1st Timer GPU & PSU upgrade, approx $160 budget
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JustAnother24
May 17, 2012 11:10:50 AM
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: this week
BUDGET RANGE: USD $80-120 After Rebates for GPU; USD $30-50 After Rebates for PSU
USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming - Diablo III (hopefully max settings if possible) and Starcraft II (max settings if possible)
CURRENT GPU AND POWER SUPPLY: ATI Radeon 3200 HD Integrated and stock 300W PSU
OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS: Acer M3300-U1332 PT.SBT02.002 Aspire Desktop PC - AMD Phenom II X4 810 2.6GHz, 6GB DDR3, 1TB HDD, ATI Radeon HD 3200, DVDRW, 300 Watt PSU, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: NewEgg
PARTS PREFERENCES: Deciding between SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card ( 11201-00-20G)
XFX HD-677X-ZNLC Radeon HD 6770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity (100315L )
OVERCLOCKING: Maybe SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I know that my current power supply is far too weak to power most decent gaming graphics cards, but I do not know what size PSU I would need for the graphics I would like to have. I would like to be able to play any game I throw at my computer with decent FPS and near max settings, however that being said I don't plan on stressing my computer with high taxing games (eq Crysis 2). I plan to start with Diablo III and Starcraft II and go from there. I also currently have a D-Link DWA-556 Xtreme Desktop Adapter IEEE 802.11g/n PCI Express Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA, WPA2) occupying the (I believe) PCIe 1x.
I'm open to suggestions that I have not listed and I am not at all picky about the PSU as long as it supplies enough power to run the system safely. I would prefer to spend as little as possible (obviously) but could stretch my budget slightly if it appears it would make a significant difference.
Thank you.
BUDGET RANGE: USD $80-120 After Rebates for GPU; USD $30-50 After Rebates for PSU
USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming - Diablo III (hopefully max settings if possible) and Starcraft II (max settings if possible)
CURRENT GPU AND POWER SUPPLY: ATI Radeon 3200 HD Integrated and stock 300W PSU
OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS: Acer M3300-U1332 PT.SBT02.002 Aspire Desktop PC - AMD Phenom II X4 810 2.6GHz, 6GB DDR3, 1TB HDD, ATI Radeon HD 3200, DVDRW, 300 Watt PSU, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: NewEgg
PARTS PREFERENCES: Deciding between SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card ( 11201-00-20G)
XFX HD-677X-ZNLC Radeon HD 6770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity (100315L )
OVERCLOCKING: Maybe SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I know that my current power supply is far too weak to power most decent gaming graphics cards, but I do not know what size PSU I would need for the graphics I would like to have. I would like to be able to play any game I throw at my computer with decent FPS and near max settings, however that being said I don't plan on stressing my computer with high taxing games (eq Crysis 2). I plan to start with Diablo III and Starcraft II and go from there. I also currently have a D-Link DWA-556 Xtreme Desktop Adapter IEEE 802.11g/n PCI Express Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA, WPA2) occupying the (I believe) PCIe 1x.
I'm open to suggestions that I have not listed and I am not at all picky about the PSU as long as it supplies enough power to run the system safely. I would prefer to spend as little as possible (obviously) but could stretch my budget slightly if it appears it would make a significant difference.
Thank you.
More about : 1st timer gpu psu upgrade approx 160 budget
darreng101
May 17, 2012 11:27:02 AM
Check out this to get a rough idea of your current and proposed power usage:
http://www.thermaltake.outervision.com/
I'd allow an error margin of say 10-15% for real world application so if your psu is 300W aim to stay under 255-270w. If the new setup is close to that you could always get the GPU first and see how it goes.
According to Sapphire the 7770 draws 105w at load so you might be ok
http://www.sapphiretech.com/archive/matrix-vga-1_4_051....
The 6850 draws 127w at load....
From there you should have a good idea what you need in a psu.
http://www.thermaltake.outervision.com/
I'd allow an error margin of say 10-15% for real world application so if your psu is 300W aim to stay under 255-270w. If the new setup is close to that you could always get the GPU first and see how it goes.
