# Power Supply (PSU) Tech Guide



## linkin

This guide will aim at updating the existing guides on powersupplies which have not seen activity in some time.

Most of the research has been done in the two previous threads which I will link in this guide. Since then, we have new powersupplies and new components, and thus new power requirements. Let's begin.

*Part One*

Powersupplies are _the_ most important component in a computer, besides the motherboard. They are the lifeblood of the system. The heart of a human body, if you will. Many, if not all, cheap and nasty powersupplies are based on older systems, which mainly use the +5v rail. This is untrue of today's systems, which use mainly the +12v rail.

*Bad Powersupplies*

Cheap and nasty powersupplies, as well as being based on outdated and no longer used designs, have no surge protection, no over voltage or over current protection, no under voltage or under current protection, and are massively overrated in wattage and amperage, and have no PFC, active or passive. They may have passive or no cooling. They will die in one power surge, one lightning strike, or whenever they generally feel like kicking the bucket.

These are the power supplies that plague online and retail stores in sheer quantity and low price. They are to be avoided at all costs. *You get what you pay for.* They are also much too common in prebuilt machines, as they are not designed to be upgraded, the manufacturer adopts a "one size fits all" approach.

Also note that many cheap powersupplies are light in weight, due to having less essential components. While not a deciding factor, weight can play a part in choosing a good or bad powersupply. If you do compare this way (which I do not recommend) you need to check the weight of the unit itself, not the whole retail box and all of its accessories.

The worst thing about these powersupplies is that when they fail, they will *take other components out with them.* This means replacing most or all of your components because one bad component failed. The same goes for poor quality motherboards with poor quality VRM's.

It may cost you $20 to buy that power supply at the time, but replacing your fried motherboard, processor, hard drive, video card, sound card, and optical drive will cost you hundreds of dollars or more. It is better to pay for a higher quality powersupply than risk all of your components, especially if the computer in question is needed to be run 24/7, as a server or otherwise.

*Good Powersupplies*

Good powersupplies have Active PFC, Over-voltage and Over-current protection, Under-voltage and Under-current protection, are 80Plus Bronze certified at minimum, have appropriate connections for their wattage, are not rated at peak usage, and can handle the load it says it can on the sticker. They have good cooling, have some decent weight to them, and are generally bigger in size, and have thicker gauge wires required to deliver power properly without heating up or melting.

Bear in mind that wattage is not the only factor in choosing a powersupply, in fact it is one of the last things to consider. Amperage is very important. Cheap powersupplies on old designs generally have low +12v amperage which is problematic for today's systems, as most components draw power from the +12v rail(s)

PSU's based on older designs have the majority of their power available on the +5v rail. This is important if you are looking for a powersupply for an older system. You need to choose appropriately.

*Power Supply Rails*

Every power supply takes your 220/240v or 110v/120v AC input (depending on where you live) and converts it to +/-12v, +/-5v and +/-3.3V DC for output. Modern power supplies are essentially +12v only, with transformers that filter it down to +5v and +3.3v for appropriate use. This improves efficiency & power stability as the unit essentially only has to create one voltage.


With single rail powersupplies, it generally doesn't matter where you plug your hardware into, as long as it's the correct plug, and you're not exceeding the maximum rated wattage and amperage for that particular voltage rail.

With true multi rail power supplies, you do have to be careful not to put all peripherals onto one rail, but divide them up to balance the load. Otherwise it's like putting all of a ships cargo stacked up on the rear of the ship. It's going to cause problems.

Useful links regarding power supply rails:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_supply_rail

http://www.playtool.com/pages/psumultirail/multirails.html

*Part Two*

Below is a table of graphics cards and minimum/recommended powersupply specs for them. This list was taken from ceewi1's table and updated based on new information, videocards and powersupplies. The original threads are here:

http://www.computerforum.com/90110-power-recommendations-video-card.html

http://www.computerforum.com/90117-ceewi1s-psu-recommendations.html

****Wattages and amperages are entire system recommendations*****

*ATI/AMD Dual Card*

*Card......................................Wattage ..................+12V Amperage**

