Is my power supply up to it

Zaphrod

Zaphrod

Zaphrod

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Joined
13 Feb 2003
Posts
342
I am after a new graphics card, I have decided to go with an ATI 4890 if I can get away without upgrading anything else. My Main concern is that my powers supply is up to the job, my current system is as follows:

OCZ StealthXStream 600w Silent SLI Ready ATX2 Power Supply
Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.0GHz 'Wolfdale'
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro
Samsung SpinPoint SATA2 500GB
Maxtor DiamondMax 21 SATA 250GB
SEAGATE Barracuda 200.0GB SATA
Western Digital Caviar 200GB SATA2
OCZ 4GB (2x2GB) PC2-8500C5 1066MHz Dual Channel Platinum Series DDR2
OC Value 8800GTX
Sony DVD-RW IDE
USB Powered Scanner
USB Powered Logitech Headset
USB Printer
3x80mm case fans

If push comes to shove I can move all but one Hard Drive to my Home Server but would prefer to keep is as is.

So the question is is my PS up to the job and also a second question, Is my CPU going to be a bottle neck or will it keep up with the 4890? If it is a bottle neck which GFX Card would match up better with the e8400?
 
i had trouble booting a gtx 285 with that psu... had to switch back to a 9800 gt till i could get a better psu.. i would go for a better corsair or Be Quiet!
 
Your system is pretty much the same as mine, with a few different brands.

Certainly have no problem running an ATI 4890, it could just about run 2 in SLI.

Maybe a slight bottle neck, if you overclocked to 3600-4000mhz it would be nice.
 
Yes mate, the 600W ocz will be just fine. A hard drive is about 20W maximum, and that's only when it spins up. Not going to make a difference here.

Can definitely swap 8800gtx to 4890 without changing anything else. It's almost a sin to keep a e8400 at stock speeds though, it'll fly at 3.6 and take so little to get there. Ran mine at 3.6, 65 degrees load with a significantly worse cooler than yours.

p.s. credit to anyone who runs two 4890's in sli :p
 
Thanks all, I guess the worst that could happen is I wind up having to buy a new PSU. I might consider OCing the e8400 if I feel I will benefit but as long as I can run Modern Warfare 2 when its out I will be happy.
 
I've got the same PSU. Naturally, it was fine with my 4870 but I've shifted to a 4870x2 and it's a bit hit or miss if it boots up first time.

I'll need to wait a few weeks before I can budget in a more capable PSU.
 
Thanks, I will keep that in mind though I would suspect that a 4870x2 uses a bit more power than a 4890 so hopefully it will be ok.
 
Le Samourai said:
I've got the same PSU. Naturally, it was fine with my 4870 but I've shifted to a 4870x2 and it's a bit hit or miss if it boots up first time.

I'll need to wait a few weeks before I can budget in a more capable PSU.
Click to expand...

Funny you should say that....i bought the 4870x2 on Friday and now my pc doesnt kick off 1st time...you can see it struggling like its trying to boot but resets and tries again....could this be a problem with my psu......i have the thermaltake toughpower 700 watt.....thought that was more than enough for what i need...I have run 2 x 4870 in xfire before with no problems.....any idea what it could be if its not the psu


thx
 
Zaphrod said:
Thanks all, I guess the worst that could happen is I wind up having to buy a new PSU. I might consider OCing the e8400 if I feel I will benefit but as long as I can run Modern Warfare 2 when its out I will be happy.
Click to expand...
I dont think that game will be too demanding....Niether would World at war had it been made by Activision with Infinity ward.
I am looking for some parts now for the same reasons as you, well to play latest games on full whack. I still have not played GTA4 yet.
Any ideas? I might even go for a full build which I have never done before, well not since 1998 but even though I work in IT and cannot be arsed, any ideas?
 
Griff7520 said:
Funny you should say that....i bought the 4870x2 on Friday and now my pc doesnt kick off 1st time...you can see it struggling like its trying to boot but resets and tries again....could this be a problem with my psu......i have the thermaltake toughpower 700 watt.....thought that was more than enough for what i need...I have run 2 x 4870 in xfire before with no problems.....any idea what it could be if its not the psu


thx
Click to expand...

The PSU could be something you'll need to think about. PSU's usually have a bit more overhead and the OCZ 600 was tested and shown to be able to draw up to 720W but probably not stable (temps will go up, ripple, etc).

So, your 700 toughpower should be able to do a bit more. Although, for a substantial PC, I'd be tempted to aim for about 850 and above to cater for adding to the setup.

I've dropped the overclock on my Q6600 and it seems fine for booting up now but I avoid using Sleep on the PC - it really struggles there - had to restart it about 5 times.
 
Le Samourai said:
I've got the same PSU. Naturally, it was fine with my 4870 but I've shifted to a 4870x2 and it's a bit hit or miss if it boots up first time.

I'll need to wait a few weeks before I can budget in a more capable PSU.
Click to expand...

same problem with 285. that ocz psu wasnt powerul enough...hit and miss
 
Well I bought the Asus 4890 today along with a new Dell 2209WA monitor so I hope my PSU will take it. I figured why buy a new graphics card and not use it to its full potential so my old 19 inch LG wont cut it. Hope this Dell is as good as everyone says.
 
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