Effect of the Power Supply on gaming?

grub20 · 05-05-2008, 11:10 AM

Hello, my current system specs are in my sig.

Basically, I want to be able to play Age of Conan when it comes out. Right now ,I have all the minimum requirements for the game (according to systemrequirementslab.com ) but many people in the beta say that it's not going to be enough to play without lagging like hell. I question their judgment on this, because many of them had extremely high-end computer builds advertised in their sig, but I take their advice anyway because it's something worth considering before I go out and spend $50 on something that might not work too well on my comp.

Despite the fact that my video card (NVIDIA 8500GT) meets even the recommended requirement, I was told that the video card was trash. Not sure why. So I contemplated buying a better card, but I just don't have that kind of dough right now for a card like the 8800GTX. I just got the card I have now some months ago too, which is why I feel sore about giving it up so soon.

I was also told that they recommend getting an extra 512 worth of RAM, saying that 'when they recommend 2 GB, they mean 2 GB.' I have 1.5GB of RAM. So my conclusion was that perhaps I should get more RAM, and I probably will.

But I was talking to my Vegas 2 clan and someone asked me what Power Supply I had. I told them that it wasn't very high wattage - 305W. This power supply I have is from 2005, when I bought this computer. I have always been hesitant to replace it because it felt like wasted money to replace something that has been working fine for me. But my clanmate told me that a higher power supply can actually make all aspects of your computer run faster than it is - vid card, processor, RAM, etc. He also said that a better PSU would cause hardware to burn up less (i.e. comp temperature goes down). Is this true too?

All of this makes me wonder deeply because I recently bought Rainbow Six Vegas 2, and I have beyond the recommended requirements, yet I only get 30 FPS in the game. I thought that perhaps this was because of what my clanmate told me - that my hardware isn't putting out a maximum effort because the PSU can't support it.

Any help on this issue would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

grub20 · 05-05-2008, 11:11 AM

Oh by the way. These are the sys reqs for Age of Conan:

Required
OS: Windows Vista/XP
Processor: 3GHz Pentium IV
RAM: 1GB RAM
Video Card: Shader Model 2.0 and 128MB RAM: NVIDIA GeForce 5800 or ATI 9800

Recommended
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz (E6600) or better
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 7950GX2 or better
RAM: 2GB or more

Enhanced for: DirectX 10, 64-bit processors, multi-core
Supports Parental Controls on Windows Vista

InfernalSolo · 05-06-2008, 10:34 PM

If I am understanding you correctly, you are saying that the beta testers cannot accurately judge how a computer that they do not have will perform. This is true to a certain extent. However, it may be that if they are only experiencing average performance running the game on their rigs, they can imagine that a lower-end system will perform worse - below average.

As for your video card, I do not think that it meets the recommended requirements. The 7950 performs much better than the 8500. That is because even though it is a generation ahead, it is still "out-classed."

Although the 8 series is a jump ahead generation-wise, that does not mean that any 8 series card will outperform any 7 series card. The cards of they new generation are only intended to outperform their counterpart cards of the previous generation. For example, the 8600 card is designed to replace the 7600, so it does perform better. However, it is still out-performed by the 7800. For that, you would need an 8800.

Here is my experience with some common geforce "classes."

x300-x500: Allows for high performance graphics design and multimedia use. Not intended for gaming.

x600: Entry level gaming card. Intended for fair performance in most modern games with settings at high.

x800: Allows for very good performance in modern games with most settings maxed or at high.

x900: Allows high performance in most games with settings maxed.

x950: Same as x900 class, but with two GPUs on one card, allowing for dual SLI on one card, or quad SLI with two cards. Intended for high performance with settings maxed in games as long as the CPU can keep up.

