Can my PSU cut it??

swarner · 03-20-2006, 06:51 PM

Hi

Im about to upgrade my radeon 9200 AGP to a Gainward GeForce 7800GS 256MB GDDR3, AGP8X,

And i was wondering if my 350W PSU has enough juice to power this monster card

MY Rig:
AMD Athalon XP 2600+
1gig RAM
80GB Hard disk
Gigabyte GA-7VM400M (Mobo)
Radeon 9200
350W PSU

**koala** · 03-20-2006, 09:58 PM

Probably not. Run this power calculator and add 30% for a more accurate figure.

**forcifer** · 03-20-2006, 10:35 PM

=/ i would also consider upgrading your proc. it might bottle neck your new vga

baldasacoot · 03-21-2006, 02:24 AM

http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/

The calculator at this site doesn't have my 3.2 GHz 800 FSB Northwood cpu on it.

Have I been misinformed about my cpu specs? EG, have I had a Prescott all along?

~

~~whodat~~ · 03-21-2006, 02:52 AM

run sandra

for system info

Magical · 03-21-2006, 03:59 AM

yeah im going to make it plan and simple your psu doesnt cut it you need more juice... look to at least a 400 watt -450 watt.

swarner · 03-21-2006, 08:36 AM

thanks for all the help

But the power supply calculator says i only need about 310W??
Athough it didnt list my card, so i said i have a 6800ultra and added 5 wats!

But i did as you said "KOALA" and added 30% which brought me up to 403W
that seems like a big jump and a very inacurate power calculator?

**koala** · 03-21-2006, 08:53 AM

Good quality PSUs run at about 70% efficiency (cheap PSUs can be as low as 50%). It's only a rough guide as power demands fluctuate depending on what you're doing. I'd go for at least a 450W, preferably a good quality 550W.

swarner · 03-21-2006, 09:35 AM

Thanks again

So i probaly wont get away with this PSU:
In Win Powersupply ATX 430W 120mm Fan, 20/24pin,(€45)

~~whodat~~ · 03-21-2006, 10:13 AM

get a quality power supply $75 plus

and please lose the image in your sig

**koala** · 03-21-2006, 10:14 AM

I couldn't find many details on it. If it's this one then it doesn't look too good. I'd go for something more like this Enermax FMA 535W

swarner · 03-21-2006, 10:40 AM

Thanks for the advice,

Yeh thats the PSU i had in mind, you found the exact same site and all!!

i have another question though, i have a spare 300W PSU, could i use both PSU's?
For example have one PSU power my 7800 video card and Hard drive and have the other power the rest of the computer, or would this confuse my mobo or something?

**koala** · 03-21-2006, 10:47 AM

Same site... I was trying to find an Irish one for you, and that was the only one.

The Enermax link is a UK company I've used before, excellent service.

Not sure about using 2 PSUs, I've never tried it. Hang on for some more replies, someone will be able to advise you on this.

~~whodat~~ · 03-21-2006, 11:08 AM

hello swarner

no, you cant run 2 power supplies in tandem

swarner · 03-21-2006, 11:28 AM

I dont want to sound rude, but why not?

~~whodat~~ · 03-21-2006, 11:52 AM

well, how would you achieve that task? by splicing both the mainboard's power supplies together? and have a pig tail going to the mother board? along with all the other leeds?
and what will you do with the second supply? duct tape it to the top of the case?
its not worth it....its trouble

swarner · 03-21-2006, 11:57 AM

Okay

Thanks for your help though

**forcifer** · 03-21-2006, 01:26 PM

=/ servers do that alot. rundun psu. i think what he ment was to power some of the stuff with one and some of it with another. i dont think it would work either. get an enermax psu though. they are a very good brand =)

Magical · 03-22-2006, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whosdat

well, how would you achieve that task? by splicing both the mainboard's power supplies together? and have a pig tail going to the mother board? along with all the other leeds?
and what will you do with the second supply? duct tape it to the top of the case?
its not worth it....its trouble

you know whats funny i actually seen it done lol..... i've also seen it done right in a sli rig i never seen it done right in person...if you google rig of the month and skim through them there is one rig that he linked the powersupplys dont know how he managed to fit it in though he probably modded his case out the ying yang.

ebackhus · 03-22-2006, 01:49 PM

Instead of a case you bolt your hardware to the wall and build a case around it. I've seen it done and it looks sooooooo awesome.

03-20-2006, 06:51 PM	#1 (permalink)
swarner Registered User Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Ireland Posts: 272 OS: Vista Ultimate	Can my PSU cut it?? Hi Im about to upgrade my radeon 9200 AGP to a Gainward GeForce 7800GS 256MB GDDR3, AGP8X, And i was wondering if my 350W PSU has enough juice to power this monster card MY Rig: AMD Athalon XP 2600+ 1gig RAM 80GB Hard disk Gigabyte GA-7VM400M (Mobo) Radeon 9200 350W PSU __________________ Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad Computers are like air conditioners. They work best with windows closed.