HD 6990 Crossfire.....................850W ..........................54A
HD 6970 Crossfire.....................800W ..........................50A
HD 6950 Crossfire.....................750W .........................48A
HD 6870 Crossfire.....................700W .........................44A
HD 6850 Crossfire.....................650W .........................42A
HD 6790 Crossfire.....................600W .........................40A
HD 5970 Crossfire....................1200W .........................82A
HD 5870 Crossfire.....................750W .........................58A
HD 5850 Crossfire.....................700W .........................52A
HD 5830 Crossfire.....................700W .........................48A
HD 5770 Crossfire.....................650W .........................42A		
HD 5750 Crossfire.....................600W .........................38A
HD 5670 Crossfire.....................550W .........................36A
HD 4890 Crossfire.....................750W .........................50A
HD 4870 Crossfire.....................600W .........................42A
HD 4850 Crossfire.....................550W .........................40A
HD 3870X2 Crossfire..................750W .........................60A
HD 3870 Crossfire.....................550W .........................42A
HD 3850 Crossfire.....................550W .........................42A
HD 2900XT Crossfire..................750W .........................60A
HD 2900GT Crossfire..................550W .........................40A
HD 2600XT Crossfire..................550W .........................30A
X1950 Crossfire........................550W .........................38A
X1900GT Crossfire.....................550W .........................38A
X1800 Crossfire........................550W .........................38A*


*ATI/AMD Single Card*

*Card..................................Wattage .................+12V Amperage**

HD 6990...............................650W ..........................44A
HD 6970...............................550W ..........................38A
HD 6950...............................500W ..........................36A
HD 6870...............................500W .........................32A
HD 6850...............................500W .........................30A
HD 6790...............................500W .........................30A
HD 5970...............................650W .........................42A
HD 5870...............................500W .........................34A
HD 5850...............................500W .........................32A
HD 5830...............................500W .........................30A
HD 5770...............................450W .........................26A
HD 5750...............................450W .........................26A
HD 5670...............................400W .........................22A
HD 4890...............................500W .........................36A
HD 4870x2............................650W .........................42A
HD 4870...............................500W .........................34A
HD 4850...............................500W .........................30A
HD 4830...............................450W .........................28A
HD 4770...............................500W .........................28A
HD 4670...............................450W .........................26A
HD 4650...............................400W .........................24A
HD 4550...............................350W .........................22A
HD 3870X2............................550W .........................34A
HD 3870...............................450W .........................26A
HD 3850...............................450W .........................26A
HD 2900XT............................550W .........................34A
HD 2900GT............................450W .........................30A
HD 2600XT............................400W .........................22A
HD 2600Pro...........................400W .........................20A
HD 2400Pro...........................300W .........................18A
X1950..................................450W .........................30A
X1900GT...............................400W .........................25A
X1900..................................450W .........................30A
X1900..................................450W .........................30A
X1800..................................450W .........................30A
X1650..................................350W .........................20A
X1300..................................350W .........................18A*


*nVidia Dual Card*

*Card...................................Wattage .................+12V Amperage**

GTX 590 SLI...........................950W .........................72A
GTX 580 SLI...........................900W .........................60A
GTX 570 SLI...........................850W .........................58A
GTX 560 Ti SLI........................700W .........................50A
GTX 550 Ti SLI........................600W .........................38A
GTX 480 SLI...........................850W .........................60A
GTX 470 SLI...........................800W .........................55A
GTX 460 SLI...........................700W .........................42A
GTS 450 SLI...........................600W .........................38A
GTX 295 SLI..........................1000W ........................70A
GTX 285 SLI...........................800W .........................50A
GTX 280 SLI...........................750W .........................48A
GTX 275 SLI...........................700W .........................46A
GTX 270 SLI...........................700W .........................46A
GTX 260 SLI...........................650W .........................42A
GTS 250 SLI...........................600W .........................38A
9800GTX+ SLI.........................600W .........................38A
9800GTX SLI..........................600W ..........................38A
9800GT SLI............................600W ..........................38A
9600GT SLI............................500W ..........................28A
9600GSO SLI..........................450W ..........................26A
9500GT SLI............................400W ..........................24A
9400GT SLI............................400W ..........................24A
8800Ultra SLI.........................750W ..........................60A
8800GTX SLI..........................700W ..........................56A
8800GT SLI............................600W...........................48A
8800GTS SLI..........................650W ..........................52A
8600GTS SLI..........................450W ..........................24A
8600GT SLI............................400W ..........................22A
8500GT SLI............................400W ..........................22A
7800GTX SLI..........................500W ..........................34A
7950GT SLI............................500W ..........................28A
7900GS SLI............................500W ..........................28A
7800GT SLI............................450W ..........................26A
7600GT SLI............................400W ..........................24A
7600GS SLI............................400W ..........................20A*