If you do not have the cash for a high performance 8 series card, I would highly suggest investing in a 7800 or a 7900 card. Although they do not meet the recommended specs either, they can be bought for cheaper, and still give good performance in modern games. And with windows XP, you don't need a DX10 card anyway.

grub20 · 05-07-2008, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by InfernalSolo

If I am understanding you correctly, you are saying that the beta testers cannot accurately judge how a computer that they do not have will perform. This is true to a certain extent. However, it may be that if they are only experiencing average performance running the game on their rigs, they can imagine that a lower-end system will perform worse - below average.

As for your video card, I do not think that it meets the recommended requirements. The 7950 performs much better than the 8500. That is because even though it is a generation ahead, it is still "out-classed."

Although the 8 series is a jump ahead generation-wise, that does not mean that any 8 series card will outperform any 7 series card. The cards of they new generation are only intended to outperform their counterpart cards of the previous generation. For example, the 8600 card is designed to replace the 7600, so it does perform better. However, it is still out-performed by the 7800. For that, you would need an 8800.

Here is my experience with some common geforce "classes."

x300-x500: Allows for high performance graphics design and multimedia use. Not intended for gaming.

x600: Entry level gaming card. Intended for fair performance in most modern games with settings at high.

x800: Allows for very good performance in modern games with most settings maxed or at high.

x900: Allows high performance in most games with settings maxed.

x950: Same as x900 class, but with two GPUs on one card, allowing for dual SLI on one card, or quad SLI with two cards. Intended for high performance with settings maxed in games as long as the CPU can keep up.

If you do not have the cash for a high performance 8 series card, I would highly suggest investing in a 7800 or a 7900 card. Although they do not meet the recommended specs either, they can be bought for cheaper, and still give good performance in modern games. And with windows XP, you don't need a DX10 card anyway.

Thank you so much for posting all of this. I really wish I went out and researched this beforehand. And yes, you're right that there's the other possibility that performance issues on high-end machines could cause people to say that - I don't play the beta, so I am not quite sure if these people are even having performance issues, which is the reason why I said what I did.

In any case, what do you think about what my clanmate said about PSUs?

Tumbleweed36 · 05-07-2008, 04:35 PM

Quite frankly, if you get the video card you are talking about wanting (8800gtx), you will be very much underpowered. I would estimate that you are most likely underpowered right now. With what you have and the danger you face if underpowered, is that you can damage other components (video card, ram, motherboard, etc.) because they won't be getting enough juice, plus the rig will heat up if underpowered.

The other bad news is that you won't buy a good power supply for $50 as you mentioned. A good power supply for an 8800gtx (one you really want) will cost a minimum of $100 as a rule. Just don't buy something cheap and then have to do it again when you get the money for a better video card. That is my opinion.

**linderman** · 05-08-2008, 01:55 PM

your clanmate is 100% correct

and gaming minimum requirements are a joke IMHO their minimum specs may run the game, with all settings turned wayyyyyy down and giving plenty of lag it wont be enjoyable by a longshot

the game makers dont want to limit their target audience any more than they have too !

Tumble is 100% correct / if you have plans for a 8800GTX you better budget $150.00 for a power supply!

grub20 · 05-08-2008, 02:56 PM

Ok - thanks for all the info guys, I have another question though.

I don't know much about PSUs. I've never shopped for one, never replaced one. I have heard though, that there is a general rule not to buy cheap ones because they could crap out after 2 months and take your system with it. So how does one tell a reliable choice for a PSU? Any suggestions on newegg that I should look at?

Thanks.

**linderman** · 05-08-2008, 03:18 PM

if you want to learn the 'Why's and why not's" then this should help you

Power Supply Information and Selection

otherwise:

Look for proven units like:

Thermaltake Toughpower 750 watt

Corsair TX-750 watt

Silverstone 750 watt

Coolermaster Real Power Pro 750 Watt

grub20 · 05-08-2008, 04:52 PM

I am on the part that talks about compatibility issues and motherboards, and i'm confused as hell. I don't understand all this stuff about pins and all that. Basically, is it saying that any power supply I buy has to be strictly compatible with my motherboard?

