Is my PSU good enough for a GF 8800GTS 320MB card?

[Noja87]

My friend recently bought this card and blew up 3 PSU with it. 2 450ws and 1 550w. But i have been reading on google a 500w is enough. So i dont know if his PSUs were just crappy ones.

This is mine Power Up 550-Watt ATX 120mm Fan SATA-Ready Power Supply GEN-2004 at TigerDirect.com (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2227022)

and this is what i want to get in 2 or 3 months.

Newegg.com - XFX PVT80GGHD4 GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150173)

[Spyhop]

Your power supply is fine. If your friend keeps blowing up PSU's he might have a short somewhere.

[Wortany]

Yeah, just make sure it's a quality psu, and don't mess with it.:dead:
I'm using a 420W with a 8800GTS 320mb version, and no problems here.

Also, perhaps don't buy the same kind of PSU's as your friend :p

[Noja87]

Awesome, thanks for the help ^^

[Cheesus]

I couldn't find any reliable reviews on the PSU, so IMO you're risking it with that power supply. Anandtech recently published an article on the best power supplies for various price ranges. Its a good read, and will probably be very helpful for you situation. LINK (http://anandtech.com/casecoolingpsus/showdoc.aspx?i=3359)

Also, why are you getting a 8800GTS? It really makes no sense. That's 2 generations old hardware. For 100$ less you can get a graphics card that will run laps around it. Specifically the ATI Radeon 4850, or the Nvidia 9800GTX+. IMO the 4850 is the better choice by quite a margin, but to all their own.

[IronicMan]

Never heard of Power Up, and most chance they uses inferior components. Given that the 12V is pretty good (32A), you could give it a try.

[gamefreak94]

My friend recently bought this card and blew up 3 PSU with it. 2 450ws and 1 550w.
Can you even get 2.4 kW PSUs, I thought that 2 kW was the max. What do you wanna do with it anyway. I mean even some wacky liquid cooling system, 8 GB RAM, 2 processors and 3 video cards can easily be powered by a 1.5 kW PSU

[Cheesus]

I think he meant TWO 450Watt power supplies. Not ONE 2450W PSU...

[Chaos_Blader]

I have never heard of the Power-UP brand, and you should really use a PSU that has a a good name. Also watts may not be enough you also have to check the 12v rail (30A+). I recommend Corsair 450vx. I was able to run an 8800GTX on it for 2 months (PSU did not fail, just upgraded to a Corsair 550).

[gamefreak94]

Oops. sorry Anyway, I guess I was a bit sleepy when I posted that reply. Either way, even high-end video cards like the 8800 only use round 60 watts.

[Cheesus]

What are you talking about? Jesus, the ignorance of some people on this forum is ridiculous. Look, if you're not sure about something google it... Don't say something, then be totally wrong, and look like a total jackass. It reflects badly on yourself and the accuracy of the advice given on the forum.

http://media.arstechnica.com/journals/hardware.media/nvidia1.jpg

[Noja87]

Weird, when my friend bought the 8800GTS the price was 150$ (185$ with S&H) and now the price is almost 300!? oO

Anyway, i will take Cheesus advice and get this instead Newegg.com - XFX PVT98FYDF9 GeForce 9800 GTX(G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150287)

Will take the risk with my PSU. If in 2 months i stop coming then you will all know what happened lol

[deamonhunter]

hey there
my card is the oced one and....... well Just see my rig

my psu delivers 350 watts and it was doing fine

but my pc starts shutting down if the cpu clock reaches 3.2 ghz

[TBx]

Just do this eXtreme Power Supply Calculator Lite v2.5 (http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp)

Also, I have the same card with a 600W PSU. According to the thing above the PSU I have is way overkill (I get 404W with my setup on ultra max load).

[Noja87]

I notice something. I dont know if this is a noobish question but...

System Requirements 450 Watt / 2 x 6-pin power connector
Power Connector 2 x 6 Pin

and my psu...

6-Pin PCI-Express Connector: 1

Does that mean im screwd with the 9800gtx? or it doesnt meant anything?

[Phil]

well you can always buy an 8 pin adapter but thats not recommended. but heck, i would buy a quality PSU before I bought a fast card..

[Spyhop]

Weird, when my friend bought the 8800GTS the price was 150$ (185$ with S&H) and now the price is almost 300!? oO

Anyway, i will take Cheesus advice and get this instead Newegg.com - XFX PVT98FYDF9 GeForce 9800 GTX(G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150287)

Will take the risk with my PSU. If in 2 months i stop coming then you will all know what happened lol

If you wanna go down the ATI road, $300 will get you one of the fastest cards on the market.

Newegg.com - VisionTek 900244 Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814129113)

[IronicMan]

9800GTX is a pretty good card. Do not get the old G80 8800GTS, they are obsolete.

Look for voltage drop on the +12V rail on load. If it drops too much, it means your PSU can not handle it.

[skoreanime]

Bwahaha, I go from a 2900XT to a GX2 :p You can tell I don't really care about the electricity bill...you can tell I live in a province where we sell power to other provinces and a state or two ;)

[StriderVM]

Weird, when my friend bought the 8800GTS the price was 150$ (185$ with S&H) and now the price is almost 300!? oO


You're actually referring to TWO different types of video cards.......

The older GeForce 8800GTS has two variants : 320MB and 640MB. These are three generations behind the latest video cards today.

Speed wise this is similar to a Radeon 3850 or Radeon 3870. So if you can a Radeon 3850 or 3870 at lower prices than the 8800GTS 320MB or 640MB, then buy it.

Then there's the newer GeForce 8800GTS, it has 512MB. This one runs on a better core and better optimized to they are MUCH faster than a Radeon 3870. This one is two generations behind the latest video cards. But speed wise, this video card is identical to a 9800GTX. This means buy whichever of the two have a lower price in your area.

However AMD/ATI has released a new video card that should match or even exceed the GeForce 8800GTS 512MB, it's the Radeon 4850. Now pick your poison. ;)

[Phil]

how about the 4870:p

[StriderVM]

.... That doesn't count. ;) We're not talking about the 2nd place in the fastest video cards out there..... :p

[Cheesus]

However AMD/ATI has released a new video card that should match or even exceed the GeForce 8800GTS 512MB, it's the Radeon 4850. Now pick your poison. ;)
It matches and beats the 9800GTX+, let alone the 8800GTS. The 8800 series is now no longer a viable option in just about any situation... Not even the G92 based ones.

[gamefreak94]

Look, if you're not sure about something google it...

I clearly saw it on a website, it didn't look that old but I guess it was.
P.S I cant find the link because I had to clean sweep my Windows due to a virus attack and I wasn't able to back up all my bookmarks.

[StriderVM]

I'm almost certain that specs wise, the 9800GTX and 8800GTS 512MB are quite similar in performance..... I think.... :p