*nVidia Single Card*

*Card..................................Wattage .................+12V Amperage**

GTX 590...............................750W .........................46A
GTX 580...............................600W .........................42A
GTX 570...............................550W .........................38A
GTX 560 Ti............................500W .........................30A
GTX 550 Ti............................450W..........................26A
GTX 480...............................600W .........................42A
GTX 470...............................550W .........................38A
GTX 460...............................450W .........................24A
GTS 450...............................400W .........................22A
GT 440.................................300W .........................22A
GT 430.................................300W .........................22A
GTX 295...............................680W .........................52A
GTX 285...............................550W .........................42A
GTX 280...............................550W .........................40A
GTX 275...............................550W .........................38A
GTX 270...............................550W .........................38A
GTX 260...............................500W .........................36A
GTS 250...............................450W .........................24A
GT 240.................................300W .........................18A
GT 220.................................300W .........................18A
GT 210.................................300W .........................18A
9800GX2...............................580W .........................46A
9800GTX...............................450W .........................38A
9800GT.................................400W .........................28A
9600GT.................................400W .........................28A
9600GSO...............................400W .........................26A
9500GT.................................350W .........................20A
9400GT.................................300W .........................18A
8800Ultra..............................500W .........................34A
8800GTX...............................450W .........................30A
8800GT.................................400W .........................26A
8800GS.................................450W .........................30A
8800GTS...............................400W .........................28A
8600GTS...............................350W .........................20A
8600GT.................................300W .........................20A
8500GT.................................300W .........................18A
8400GS.................................300W .........................20A
7800GTX...............................400W .........................26A
7950GT.................................350W .........................22A
7900GS.................................350W .........................20A
7800GT.................................350W .........................20A
7800GS.................................350W .........................20A
7600GT.................................350W .........................18A
7600GS.................................350W .........................18A
7300GT.................................350W .........................18A
7300LE.................................350W ..........................18A
7300GS.................................300W .........................18A
7100GS.................................250W .........................18A	
6200LE.................................250W ..........................18A*

*Other Low-end/Integrated..........250W.........................18A*

*-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Power Supply Recommendations

Recommend Power Supplies. In no specific order. Choose based on your power needs.

XFX P1-650X-CAG9 650W - $59.99 After Rebate: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207002

Antec NEO ECO 520C - $59.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371030

Silverstone Strider Plus ST75F-P 750W $129.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256059

PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II PPCMK2S500 - $89.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703025

SeaSonic M12II 620 - $129.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151095 OUT OF STOCK

XFX Black Edition XPS-850W-BES - $159.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207001

Xigmatek NRP-MC702 - $109.95: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817815014

Corsair CMPSU-750TX - $99.99 After Rebate: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

Antec TruePower Quattro TPQ-1000 - $189.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371012

OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ700MXSP - $79.99 After Rebate: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341018

CoolerMaster Silent Pro RS850-AMBAJ3-US - $149.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171048

Antec EarthWatts EA650 - $64.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371015

XFX P1-650X-CAH9 650W - $68.99 After Rebate: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207007

OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ750FTY - $79.99 After Rebate: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341041

Silverstone Strider Plus ST60F-P 600W - $109.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256064

Corsair CMPSU-650HX - $104.99 After Rebate: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139012

CoolerMaster Silent Pro M600 - $69.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171036

SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W - $74.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151094

Antec TruePower TP-650W - $79.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371021



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*

Most graphics card requirement figures came from ceewi1's existing table, new information from http://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?topic=104805.0;wap2 along with various GPU manufacturers websites such as www.xfx.com - www.evga.com - www.sapphiretech.com - www.msi.com - www.gainward.com - www.palit.biz - www.powercolor.com

*Accurately calculating power draw and PSU requirements​*
I still see a lot of people recommending power supplies for builds based on the "recommended" wattages put up by Intel/AMD/Nvidia or who ever. For the most part, those will help you, but too many people take that as the minimum wattage for the graphics card or single piece of hardware alone. That is incorrect and leads to people buying stupidly high wattage power supplies when they can run perfectly fine, with overclocking headroom, on half the wattage. To properly calculate required wattage, you need not use over-estimating online calculators, as they are also just a rough guess.

To calculate your power supply requirements and wattage/amperage you will need, we need a few things:


The components you want to buy and their TDP's (Thermal Design Power)
Some basic knowledge of electricity and maths
A calculator that can add, divide, subtract and multiply
A budget for a power supply


*Wattage and Amperage​*

Let's begin by taking the following components at their stock specifications and adding their maximum TDP's together for total power draw:

Intel i7 2600K (95W)
GTX 570 (225W)
Samsung F3 1TB (25W)

Those are maximum values.