According to Sapphire the 7770 draws 105w at load so you might be ok
http://www.sapphiretech.com/archive/matrix-vga-1_4_051....
The 6850 draws 127w at load....
From there you should have a good idea what you need in a psu.
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darreng101
May 17, 2012 11:30:18 AM
no mate the whole system need 500 watt supply including 7770 to run in good condition because the designer already recommend go for 500 w 400 watt or 380 watt good for runing not make good for gaming check this one http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/7000/77...
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darreng101
May 17, 2012 11:48:42 AM
monu_08 said:
no mate the whole system need 500 watt supply including 7770 to run in good condition because the designer already recommend go for 500 w 400 watt or 380 watt good for runing not make good for gaming check this one http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/7000/77...Thats just a guideline, it doesn't a) take into account the sapphire card (it's just reference) b) more importantly, it doesn't take into account what the system includes.
My current system, a fairly high oc'ed i7 950 with a 5850 and 5450, a tv tuner card, 2 HD drives, DVD burner, and 4 case fans used to run on a 450w psu perfectly fine... The 5850 uses a lot more power than the 7770. The 450w psu could even handle oc'ing the 5850 to its limits.... Yes, mate
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The Radeon HD 7770 has been tested to draw a maximum of 95w watts. However, I would not trust it to run on a crap / no name PSU in a PC sold by Acer or any other brand name. I would not even attempt to run the Radeon HD 7770 on a premium quality 300w PSU made by Seasonic. Just going by the total amount of watts does not indicate if a PSU is capable of supporting a particular graphic card. What's important is the constant amps provided by the +12v rails which is what most power hungry components draws power from.
I recommend a minimum of a 350w PSU from a good brand name with the reputation for selling good quality PSUs if the PC had an Intel CPU (excluding the old Pentium 4s). AMD CPUs draws more power than Intel CPUs since the release of Intel's Core 2 Duo / Quad CPUs, therefore, I recommend at least a 400w PSU for a PC with an AMD CPU.
The following CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 V2 600W costs $45 after rebate and promo.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
The following CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 (CMPSU-430CXV2) 430W costs $25 after rebates. However, it can limit your future upgrades.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Radeon HD 7770 Maximum Power Consumpttion
![]()
Source: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/HD_7770_DirectC...
I recommend a minimum of a 350w PSU from a good brand name with the reputation for selling good quality PSUs if the PC had an Intel CPU (excluding the old Pentium 4s). AMD CPUs draws more power than Intel CPUs since the release of Intel's Core 2 Duo / Quad CPUs, therefore, I recommend at least a 400w PSU for a PC with an AMD CPU.
The following CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 V2 600W costs $45 after rebate and promo.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
The following CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 (CMPSU-430CXV2) 430W costs $25 after rebates. However, it can limit your future upgrades.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Radeon HD 7770 Maximum Power Consumpttion

Source: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/HD_7770_DirectC...
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it will run fine but better comparison take out by quality ,series, dc out put , feed back
now compare the output
(1)http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
(2)http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
now compare the output
(1)http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
(2)http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
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Best solution
well let's go to the video tape shall we
techspot says the following system will not break 250w gaming w/ the AMD 7770 and 275w w/ AMD 6770
Core i7 Test System Specs
- Intel Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition (3.30GHz)
- x4 2GB G.Skill DDR3-1600(CAS 8-8-8-20)
- Gigabyte G1.Assassin2 (Intel X79)
- Crucial m4 512GB (SATA 6Gb/s)
![]()
techpowerup re-enforces that stating at peak the AMD 7770 only draws 73w while the ATI 5770 (AKA AMD 6770) just hits 93w at peak
since we are on a budget, lets look at two budget PSU that can power that system with either card and have no issue. the corsair 430w & antec 380w can do the job with no issue and both are $47-49 out the door, although the corsair has a $20 MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
to stay at $160 you would need to go with the $110 AMD 6770 or get the corsair PSU and wait for the MIR to get them AMD 7770. Otherwise you would need to increase your budget. the AMD 7770 is a 25% percent performance increase from the ATI 5770 (AKA AMD 6770) so it is a good performance increase especially at 1080p.
