FX chipset is the best for overclocking with that CPU.

Don't quote me on that, I'm like 90% sure, not 100% though lol

AMD Phenom 2 X4 965BE, 8gb DDR3 1600 (2x4gb), 990FX Mobo is a good OC'ing / gaming setup. The intel equivalent would be an i3-2120 or i3-3220 which are faster than the 965BE in games despite being Multiplier locked.

HERE'S the AMD setup I'm talking about. You should easily hit 4.0ghz with that setup on the 965 BE

 

[UnlimitedBanana]

Ooh, you're encroaching on territory where I might not have the best answer. AMD's aren't really my thing lol, sorry. I do know that the 965 BE is easily the best gaming CPU AMD has especially when overclocked. You do need an aftermarket cooler (Hyper 212) to reach those speeds though. I also think the 990FX chipset is the best for overclocking with that CPU.

Don't quote me on that, I'm like 90% sure, not 100% though lol

AMD Phenom 2 X4 965BE, 8gb DDR3 1600 (2x4gb), 990FX Mobo is a good OC'ing / gaming setup. The intel equivalent would be an i3-2120 or i3-3220 which are faster than the 965BE in games despite being Multiplier locked.

HERE'S the AMD setup I'm talking about. You should easily hit 4.0ghz with that setup on the 965 BE

Well, as they said it won't be enough for a 965, chances are it won't be enough for a CPU that is just 25W under it's power concumption. Don't go for the 945, it's quite a bit behind the 965 at stock and can't even think of reaching the 965 when it's OC'd past 4Ghz. And BTW the I3's are faster in lightly threaded apps and games, otherwise the 955 and 965 take the lead by a bit in apps and games that use more than 2 cores. I've been working with AMD platforms for 3 years and I'm really impressed, even still with what the Phenom II's can do, the hexacores give I5's a run for their money in few cases but are now cheaper.

One last thing. Try to get an AM3 motherboard that supports up to like a 140W CPU with your 965 and a CoolerMaster Hyper 212+ and you've got a match for an I5 2400 for a smaller price

 

[toyftw]

I really don't think that my 460 Elite will put out 432W on it's 12V rails, it's possible but this is one cheap PSU and it was the only one I could afford and was enough theoretically to support an HD6750. I would much rather have gone with a Corsair 430W for 10 euros more, but well what's done is done

You are correct - I pulled that same model out of my PC because one of several problem issues was
couldn't deliver rated power.

Tom

 

[toyftw]

So, in the end do you think it will work?

Hi dave_guitar - You are taking a big gamble with that PSU, Spire has a lot of PSU's on
johnnylucky.org Lemon list and none on the recommend list.
Someone else here recommended Seasonic - I wholeheartedly agree.

Tom

 

[UnlimitedBanana]

You are correct - I pulled that same model out of my PC because one of several problem issues was
couldn't deliver rated power.

Tom

It's done well for me so far, but If I even think of upgrading my Graphics card I will defiantely change it.

 

[Dave_guitar]

Hi dave_guitar - You are taking a big gamble with that PSU, Spire has a lot of PSU's on
johnnylucky.org Lemon list and none on the recommend list.
Someone else here recommended Seasonic - I wholeheartedly agree.

Tom

What do you think about Corsair GS700?

 

[toyftw]

What do you think about Corsair GS700?

Hi Dave - There aren't a lot of user reviews on Newegg, but that unit (gs700) did get a good review
from Hardware Secrets.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Corsair-GS700-Bronze-Power-Supply-Review/1617

Tom

 

[Dave_guitar]

Hi Dave - There aren't a lot of user reviews on Newegg, but that unit (gs700) did get a good review
from Hardware Secrets.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Corsair-GS700-Bronze-Power-Supply-Review/1617

Tom

Do you think that a AMD Phenom II 945 that has a 95W TDP will work with my current PSU?

 

[UnlimitedBanana]

Do you think that a AMD Phenom II 945 that has a 95W TDP will work with my current PSU?

30W isn't much of a difference. Given the other answers I would say no. Besides it's a waste to get a 945 when you could get a 965 for just a bit more. You'll need a new Power Supply if you want to buy a new Graphics card as well (which I recommend, the 9600GT is getting close to the end of it's life cycle.) you should get a decent 600W PSU and be sure that it will serve you well with numerous upgrades ahead!