That gives a total of 345 Watts, at maximum load. That means you could run a system with a 2600K and GTX 570 on a *quality* 400W power supply, and only at bone stock settings. However, a 400W power supply won't have the full 400W available on the one rail. It will be split between the 3.3v, 5v, and 12v rails. For today's computers, the 12v rail is the most important and thus has the most power available compared to the other rails. I have also not included things like Motherboard and RAM power usage because they are hard to find, and not listed on manufacturer sites. Because of this, and overclocking, you want headroom when buying a powersupply. How much depends on how far you intend to overclock or how much hardware you will be packing into your system. Obviously, the more hardware, the more power it will draw.

But this only gives us a wattage. Sometimes, multiplying the amperage by 12 will give you a smaller number than what is on the wattage sticker. Likewise, diving the wattage by 12 may give you a smaller total amperage than what the sticker tells you. It is very important to calculate both, and use the one that gives you the smaller number. Why? It's because you'd rather be safe than sorry when calculating your power draw. Moving on, 345 divided by 12 gives us 28.75. This would be our maximum amperage draw. Compare this to your chosen PSU's specifications and judge accordingly.


*Efficiency, and why it matters*​

Moving on to efficiency. Let's take that previous 345W, and say that the power supply powering those parts is 50% efficient. This still means your system is only drawing 345W from the power supply, but the power supply would be drawing 690 Watts from the wall socket. Why is this important? It's important because this will affect your power bill! This is why you want a power supply that has high efficiency, and because different systems have different roles, you will want a different power supply for a system that will be folding 24/7 and seldom idle, compared to an all-around home system that will be browsing, doing office work and playing games. Let's start with the folding example and the previous parts/wattages listed, and choose a power supply.

Because the system would be on 24/27 and at maximum load, drawing 345W, we would choose a power supply that would be 80Plus Gold/Platinum rated at 450 watts or so. For example, the Seasonic X-460 Fanless Gold. Why? The power supply will have a small amount of headroom, giving us higher efficiency. This will help lessen your power bill compared to running an 850W 80Plus Silver rated power supply. Why? The power supply would be under a lower load, leaving us with lower efficiency, which will mean it draws more power from the socket and will increase your power bill.

Let's take that same system and wattage and assume it's a home system this time. It's almost the same deal, except that the system would be idling most of the time, but would still reach maximum load on games and perhaps benchmarks. Efficiency will once again play a part in this. In this position, something like a Seasonic X-650 80Plus Gold will be more ideal for the home user/gamer/benchmarker. For one, you will still have decent efficiency at idle/low loads, you will have good efficiency at full load, and you will also have headroom for overclocking or another graphics card.


*Conclusion​*

In conclusion, before choosing a power supply and parts, it is utterly important to properly calculate your needed wattage and amperage. The best case scenario of a bad/wrong power supply is having an AX1200 for a system that draws 200W. Your system will work perfectly fine, but efficiency will be woeful. In the reverse scenario, having a system that needs 600w on a 450W power supply, you are likely to end up with dead hardware. While I have not touched on quality vs. junk power supplies, it is very important to choose a quality one for your peace of mind and for your wallet. You don't want to be replacing your entire system because your yum cha power supply blew up into smoke. Please take the time to research your power needs carefully!


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## StrangleHold

My only problem with power supplies guides.

Just having a bad or good. The bad list is no brainer. But just having a good list is alittle misleading. Say above the Rosewill, even the better units should not be on the same list as like the Corsair HX/any Seasonic/XFX units. Cooler Master can have models that land in a good or better class depending on the model. Same with OCZ different models.

I know it would be more complicated. 

But a Good/Better and Best list would be cool. Like by Manufacture and Model.

Now the Power Supply Recommendations. Thats going to be hard to keep up with. New models/sale prices/free shipping. One model of XFX this week thats a good deal gets beat next week by Corsair with 20 bucks off and free shipping. Not saying its a bad idea, but hard to keep up with.

And watch how you word things. Like the Zalman in the Power Supply Recommendations. You said it was made by Zalman. Its sold by Zalman, but made by Enhance.