If so, here is my mobo:

http://www.ascendtech.us/itemdesc.as...IM4700&eq=&Tp=

**linderman** · 05-08-2008, 05:47 PM

all of the power supplies I named will work for your board

you will be buying more video card than you need with anything more than the 8800 GTS with a 650 watt power supply from the makers I gave you.

Dusterbush · 06-07-2008, 08:24 AM

I know it's kind of late but I can relate to you brother. So take it from another layman, do your research. You're gonna score yourself some deals if you google enough, trust me. I used to just buy whatever was cheap and looked decent enough and I was always shooting myself in the foot by doing so. There's nothing wrong with educating yourself when it comes to this stuff anyways. You're going to find that you have to update yer parts every year or two otherwise you're gonna find yourself in the boat you're in now if you don't.

So don't be afraid to spend a few extra bucks to get your system on the right track. If you want quality and economy, go for the 9600 series for g-force. You're looking at about $200 for a cutting edge card. It'll out-perform the 8600 series by about twice as much. Guaranteed.

You're gonna want to upgrade your processor soon as well. I would highly recommend the Q6600 from intel. Again it's high-powered processor for a more than reasonable price. About $200 - $240. And it's wicked for gaming brother. I'm running with a 400W psu but I'm gonna be looking into the 600W range right away. Better to have a little extra power than not enough. I'm recommending these to you because as of right now I have a benchmark of just under 12 000 on 3dmark06.

You sound like me only a couple months ago. I've been burned a few times to take one piece of advice, GOOGLE!!! If you're ever in doubt just google something up and hit a few sites to get a consensus on things.

Dusterbush · 06-07-2008, 08:24 AM

Oh yeah, don't be afraid to take your pc apart just for shits 'n giggles. You'll learn a lot from that as well.

05-05-2008, 11:10 AM	#1 (permalink)
grub20 Registered User Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 116 OS: XP	Effect of the Power Supply on gaming? Hello, my current system specs are in my sig. Basically, I want to be able to play Age of Conan when it comes out. Right now ,I have all the minimum requirements for the game (according to systemrequirementslab.com ) but many people in the beta say that it's not going to be enough to play without lagging like hell. I question their judgment on this, because many of them had extremely high-end computer builds advertised in their sig, but I take their advice anyway because it's something worth considering before I go out and spend $50 on something that might not work too well on my comp. Despite the fact that my video card (NVIDIA 8500GT) meets even the recommended requirement, I was told that the video card was trash. Not sure why. So I contemplated buying a better card, but I just don't have that kind of dough right now for a card like the 8800GTX. I just got the card I have now some months ago too, which is why I feel sore about giving it up so soon. I was also told that they recommend getting an extra 512 worth of RAM, saying that 'when they recommend 2 GB, they mean 2 GB.' I have 1.5GB of RAM. So my conclusion was that perhaps I should get more RAM, and I probably will. But I was talking to my Vegas 2 clan and someone asked me what Power Supply I had. I told them that it wasn't very high wattage - 305W. This power supply I have is from 2005, when I bought this computer. I have always been hesitant to replace it because it felt like wasted money to replace something that has been working fine for me. But my clanmate told me that a higher power supply can actually make all aspects of your computer run faster than it is - vid card, processor, RAM, etc. He also said that a better PSU would cause hardware to burn up less (i.e. comp temperature goes down). Is this true too? All of this makes me wonder deeply because I recently bought Rainbow Six Vegas 2, and I have beyond the recommended requirements, yet I only get 30 FPS in the game. I thought that perhaps this was because of what my clanmate told me - that my hardware isn't putting out a maximum effort because the PSU can't support it. Any help on this issue would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. __________________ Intel Pentium IV CPU 2.80 ghz (2.79 ghz rated at 4.19 CPU speed) Windows XP NVIDIA GeForce 8500GT 3GB of RAM, but for some reason reading as 2.2GB