techspot says the following system will not break 250w gaming w/ the AMD 7770 and 275w w/ AMD 6770
Core i7 Test System Specs
- Intel Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition (3.30GHz)
- x4 2GB G.Skill DDR3-1600(CAS 8-8-8-20)
- Gigabyte G1.Assassin2 (Intel X79)
- Crucial m4 512GB (SATA 6Gb/s)

techpowerup re-enforces that stating at peak the AMD 7770 only draws 73w while the ATI 5770 (AKA AMD 6770) just hits 93w at peak
since we are on a budget, lets look at two budget PSU that can power that system with either card and have no issue. the corsair 430w & antec 380w can do the job with no issue and both are $47-49 out the door, although the corsair has a $20 MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
to stay at $160 you would need to go with the $110 AMD 6770 or get the corsair PSU and wait for the MIR to get them AMD 7770. Otherwise you would need to increase your budget. the AMD 7770 is a 25% percent performance increase from the ATI 5770 (AKA AMD 6770) so it is a good performance increase especially at 1080p.
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JustAnother24
May 17, 2012 12:18:12 PM
jaguarskx said:
The Radeon HD 7770 has been tested to draw a maximum of 95w watts. However, I would not trust it to run on a crap / no name PSU in a PC sold by Acer or any other brand name. I would not even attempt to run the Radeon HD 7770 on a premium quality 300w PSU made by Seasonic. Just going by the total amount of watts does not indicate if a PSU is capable of supporting a particular graphic card. What's important is the constant amps provided by the +12v rails which is what most power hungry components draws power from.I recommend a minimum of a 350w PSU from a good brand name with the reputation for selling good quality PSUs if the PC had an Intel CPU (excluding the old Pentium 4s). AMD CPUs draws more power than Intel CPUs since the release of Intel's Core 2 Duo / Quad CPUs, therefore, I recommend at least a 400w PSU for a PC with an AMD CPU.
The following CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 V2 600W costs $45 after rebate and promo.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
The following CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 (CMPSU-430CXV2) 430W costs $25 after rebates. However, it can limit your future upgrades.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Radeon HD 7770 Maximum Power Consumpttion
http://tpucdn.com/reviews/ASUS/HD_7770_DirectCU/images/power_maximum.gif
Source: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/HD_7770_DirectC...
Thank you for posting within my price range, I will have to consider whether I plan to upgrade further or not before deciding on a PSU. I think I am leaning toward the 600W CORSAIR though.
My other question rises because the Sapphire 7770 appears to be where I am leaning; will this GPU perform well with the 600W PSU and my current configuration? And will that GPU fit with only one PCIe x16 slot located just above the PCIe x1 occupied by my wireless adapter?
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darreng101
May 17, 2012 12:21:28 PM
2653782,8,69519 said:
The Radeon HD 7770 has been tested to draw a maximum of 95w watts. However, I would not trust it to run on a crap / no name PSU in a PC sold by Acer or any other brand name. I would not even attempt to run the Radeon HD 7770 on a premium quality 300w PSU made by Seasonic. Just going by the total amount of watts does not indicate if a PSU is capable of supporting a particular graphic card. What's important is the constant amps provided by the +12v rails which is what most power hungry components draws power from.I recommend a minimum of a 350w PSU from a good brand name with the reputation for selling good quality PSUs if the PC had an Intel CPU (excluding the old Pentium 4s). AMD CPUs draws more power than Intel CPUs since the release of Intel's Core 2 Duo / Quad CPUs, therefore, I recommend at least a 400w PSU for a PC with an AMD CPU.
The following CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 V2 600W costs $45 after rebate and promo.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
The following CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 (CMPSU-430CXV2) 430W costs $25 after rebates. However, it can limit your future upgrades.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Radeon HD 7770 Maximum Power Consumpttion
http://tpucdn.com/reviews/ASUS/HD_7770_DirectCU/images/power_maximum.gif
Source: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/HD_7770_DirectC...[/quotems
Yep, I just put in his system in the calc with say 3 case fans and it draws about 220w at the moment as a 'rough' guide. Sounds about right then based on his cheap 300w just running it (the psu is actually doing very well!), so agreed a 380-400w minimum power supply from a reputable supplier would work, but a bit more wouldn't hurt for an extra drive etc
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well it will occupy 2 expansion slot in your case but u will no t allow to put wireless adapter in pci x1 see this http://blog.savel.org/stuff/20050601.gif
and also consider while when you put the on x16 slot it will recover your 2 expansion slot of case and x1 have to be remove check this one http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/attachments/video-...
and also consider while when you put the on x16 slot it will recover your 2 expansion slot of case and x1 have to be remove check this one http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/attachments/video-...
