Is my PSU enough to power a gtx 470

mvitkun

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I have a thermaltake tr2 500 watt
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0365237
the rest of my components being powered by this are

i5 2500k at 3.5ghz(stock cooler)
8gb ram (4gbx2)
biostar tz77a mobo
dvd drive
320gb hitachi deskstar
2x 120mm fans,2x 80m fans,1x 140mm fan

I'm just wondering if it would run a gtx 470 by ASUSTek
http://www.asus.com/Graphics_Cards/NVIDIA_Series/ENGTX4702DI1280MD5/
if so, would it be safe?
 
thermaltake tr2 series are very crappy from thermaltake, from the review of the 750W unit
Thermaltake TR2 RX 750 W is, according to our methodology, a flawed product that must be avoided at all costs. It can’t deliver its labeled wattage at high temperatures, but this is not the worst of it: ripple and noise level are way above the maximum allowed when you pull 80% or more from the unit’s labeled capacity (i.e., 600 W and above), overloading your components (especially electrolytic capacitors from the motherboard and video cards), which can cause your PC to present an erratic behavior (crashes and random resets) and, under extreme conditions, damage components.

You can grab Antec 500W PSU or any other quality branded 500W PSU.
 

mvitkun

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actually the tr2 rx are a different series all together from the tr2 regular.the tr2 rx series has a different 500 watt model.thanks for the quick reply
 

mvitkun

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I've had this for nearly a month and is been running flawlessly for me.And to the best of my knowledge its been fine for nearly everyone else with this power supply that reviewed the product on new egg.two of which specified that they used 6870 and 5850 with a phenom x4,and that it had been running for some few years.given the video card on their systems use 50 less watts but their cpu more then makes up for that.I figure that logically it should run on this psu.I am asking for whether you think it would run, but you seem a bit biased towards thermaltake in general,I mean a company can't have one good series of psu's and then all the rest suck,it just wouldn't make sense.
 
A system with the GTX 470 in full load draws around 420W, are you sure that your PSU will deliver that amount efficiently?

No, I'm not biased but there's no review of your PSU out there from any reputable site like hardwaresecrets or jonnyguru to say that's it's a reliable PSU, judging from the RX series which are supposed to be better than the standard tr2 series this PSU should be a fail.

It should run, but as I said above the GTX 470 is a power hungry card make sure your PSU can deliver at least a 400W without having a problem with ripples or voltage regulation.

HD 6850/70 is not comparable with GTX 470/480, a system equipped with a quality branded 300W PSU can run the HD 6870 very nicely.
 

Desert Eagle

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mvitkun, Nvidia recommends a minimum 550 watt PSU for that card. The GTX 470 requires 215 watts. If you have a quality PSU then my guess is you could squeeze by but if your PSU is a turd then you might be shopping for a PSU soon anyway and maybe some more components as well when it fries. In other words, it's your computer, your $ and it's a gamble.
 

mvitkun

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I doubt its using anywhere near 400 watts right now,nor do I have any other components I could use to get it to there in order to check that it runs fine at 400.how would i check to see if it runs at 400 watts well?
 

mvitkun

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I wasn't sure whether he meant that when he tried to use 500watts itturned off or if when he tried to use 450 it turned off.
 

mvitkun

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well I realize that,you already stated that it consumes about 420,I was wondering how much my pc,with its configuration that I described above uses,without the gtx 470.
 

mvitkun

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like I said,for my system.theirs is a i7 965,and its unknown what else.while mine is an i5 2500k with the other components listed above.I just doubt that a i5 at stock clocks would take as much power as an i7 965 overclocked.I was just hoping for an estimate on how much you think my system uses,so that I can have a general idea of which videocards would be able to run without risk on my system.so what would be your best guess,knowing my components,as to how many watts my system uses?
 

mvitkun

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because I have barely enough for the gtx 470 and i just bought the psu less then a month ago.I also see no issue with it,nor do I like the idea of a of having wasted $60 on a psu which I may or may not be able to return.I was recently laid off from a job,am 16,and I used nearly all the money I had saved up to buy the components above.I put them together and it works fine.I have enough remaining for a gtx 470.If I buy a new psu ill end up having spent $60 for the old psu,which i doubt ill be able to return,as well as $60-$80 for the new.I'm not into the idea of in less then a month spending $140 on psu's,one of which I wont even be able to make use of.so could you please answer my question?sorry if I'm being rude.
 

rocknrollz

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No offense, but if something were to happen because of the PSU, you would be very grateful for getting another. It may seem like a waste of money, and maybe it is. But I would rather any day waste some money, then to maybe one day that PSU blowing out your whole system.
 

mvitkun

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first of all the psu for now,while I don't have a gpu is fine.In fact for all I know even with the gpu it'd be fine.I havn't had one issue with this psu.second I don't have any spare money to throw around,so sorry,but if you wanna lend me some cash to buy a good psu feel free
 

Desert Eagle

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mvitkun, I did some very brief looking around the net and found mostly good ratings on your PSU by their owners. I don't know very much about Thermaltake PSUs and that's why in my previous post I used the word "if". I do know that no one on here wants to see anyone bork their rig by trying to slide by with a questionable PSU and that is why you will almost always get conservative answers here when you ask if your PSU is adequate. Get my drift?
 

mvitkun

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I found mostly good reviews too,which is why I got it.and now I'm freaking out because people keep saying that it can barely run at 420.And I can see why people woulnd't want to give their "seal of approval" when they're not sure.Though I dont understand why nobody wants to tell me roughly how much my pc,in its current configuration,draws from the power supply.All I want is a rough idea of how much my psu can spare.
 

lokii_0

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And according to that link, your PC draws at least 411w with a gtx 470. So...maybe? But as other people here have said, you are taking a risk, and it is possible that you could lose more than just the PSU if it blows.
 

cliffro

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I think with some people, it takes either losing a PSU or a PSU and other components to understand the importance of a quality PSU.

I include myself in that group, it took 3-4 cheap ones failing for me to do 2 things, 1. don't skimp on the PSU and 2. Use a UPS, or at the very least a quality surge protector.

I should add that at first I thought it was just power surges or dips taking out the cheap PSUs, till I seen one in a friends do it with a UPS in use.

I as recently as last year, witnessed a cheap PSU take out a motherboard, and kill the audio ports and usb ports on my old motherboard after installing it in my friends case(who did not want to buy a better PSU) to upgrade his computer. He witnessed his old system stop working after switching over to it, and my motherboard not working like it did before it was connected to that PSU and finally bought a quality Antec to go with the other Antec had in his other system.