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## Intel_man

StrangleHold said:


> My only problem with power supplies guides.
> 
> Just having a bad or good. The bad list is no brainer. But just having a good list is alittle misleading. Say above the Rosewill, even the better units should not be on the same list as like the Corsair HX/any Seasonic/XFX units. Cooler Master can have models that land in a good or better class depending on the model. Same with OCZ different models.
> 
> I know it would be more complicated.
> 
> But a Good/Better and Best list would be cool. Like by Manufacture and Model.
> 
> Now the Power Supply Recommendations. Thats going to be hard to keep up with. New models/sale prices/free shipping. One model of XFX this week thats a good deal gets beat next week by Corsair with 20 bucks off and free shipping. Not saying its a bad idea, but hard to keep up with.
> 
> And watch how you word things. Like the Zalman in the Power Supply Recommendations. You said it was made by Zalman. Its sold by Zalman, but made by Enhance.


So change the ranking to 

Avoid

Decent

Good


Like that?


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## Benny Boy

^I think he means.
Avoid list not needed. Just "If it's not on the list, it's - not recommended (or is to be avoided)" and not list those no braniers.
The list could have only the recommended, like
Good
Better
Best
With the label name & model, without who manufactured it or who's components it has, or prices.

Then when someone's shopping, they can refer to the list for their shopped/comboed etc choice.


----------



## linkin

Right then, If you guys think I should remove the "avoid" list then I will. Recommended powersupplies will be hard to keep up with, but I have plenty of time on my hands. I'll make it easier to read as well. If you have any specific recommendations or ones to remove from the list, feel free to post


----------



## Aastii

CM, Xclio, Gigabyte and Thermaltake shouldn't be on the good list, I would also rethink EVGA, their units are the same as Antec's and Corsair's for the most part, but, generally, cost a whole lot more. If I had to build a system, or was advising someone to build a system, I would lead them to Antec or Corsair first rather than EVGA, you get equal or better performance, for less price.

Zalman is listed twice on the good list

Be Quiet! Isn't listed at all on any of the lists, they should be on the good


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## linkin

Right. I got in contact with mep, for now this guide is a draft, we'll be making changes in a few days so consider it under contruction


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## StrangleHold

Something like a Good/Better and Best with Manufacture and Model.


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## linkin

I agree, and I'll talk to mep about it


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## StrangleHold

Like Corsair could fit in each class. From the Builders Series to TX/HX and AX series. But there will be arguments about what models fit where with each manufacture. LOL


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## linkin

It's quite complicated isn't it?  That's why I chose wattage...


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## StrangleHold

linkin said:


> It's quite complicated isn't it?  That's why I chose wattage...


 
No, I just mean in the Good/Better and Best list.


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## linkin

Right.

Any comments on the updated power recommendation by video card? Am I missing any cards or would they fall under 'other lowend/integrated' ?


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## StrangleHold

linkin said:


> Right.
> 
> Am I missing any cards or would they fall under 'other lowend/integrated' ?


 
I would cut the list alittle. With Nvidia stop at the 8500GT. AMD with the 3850. Not to many people buying X1900 or a 7900GT anymore. Would make the list shorter to add newer cards as they come out.


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## linkin

Very true. to be honest I just added the new cards, and mep is working on formatting it properly so all the voltages and amperages line up correctly.


----------



## NVX_185

Alright, I think I'll actually say something nice and cut this kid some slack, 

This is a great guide mate. It was good you stressed how important the PSU is in a computer, along with the fact that it could take out components with it if it failed. You should look for PSU's that 'fail safe', if you like. 

Also I think you could add to your article a little further, and stress that just wattage alone doesn't determine the correct application of the PSU for a setup... E.g., just because a good quality (e.g., Antec) PSU brand has 1k Watts, doesn't mean it will support a quad-SLi system... You need to take into account 12v rails, amperage on each rail, etc.  

Other than that, this should be a great guide for helping those a little less illiterate on PSU's.

After saying all this & reading this guide, I regret the purchase of a Tt Litepower 700W about a month ago


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## linkin

Thanks 

Ahh the litepowers! I had the 600w version. which this OCZ replaced. my brother has the litepower now, he's only running an E4400 and a 5770 so it should be okay 

I will make sure to note that wattage != quality/meets requirements too.


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## bomberboysk

I wouldn't ever recommend making a list solely on brand, plenty of examples out there of manufacturers who have both good and bad units on the market. OCZ for example is mostly cheap sirtec/FSP built stuff, not exactly what I would consider to be "good" units, more along the lines of "reasonably sufficient", as you definitely don't want to be pushing OCZ units at or near their rated wattages. I also see a few flaws in the bad list, most notably being sparkle. Sparkle has some decent units on the market (specifically those manufactured by great wall), Kingwin has decent units (Mach 1, Lazer for instance), Azza as well has had some decent Superflower manufactured ones.