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JustAnother24
May 17, 2012 12:31:17 PM
ct1615 said:
...to stay at $160 you would need to go with the $110 AMD 6770 or get the corsair PSU and wait for the MIR to get them AMD 7770. Otherwise you would need to increase your budget. the AMD 7770 is a 25% percent performance increase from the ATI 5770 (AKA AMD 6770) so it is a good performance increase especially at 1080p.
Annnd after even more wonderful information I find that the 430W CORSAIR becomes more appealing. I do believe I have decided the 7770 will do well. The budget was ultimately (slightly) flexible since I have the money I just wanted to restrict how much I spent on a fun purchase. I could buy both the PSU and GPU mentioned and remain under my hard cap (including tax and all upfront payments) of $200.
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JustAnother24 said:
Annnd after even more wonderful information I find that the 430W CORSAIR becomes more appealing. I do believe I have decided the 7770 will do well. The budget was ultimately (slightly) flexible since I have the money I just wanted to restrict how much I spent on a fun purchase. I could buy both the PSU and GPU mentioned and remain under my hard cap (including tax and all upfront payments) of $200.then you have a good combo, enjoy your new hardware.
that PSU is well reviewed
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=...
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check this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=E...
you just need spend 30 $ more and get good psu
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1681...
total budget 7770 oc sapphire versoin 150 + corsair gs600 90 =230 budget gaming
you just need spend 30 $ more and get good psu
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1681...
total budget 7770 oc sapphire versoin 150 + corsair gs600 90 =230 budget gaming
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JustAnother24
May 17, 2012 12:38:53 PM
monu_08 said:
well it will occupy 2 expansion slot in your case but u will no t allow to put wireless adapter in pci x1 see this http://blog.savel.org/stuff/20050601.gifand also consider while when you put the on x16 slot it will recover your 2 expansion slot of case and x1 have to be remove check this one http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/attachments/video-...
I am sorry I am having a hard time understanding you. You are saying the wireless adapter will have to be removed and placed somewhere else, or removed all together?
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darreng101
May 17, 2012 12:45:04 PM
Yep the 7770 is a dual slot card so if your pci is directly below it will have to move down or go.
I had a similar problem lately at got this:
http://www.tp-link.com/en/products/details/?model=TL-WN...
It works well and is only $20...it keeps adding up doesn't it
I had a similar problem lately at got this:
http://www.tp-link.com/en/products/details/?model=TL-WN...
It works well and is only $20...it keeps adding up doesn't it
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monu_08 said:
check this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=E... you just need spend 30 $ more and get good psu
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1681...
total budget 7770 oc sapphire versoin 150 + corsair gs600 90 =230 budget gaming
what is your fascination with the GS600? its a solid PSU but heavily over priced. it's worth about $69, not $89. i can get the corsair TX650 v2 for less and it has a better internal build with more power. I'm guessing you own that PSU?
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JustAnother24
May 17, 2012 12:51:25 PM
JustAnother24
May 17, 2012 12:52:05 PM
ct1615, I liked your post; jaguarskx also. Monu_08, you may wish to go back to lurking and reading for a while, as you're not making a good impression.
A 380W Antec Earthwatts can run a HD7770 or HD6850 all day every day. If you want something a little nicer, then this Seasonic will probably be impossible to beat: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... for $60.
The HD6850 is a little stronger than the HD7770, but also uses a little more power.
A 380W Antec Earthwatts can run a HD7770 or HD6850 all day every day. If you want something a little nicer, then this Seasonic will probably be impossible to beat: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... for $60.
The HD6850 is a little stronger than the HD7770, but also uses a little more power.
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