05-05-2008, 11:11 AM	#2 (permalink)
grub20 Registered User Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 116 OS: XP	Re: Effect of the Power Supply on gaming? Oh by the way. These are the sys reqs for Age of Conan: Required OS: Windows Vista/XP Processor: 3GHz Pentium IV RAM: 1GB RAM Video Card: Shader Model 2.0 and 128MB RAM: NVIDIA GeForce 5800 or ATI 9800 Recommended Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz (E6600) or better Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 7950GX2 or better RAM: 2GB or more Enhanced for: DirectX 10, 64-bit processors, multi-core Supports Parental Controls on Windows Vista __________________ Intel Pentium IV CPU 2.80 ghz (2.79 ghz rated at 4.19 CPU speed) Windows XP NVIDIA GeForce 8500GT 3GB of RAM, but for some reason reading as 2.2GB

05-06-2008, 10:34 PM	#3 (permalink)
InfernalSolo Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 49 OS: Vista Home Premium x64 SP1 My System	Re: Effect of the Power Supply on gaming? If I am understanding you correctly, you are saying that the beta testers cannot accurately judge how a computer that they do not have will perform. This is true to a certain extent. However, it may be that if they are only experiencing average performance running the game on their rigs, they can imagine that a lower-end system will perform worse - below average. As for your video card, I do not think that it meets the recommended requirements. The 7950 performs much better than the 8500. That is because even though it is a generation ahead, it is still "out-classed." Although the 8 series is a jump ahead generation-wise, that does not mean that any 8 series card will outperform any 7 series card. The cards of they new generation are only intended to outperform their counterpart cards of the previous generation. For example, the 8600 card is designed to replace the 7600, so it does perform better. However, it is still out-performed by the 7800. For that, you would need an 8800. Here is my experience with some common geforce "classes." x300-x500: Allows for high performance graphics design and multimedia use. Not intended for gaming. x600: Entry level gaming card. Intended for fair performance in most modern games with settings at high. x800: Allows for very good performance in modern games with most settings maxed or at high. x900: Allows high performance in most games with settings maxed. x950: Same as x900 class, but with two GPUs on one card, allowing for dual SLI on one card, or quad SLI with two cards. Intended for high performance with settings maxed in games as long as the CPU can keep up. If you do not have the cash for a high performance 8 series card, I would highly suggest investing in a 7800 or a 7900 card. Although they do not meet the recommended specs either, they can be bought for cheaper, and still give good performance in modern games. And with windows XP, you don't need a DX10 card anyway.

05-07-2008, 04:35 PM	#5 (permalink)
Tumbleweed36 Asst Manager Hardware Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA Posts: 12,821 OS: XP Professional	Re: Effect of the Power Supply on gaming? Quite frankly, if you get the video card you are talking about wanting (8800gtx), you will be very much underpowered. I would estimate that you are most likely underpowered right now. With what you have and the danger you face if underpowered, is that you can damage other components (video card, ram, motherboard, etc.) because they won't be getting enough juice, plus the rig will heat up if underpowered. The other bad news is that you won't buy a good power supply for $50 as you mentioned. A good power supply for an 8800gtx (one you really want) will cost a minimum of $100 as a rule. Just don't buy something cheap and then have to do it again when you get the money for a better video card. That is my opinion. __________________ ----------

05-08-2008, 01:55 PM	#6 (permalink)
linderman Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 12,946 OS: win 2000 pro / Win XP pro My System	Re: Effect of the Power Supply on gaming? your clanmate is 100% correct and gaming minimum requirements are a joke IMHO their minimum specs may run the game, with all settings turned wayyyyyy down and giving plenty of lag it wont be enjoyable by a longshot the game makers dont want to limit their target audience any more than they have too ! Tumble is 100% correct / if you have plans for a 8800GTX you better budget $150.00 for a power supply! __________________ IF you want or have a high end video card; you should be thinking high end PSU / SEASONIC