As far as the Xclio units, i would consider all of the units ("Highend" or "lowend") to be middle of the road products, most of their units are manufactured by CWT, and have relatively decent specs, but nothing spectacular. Same for the rosewill units, "Highend" just doesn't give much information, there are only a handful (<10) of rosewill units that i would even consider recommending.

Basically, broad generalizations about power supplies based solely on manufacturer/reseller is unreliable. (XFX, Seasonic, Zalman, PCP&C(actually, with the release of the silencer Mk. II's i would hesitate to consider all pcp&c units great, as the original silencer outperforms the Mk. II in regulation and ripple suppression), and Enermax are all that coe to mind for units that are always good quality).




Aastii said:


> CM, Xclio, Gigabyte and Thermaltake shouldn't be on the good list, I would also rethink EVGA, their units are the same as Antec's and Corsair's for the most part, but, generally, cost a whole lot more. If I had to build a system, or was advising someone to build a system, I would lead them to Antec or Corsair first rather than EVGA, you get equal or better performance, for less price.
> 
> Zalman is listed twice on the good list
> 
> Be Quiet! Isn't listed at all on any of the lists, they should be on the good


EVGA sells one power supply, the SR-2 PSU. Its a TPQ-1200 OC edition from antec (built from Enhance internals) with a few small tweaks as well as a compliment of connectors to support the SR-2 and a quad sli setup. Corsair generally uses tweaked Seasonic or CWT platforms for their power supplies, a notable exception being the AX-1200 which was designed by corsair specifically and OEM'ed by flextronics.


----------



## Aastii

bomberboysk said:


> EVGA sells one power supply, the SR-2 PSU. Its a TPQ-1200 OC edition from antec (built from Enhance internals) with a few small tweaks as well as a compliment of connectors to support the SR-2 and a quad sli setup. Corsair generally uses tweaked Seasonic or CWT platforms for their power supplies, a notable exception being the AX-1200 which was designed by corsair specifically and OEM'ed by flextronics.



Every time I ever tried to do any research into them, I could only find info on one unit and thought I must be overlooking something, but obviously not. So far as I know, that unit is just an an Antec Quattro with a couple extra PCIe cables, very expensive PCIe cables at that...


----------



## bomberboysk

Aastii said:


> Every time I ever tried to do any research into them, I could only find info on one unit and thought I must be overlooking something, but obviously not. So far as I know, that unit is just an an Antec Quattro with a couple extra PCIe cables, very expensive PCIe cables at that...



Yeah, You're paying roughly $50-70 more than the TPQ-1200 OC for some extra PCIe cables(12x 6+2pin and 3x 6pin, vs 6x6 and 6x6+2 on the tpq-1200 OC), 2 less sata power connectors, 3 less molex,and 1 less floppy. It's mean't mainly for owners of SR-2 motherboards as it specifically fulfills the power connection requirements of that board. Granted, you do get EVGA support/warranty, which is pretty much the best in the business. Personally, I would just get the $219 tpq-1200 (non-OC edition) from provantage.


----------



## linkin

I'm waiting for mep to give the OK to start hacking away at anything, but yeah I may just remove both lists.


----------



## mep916

linkin said:


> I'm waiting for mep to give the OK to start hacking away at anything, but yeah I may just remove both lists.



Go for it. Perhaps a High/Mid Range/Low quality list? With the PSU guides, I was mostly concerned with updating the power recommendations and buyers guides. If we can improve upon the good/bad list, that would be fine too.


----------



## linkin

For now I have removed the good/bad lists, I will sort those out into low/midrange/high quality table later. I removed the Silencer Mk II as bomber pointed out the original Silencer beats it.

I'm going to be reading a lot of reviews today for powersupplies to put on the recommended list.


----------



## StrangleHold

I would not remove the Silencer Mk II, even though they changed manufactures and its not up to spec. with the original. Its still a good supply. Still better than alot of supplies.


----------



## mx344

Good work linkin, and everyone else who is aiding to this guide, I know it takes quite a bit of time and effort to make guides like these, keep up the good work!


----------



## bomberboysk

StrangleHold said:


> I would not remove the Silencer Mk II, even though they changed manufactures and its not up to spec. with the original. Its still a good supply. Still better than alot of supplies.



Ideally there should be lists of "Good power supplies" and then "Power supply recommended Buys", in which case it would fall better under the first category, as for the price many other units that easily exceed its specs can be had, with an attempt to maximize value for money for the buyers of power supplies.