03-20-2006, 09:58 PM	#2 (permalink)
koala Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: UK Posts: 12,417 OS: XP/7/Ubuntu My System	Probably not. Run this power calculator and add 30% for a more accurate figure. __________________ New members: Subscribe to your thread (Thread Tools) to receive an instant email notification when you get a reply. TSF Folding@Home Team 85015 - details here

03-20-2006, 10:35 PM	#3 (permalink)
forcifer ole' Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Kansas City kansas Posts: 3,631 OS: Vista Premium 32 My System Blog Entries: 1	=/ i would also consider upgrading your proc. it might bottle neck your new vga __________________

03-21-2006, 02:24 AM	#4 (permalink)
baldasacoot Registered User Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 74 OS: W2K	http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/ The calculator at this site doesn't have my 3.2 GHz 800 FSB Northwood cpu on it. Have I been misinformed about my cpu specs? EG, have I had a Prescott all along? ~ __________________ Gigabyte GA-8IPE1000G rev 4.0 (865PE, 800 MHz FSB), Intel P4 3.2 GHz HT, Tagan 530 W Two Force psu, 1024 MB DDR 400 RAM (PC3200), 160 GB Western Digital Caviar WD1600JB, Optiarc DVD RW AD-7170A, Sapphire 512 MB Radeon X1950 Pro, 19" NEC MultiSync 90GX2Pro (1280 x 1024),

03-21-2006, 08:36 AM	#7 (permalink)
swarner Registered User Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Ireland Posts: 272 OS: Vista Ultimate	thanks for all the help But the power supply calculator says i only need about 310W?? Athough it didnt list my card, so i said i have a 6800ultra and added 5 wats! But i did as you said "KOALA" and added 30% which brought me up to 403W that seems like a big jump and a very inacurate power calculator? __________________ Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad Computers are like air conditioners. They work best with windows closed.

03-21-2006, 02:52 AM	#5 (permalink)
~~whodat~~ Register user Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 5,931 OS: XP	run sandra for system info

03-21-2006, 08:53 AM	#8 (permalink)
koala Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: UK Posts: 12,417 OS: XP/7/Ubuntu My System	Good quality PSUs run at about 70% efficiency (cheap PSUs can be as low as 50%). It's only a rough guide as power demands fluctuate depending on what you're doing. I'd go for at least a 450W, preferably a good quality 550W. __________________ New members: Subscribe to your thread (Thread Tools) to receive an instant email notification when you get a reply. TSF Folding@Home Team 85015 - details here

03-21-2006, 09:35 AM	#9 (permalink)
swarner Registered User Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Ireland Posts: 272 OS: Vista Ultimate	Thanks again So i probaly wont get away with this PSU: In Win Powersupply ATX 430W 120mm Fan, 20/24pin,(€45) __________________ Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad Computers are like air conditioners. They work best with windows closed.

03-21-2006, 10:13 AM	#10 (permalink)
~~whodat~~ Register user Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 5,931 OS: XP	get a quality power supply $75 plus and please lose the image in your sig

03-21-2006, 10:14 AM	#11 (permalink)
koala Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: UK Posts: 12,417 OS: XP/7/Ubuntu My System	I couldn't find many details on it. If it's this one then it doesn't look too good. I'd go for something more like this Enermax FMA 535W __________________ New members: Subscribe to your thread (Thread Tools) to receive an instant email notification when you get a reply. TSF Folding@Home Team 85015 - details here

03-21-2006, 10:40 AM	#12 (permalink)
swarner Registered User Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Ireland Posts: 272 OS: Vista Ultimate	Thanks for the advice, Yeh thats the PSU i had in mind, you found the exact same site and all!! i have another question though, i have a spare 300W PSU, could i use both PSU's? For example have one PSU power my 7800 video card and Hard drive and have the other power the rest of the computer, or would this confuse my mobo or something? __________________ Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad Computers are like air conditioners. They work best with windows closed. Last edited by swarner; 03-21-2006 at 10:41 AM.

03-21-2006, 10:47 AM	#13 (permalink)
koala Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: UK Posts: 12,417 OS: XP/7/Ubuntu My System	Same site... I was trying to find an Irish one for you, and that was the only one. The Enermax link is a UK company I've used before, excellent service. Not sure about using 2 PSUs, I've never tried it. Hang on for some more replies, someone will be able to advise you on this. __________________ New members: Subscribe to your thread (Thread Tools) to receive an instant email notification when you get a reply. TSF Folding@Home Team 85015 - details here

03-21-2006, 11:08 AM	#14 (permalink)
~~whodat~~ Register user Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 5,931 OS: XP	hello swarner no, you cant run 2 power supplies in tandem

03-21-2006, 11:28 AM	#15 (permalink)
swarner Registered User Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Ireland Posts: 272 OS: Vista Ultimate	I dont want to sound rude, but why not? __________________ Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad Computers are like air conditioners. They work best with windows closed.

03-21-2006, 11:52 AM	#16 (permalink)
~~whodat~~ Register user Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 5,931 OS: XP	well, how would you achieve that task? by splicing both the mainboard's power supplies together? and have a pig tail going to the mother board? along with all the other leeds? and what will you do with the second supply? duct tape it to the top of the case? its not worth it....its trouble

03-21-2006, 11:57 AM	#17 (permalink)
swarner Registered User Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Ireland Posts: 272 OS: Vista Ultimate	Okay Thanks for your help though __________________ Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad Computers are like air conditioners. They work best with windows closed.

03-21-2006, 01:26 PM	#18 (permalink)
forcifer ole' Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Kansas City kansas Posts: 3,631 OS: Vista Premium 32 My System Blog Entries: 1	=/ servers do that alot. rundun psu. i think what he ment was to power some of the stuff with one and some of it with another. i dont think it would work either. get an enermax psu though. they are a very good brand =) __________________

03-22-2006, 01:49 PM	#20 (permalink)
ebackhus Manager, Design Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: SATX Posts: 14,313 OS: WinXP Pro SP3/Windows 7 RTM My System Blog Entries: 28	Instead of a case you bolt your hardware to the wall and build a case around it. I've seen it done and it looks sooooooo awesome. __________________ ----------------------------- There are no dumb questions, unless a customer is asking them. Help in the fight against cancer and other serious illnesses.