05-08-2008, 02:56 PM	#7 (permalink)
grub20 Registered User Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 116 OS: XP	Re: Effect of the Power Supply on gaming? Ok - thanks for all the info guys, I have another question though. I don't know much about PSUs. I've never shopped for one, never replaced one. I have heard though, that there is a general rule not to buy cheap ones because they could crap out after 2 months and take your system with it. So how does one tell a reliable choice for a PSU? Any suggestions on newegg that I should look at? Thanks. __________________ Intel Pentium IV CPU 2.80 ghz (2.79 ghz rated at 4.19 CPU speed) Windows XP NVIDIA GeForce 8500GT 3GB of RAM, but for some reason reading as 2.2GB

05-08-2008, 03:18 PM	#8 (permalink)
linderman Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 12,946 OS: win 2000 pro / Win XP pro My System	Re: Effect of the Power Supply on gaming? if you want to learn the 'Why's and why not's" then this should help you Power Supply Information and Selection otherwise: Look for proven units like: Thermaltake Toughpower 750 watt Corsair TX-750 watt Silverstone 750 watt Coolermaster Real Power Pro 750 Watt __________________ IF you want or have a high end video card; you should be thinking high end PSU / SEASONIC

05-08-2008, 04:52 PM	#9 (permalink)
grub20 Registered User Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 116 OS: XP	Re: Effect of the Power Supply on gaming? I am on the part that talks about compatibility issues and motherboards, and i'm confused as hell. I don't understand all this stuff about pins and all that. Basically, is it saying that any power supply I buy has to be strictly compatible with my motherboard? If so, here is my mobo: http://www.ascendtech.us/itemdesc.as...IM4700&eq=&Tp= __________________ Intel Pentium IV CPU 2.80 ghz (2.79 ghz rated at 4.19 CPU speed) Windows XP NVIDIA GeForce 8500GT 3GB of RAM, but for some reason reading as 2.2GB

05-08-2008, 05:47 PM	#10 (permalink)
linderman Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 12,946 OS: win 2000 pro / Win XP pro My System	Re: Effect of the Power Supply on gaming? all of the power supplies I named will work for your board you will be buying more video card than you need with anything more than the 8800 GTS with a 650 watt power supply from the makers I gave you. __________________ IF you want or have a high end video card; you should be thinking high end PSU / SEASONIC Last edited by linderman : 05-08-2008 at 05:48 PM.

06-07-2008, 08:24 AM	#11 (permalink)
Dusterbush Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 2 OS: xp	Re: Effect of the Power Supply on gaming? I know it's kind of late but I can relate to you brother. So take it from another layman, do your research. You're gonna score yourself some deals if you google enough, trust me. I used to just buy whatever was cheap and looked decent enough and I was always shooting myself in the foot by doing so. There's nothing wrong with educating yourself when it comes to this stuff anyways. You're going to find that you have to update yer parts every year or two otherwise you're gonna find yourself in the boat you're in now if you don't. So don't be afraid to spend a few extra bucks to get your system on the right track. If you want quality and economy, go for the 9600 series for g-force. You're looking at about $200 for a cutting edge card. It'll out-perform the 8600 series by about twice as much. Guaranteed. You're gonna want to upgrade your processor soon as well. I would highly recommend the Q6600 from intel. Again it's high-powered processor for a more than reasonable price. About $200 - $240. And it's wicked for gaming brother. I'm running with a 400W psu but I'm gonna be looking into the 600W range right away. Better to have a little extra power than not enough. I'm recommending these to you because as of right now I have a benchmark of just under 12 000 on 3dmark06. You sound like me only a couple months ago. I've been burned a few times to take one piece of advice, GOOGLE!!! If you're ever in doubt just google something up and hit a few sites to get a consensus on things.

06-07-2008, 08:24 AM	#12 (permalink)
Dusterbush Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 2 OS: xp	Re: Effect of the Power Supply on gaming? Oh yeah, don't be afraid to take your pc apart just for shits 'n giggles. You'll learn a lot from that as well. Last edited by Dusterbush : 06-07-2008 at 08:27 AM.