----------



## linkin

Good idea  I am working on it... 11:30pm now


----------



## fastdude

Nice guide; Newegg don't stock the CX400W anymore


----------



## Aastii

fastdude said:


> Nice guide; Newegg don't stock the CX400W anymore



So far as I know the CX400W is, or is very soon going to be, discontinued, which is why it isn't stocked. The 430 is the replacement for it, but Corsair cheaped out and got CWT units to rebadge, rather than Seasonic. A CX430W is essentially an OCZ MedXStream 400W (also discontinued now I think, though I'm not certain on that)


----------



## fastdude

Aastii said:


> So far as I know the CX400W is, or is very soon going to be, discontinued, which is why it isn't stocked. The 430 is the replacement for it, but Corsair cheaped out and got CWT units to rebadge, rather than Seasonic. A CX430W is essentially an OCZ MedXStream 400W (also discontinued now I think, though I'm not certain on that)



Thanks for the clarification.
I'm pretty sure they don't make 400W ModXStreams anymore.
Do the non-modular StealthXStreams use the same parts?


----------



## Benny Boy

bomberboysk said:


> Ideally there should be lists of "Good power supplies" and then "Power supply recommended Buys", in which case it would fall better under the first category, as for the price many other units that easily exceed its specs can be had, with an attempt to maximize value for money for the buyers of power supplies.


　
Perhaps bomber didnt mean to keep up with the prices, I don't know. 
Maximizing the value would be done at time of purchase.

IMO,,(<which I know doesn't carry any weight around here)

If someone needed a ps they could check the current price of the listed units. 
Which reverts back to linkin's original 'by wattage' that has good merits. 
Wattage range, then g/b/b list for each range. When looking at the list a person could go to the wattage catagory, go to the g/b/b list below it, and have the name of the ps a link for specs and pricing from a web page. You wouldn't have to put the watts or price by the unit name in the list, as the web will supply that info. I know not everyone can or will buy from the same place, but seems like an easy way list it, look it up, and the specs/pricing.

Maximizing value:
An advisory to look for deals in other listed catagories,,as in - a better unit/deal for the $. More than that could be something like "deals of the week" or "rebates". If something like that was ^ used members could help linkin keep up with them. Just send him the link!

edit: just 2 catagories may be ok, but there may be a few that you'd want as the best.


----------



## linkin

Edited some more stuff, completely removed the PSU recommendations and re-did them, let me know what you think. Also fixed the inconsistency with part one/part two titles


----------



## linkin

Hey look, GTX 570 specs released:

http://www.techpowerup.com/135450/GeForce-GTX-570-Specifications-Release-Date-Leaked.html


----------



## bomberboysk

You may want to change "multiple card" to dual card, as tri and four way crossfire/SLI setups are becoming a bit more common.

Also, i would tend to suggest against recommending the OCZ units, for the most part they are Sirtec or FSP units that won't stay within ATX specs under load.


----------



## linkin

Good eye, And I will have another look at those OCZ units, read some proper reviews and so on.


----------



## Okedokey

Also, the total amperage on the 12V rail should be explained.  You cannot simply attribute the stated amperage or divide Watts by 12V to determine how the amperage distribution will apply.

What about sizing considerations?  ATX etc....

Im also of the opinion that no PSU below 26A should be recommended for any PCIe card.  

Without needing to do everything shown here, have a look here for a good PSU guide: http://www.techsupportforum.com/har...92217-power-supply-information-selection.html


----------



## linkin

Thanks for the input. I will read what you linked. Could you clarify what you mean by explaining the amperage on the 12v rail?

I'm not an expert, but aren't most "mutli-rail" PSU's just one rail divided up?


----------



## Okedokey

Absolutely, but some standards _specifry _that a 'rail' will be dedicated to the CPU and thus a simple addition of the rail amperages (12V) is not correct.  I would suggest we recommend for PSU's presented as  'multi rail', the user should deduct 12V+1 as a rule and then we recommend a min amperage from that.

A good example is a 500W PSU for example with 2 x 16A rails on the 12V.  Apart from immediately indicating and older design (when less components drew from the 12V rail and more on 5V or 3.3V), if the particular design standard specifies an isolated 12V+1 rail for the CPU, this pevents the rail 'sharing' load and thus effectively means the whole 12V rail system minus the CPU needs to run on the remaining (12V+2) 12V rail. 16A isn't enough for a system with a PCIe card - and this is without a doubt due to quality (efficiency, active power factor control, MTBF blah blah).

