Power Supply requirement for radeon x1950xtx!!!

ahwanpandey · 10-19-2006, 10:21 AM

Can somebody please help me!

both my computer and my graphics cards are gonna be arriving tomorrow and i am not sure if the Power supply can handle the radeon x1950xtx i got from a different store.

This is a link to the specifications of my PSU click

My configuration
amd x2 4200+ AM2
1 gig RAM
250gb hard disk
onboard sound

please help!

Tumbleweed36 · 10-19-2006, 10:29 AM

Hi,

If this were my rig, I would not even try to run it without at least a 600 to 700 watt Enermax, Seasonic, PC Power & Cooling, OCZ, Fortron, or other high end power supply. I suggest you take a read of the power supply link in my signature.

ahwanpandey · 10-19-2006, 10:47 AM

I thought that this psu has more than 30 amps on the 12 volt rail. that's why I got it. ATI's site says that you need more than 30 amps on the 12 volt rail for the x1950xtx? You think I shouldn't even try to run it?

dai · 10-19-2006, 10:57 AM

the card pulls a 125w on it's own,i also whould prefer a top of line psu running the system

ahwanpandey · 10-19-2006, 11:16 AM

setting aside the risk of damaging my card with an unknown brand PSU... is that PSU capable of running the x1950xtx?

**UncleMacro** · 10-19-2006, 11:34 AM

If that PSU delivers reasonably near its specs on the 12 volt rails then it should run it just fine. We tend to avoid off-brand power supplies because lots of them have fanciful specs. I wouldn't worry about a problem PSU damaging a video card. The only thing which can actually damage chips is overheating or overvoltage. The normal problem with a weak PSU is undervoltage. On rare occasions PSUs will short out and that sometimes toasts a motherboard. But in the vast majority of cases if your PSU is too weak to run the video card then the machine will just get flakey. If it was me, I'd go ahead and try with the existing power supply and then replace it if the video card is too much.

ahwanpandey · 10-21-2006, 02:14 PM

hi, the graphics card is working, but the catalyst control panel shows lower clock speeds for both the memory and the GPU. I found somewhere on the internet that the x1950xtx adjusts it's clock speeds automatically when you are running more graphics intensive programs. is that true?

**UncleMacro** · 10-21-2006, 02:36 PM

Pretty much all the current high-end video cards reduce their GPU and video RAM clocks to reduce power consumption when not running intensive 3D stuff. You'll have to fire up a game to see the "real" clock rates. That's also the only time you'll know if the power supply can really handle the video card because the power consumption is much lower when not in 3D mode. Firing up 3DMark will load both the video card and CPU pretty well.

10-19-2006, 10:21 AM	#1 (permalink)
ahwanpandey Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 6 OS: winxp	Power Supply requirement for radeon x1950xtx!!! Can somebody please help me! both my computer and my graphics cards are gonna be arriving tomorrow and i am not sure if the Power supply can handle the radeon x1950xtx i got from a different store. This is a link to the specifications of my PSU click My configuration amd x2 4200+ AM2 1 gig RAM 250gb hard disk onboard sound please help!

10-19-2006, 10:29 AM	#2 (permalink)
Tumbleweed36 Asst Manager Hardware Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA Posts: 19,707 OS: XP Professional	Hi, If this were my rig, I would not even try to run it without at least a 600 to 700 watt Enermax, Seasonic, PC Power & Cooling, OCZ, Fortron, or other high end power supply. I suggest you take a read of the power supply link in my signature. __________________ ---------- I don't receive email notifications of replies to subscribed threads. (Internet provider policy) Therefore, if I don't respond to your post within 24 hours, please send me a reminder PM and include the link to your thread.

10-19-2006, 10:57 AM	#4 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,769 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	the card pulls a 125w on it's own,i also whould prefer a top of line psu running the system __________________

10-19-2006, 10:47 AM	#3 (permalink)
ahwanpandey Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 6 OS: winxp	I thought that this psu has more than 30 amps on the 12 volt rail. that's why I got it. ATI's site says that you need more than 30 amps on the 12 volt rail for the x1950xtx? You think I shouldn't even try to run it?

10-19-2006, 11:16 AM	#5 (permalink)
ahwanpandey Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 6 OS: winxp	setting aside the risk of damaging my card with an unknown brand PSU... is that PSU capable of running the x1950xtx?

10-19-2006, 11:34 AM	#6 (permalink)
UncleMacro TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: San Diego Posts: 2,133 OS: Vista SP1 My System	If that PSU delivers reasonably near its specs on the 12 volt rails then it should run it just fine. We tend to avoid off-brand power supplies because lots of them have fanciful specs. I wouldn't worry about a problem PSU damaging a video card. The only thing which can actually damage chips is overheating or overvoltage. The normal problem with a weak PSU is undervoltage. On rare occasions PSUs will short out and that sometimes toasts a motherboard. But in the vast majority of cases if your PSU is too weak to run the video card then the machine will just get flakey. If it was me, I'd go ahead and try with the existing power supply and then replace it if the video card is too much.

10-21-2006, 02:14 PM	#7 (permalink)
ahwanpandey Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 6 OS: winxp	hi, the graphics card is working, but the catalyst control panel shows lower clock speeds for both the memory and the GPU. I found somewhere on the internet that the x1950xtx adjusts it's clock speeds automatically when you are running more graphics intensive programs. is that true?

10-21-2006, 02:36 PM	#8 (permalink)
UncleMacro TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: San Diego Posts: 2,133 OS: Vista SP1 My System	Pretty much all the current high-end video cards reduce their GPU and video RAM clocks to reduce power consumption when not running intensive 3D stuff. You'll have to fire up a game to see the "real" clock rates. That's also the only time you'll know if the power supply can really handle the video card because the power consumption is much lower when not in 3D mode. Firing up 3DMark will load both the video card and CPU pretty well.