Radeon 7850 minimum power supply

[Guest]

Hello,
im currently building a budget gaming build, so far I have brought a AMD 965, a AsRock 970 Pro3, Antec 430, and a corsair CX430M, however i dont know whether ill be able to run a HD 7850? i would rather spend the extra money, over a GTX 650 TI, but i dunno if my PSU will be able to handle it?

 

[lchrisk]

If thats the first gen of CX430, then no. It'll probably blow up.

650ti is lower power, and might run, but the 7850 destroys it. If you can't get a new power supply, grab the 650ti.

 

[COLGeek]

Go here for the specs for the HD7850:

http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/7000/7850/Pages/radeon-7850.aspx#2

A 500w PSU is recommended. However, as long as you are NOT overclocking anything, your current PSU will likely be okay.

Still, for long-term use and reliability, a stronger PSU is recommended.

 

[Guest]

i have no idea if its the old gen, all i know is that its the modular one? and so it should be ok as long as im not overclocking?

 

[Guest]

its the v3 if that helps?

 

[COLGeek]

It should be okay as long as you don't OC anything (CPU, GPU, or memory). Also, make sure your airflow stays nice and clean. Lower temps means less power consumed.

 

[Guest]

would changing the ram to 1600mhz in the bios, be overclocking? btw, my ram that im buying is sold at that speed? but i belivie that it is set below that?

 

[COLGeek]

I would run at 1333 if that is what it is at now. Even if rated at 1600, you will see little difference in performance between the speeds. The lower speed uses less power.

Of course, run can try running at 1600 once all is in place. If stable, under load, then proceed at 1600.

 

[Guest]

ok thanks! so my best bet is to buy a few case fans and not to overclock anything?

 

[COLGeek]

How many case fans do you have now? Typically, one on the front and one on the back is sufficient.

 

[Guest]

just a 120mm on the front, so would buying an exhaust fan be a good idea?

 

[COLGeek]

Yes, that should be enough.

 

[Guest]

ok thanks! you woudnt happen to know the best vendor of the 7850 for a lower power consumption?

 

[COLGeek]

They are all about the same. Just get a "stock" one. A factory OCed one will use more power. This would be a good choice:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161406