480W PSU essential for 6800 ULTRA??

[Danny]

ive currently got a thermaltake 420W PSU, i read everywhere that the 6800ULTRA requires at least 480W, is that accurate or will i get away with a 420W supply?

 

[priyajeet]

I think you'll get away with it. Best thing is not to rush in for 480W. You can try stress testing your card for crashes and artifacts. Like run 3dmark, then play D3, and stuff like that. If all work well, your in the clear - most likely it will.

Also I assumed you have a branded 420W PSU, not some local.

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[Mr5oh]

If you have a brand name 420 watt you shouldn't have any problems. If you have a generic PSU it depends on how good of a generic it is.

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[eden]

Back to buying that 550W Dual Fan Enermax it is then. :frown:

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[ComradeMishkin]

One of my mates wors a QinetiQ and uses a large range of high end graphics cards which include 6800Ultra. He told me that they are using PSU much lower than 480, i think he mentioned 350Watt. I'll double check and let you know.

 

[Danny]

soz im a bit of a noob on this topic. Exactly whats the difference between branded and generic?
thanks

 

[Sornin]

A branded PSU is typically a PSU you would buy separately from a case and is of a reputable standing within the hardware community. Examples include Antec and Enermax.

A generic PSU is typically one included with a case (though sometimes good ones are included, but you have to be careful), or simply some really cheap one not from a good brand name.

The difference is that when a branded one is rated at 350W, it typically truly does output 350W. A generic one rated at 350W is not dependable and quite often outputs a lower amount of power, which is a huge problem. If you think your PSU is putting out 350W and it is really only doing 300W, that can be trouble. The PSU is not a good place to skimp on at all.

In this case, a branded 350W PSU should be fine from my experiences, though not by a whole lot. If you want a bit of breathing room, you should need no more than 400W, assuming you are not running a ton of extra hardware. The only reason to have more is if you are paranoid or cram lots of extra crap into your rig. I have a 450W PSU and that is way overboard already, and those people with 550W PSUs have really gone balls to the wall.

 

[Danny]

well ive got a thermaltake 420W PSU, that i bought seperately, and not with a pc. so i hope that will do the job!

 

[Mr5oh]

Your 420 watt PSU has pretty healthy ratings, and actually has the same exact ratings as my generic 480 watt PSU.

Also it is my understand that the 6800 Ultra only draws 5 extra watts over the other 6800s, which isn't very significant. I am running a lot of stuff in my system, with a PSU of equal or less specs than yours, and have no problems.

I don't think you will have any problems.

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