My point is, that for some PSUs, the amperage and wattage ratings don't tell the whole story.  I think this problem is important in the 400 - 550W category from what I have seen and the above point many need to be included in that section. These are the PSUs that you see go pop and take a nice new 5890 with it, or just basically give intermittent errors forevermore.  Simply because it 'looked like it had' 32A on the 12V rail.

Finally, if we are dedicating such a fine resource such as linkin for this task, (cheers mate  ), may be we should also consider making links (with references) to other excellent sources>

Some here:



> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_supply_rail





> http://www.techsupportforum.com/har...92217-power-supply-information-selection.html


this one by Mark Allen is amazing 





> http://www.playtool.com/pages/psumultirail/multirails.html



Im not saying make a link only, pull out the occassional paragraphy and reference it.  Pics also.  If you don't like pointing members away from CF, then simply reference the author (username/avatar).

It could look like this:



> *"Most of the standard silicon microchips of the time operated on 5 V power. Of the 63.5 watts these PSUs could deliver, most of it was on this +5 V rail.
> 
> The +12 V supply was used primarily to operate motors. Fan motors, floppy disk drives and later, hard disk drives. As more peripherals were added, more power was delivered on the 12 V rail. However, since most of the power is consumed by chips, the 5 V rail still delivered most of the power.
> 
> The −12 V rail was used primarily to provide the negative supply voltage to the RS-232 serial ports."*
> 
> Wiki, 2010


No point reinventing the wheel. :good: 

What would also be cool, is if we could have the top 10 or 20 FAQs, frequently asked questions.  We could hyperlink to a referenced paragraph for each.  CF's web host/admin, should be able to pull the top 10 search terms or phrases which could inform us of the right questions to use.  This would increase CF.com in traffic and thus revenue too.

There are quite a few boys that would probably help too, and of course that includes me. 

Also by Mark Allen -





> http://www.playtool.com/pages/basic3d/basics.html


Sorry for crapping on.


----------



## linkin

That's quite a post there, I'll certainly have a look at everything, But I am quite sick today 

Infact I shouldn't even be online


----------



## bomberboysk

bigfellla said:


> Absolutely, but some standards _specifry _that a 'rail' will be dedicated to the CPU and thus a simple addition of the rail amperages (12V) is not correct.  I would suggest we recommend for PSU's presented as  'multi rail', the user should deduct 12V+1 as a rule and then we recommend a min amperage from that.
> 
> A good example is a 500W PSU for example with 2 x 16A rails on the 12V.  Apart from immediately indicating and older design (when less components drew from the 12V rail and more on 5V or 3.3V), if the particular design standard specifies an isolated 12V+1 rail for the CPU, this pevents the rail 'sharing' load and thus effectively means the whole 12V rail system minus the CPU needs to run on the remaining (12V+2) 12V rail. 16A isn't enough for a system with a PCIe card - and this is without a doubt due to quality (efficiency, active power factor control, MTBF blah blah).
> 
> My point is, that for some PSUs, the amperage and wattage ratings don't tell the whole story.  I think this problem is important in the 400 - 550W category from what I have seen and the above point many need to be included in that section. These are the PSUs that you see go pop and take a nice new 5890 with it, or just basically give intermittent errors forevermore.  Simply because it 'looked like it had' 32A on the 12V rail.
> 
> Finally, if we are dedicating such a fine resource such as linkin for this task, (cheers mate  ), may be we should also consider making links (with references) to other excellent sources>
> 
> Some here:
> 
> 
> 
> this one by Mark Allen is amazing
> 
> Im not saying make a link only, pull out the occassional paragraphy and reference it.  Pics also.  If you don't like pointing members away from CF, then simply reference the author (username/avatar).
> 
> It could look like this:
> 
> No point reinventing the wheel. :good:
> 
> What would also be cool, is if we could have the top 10 or 20 FAQs, frequently asked questions.  We could hyperlink to a referenced paragraph for each.  CF's web host/admin, should be able to pull the top 10 search terms or phrases which could inform us of the right questions to use.  This would increase CF.com in traffic and thus revenue too.
> 
> There are quite a few boys that would probably help too, and of course that includes me.
> 
> Also by Mark Allen -
> Sorry for crapping on.


Definitely. Rails are one of the most confusing ideas about power supplies to those who are new to them.

Something else that you may want to add are explanations of common terms found in power supply descriptions, PFC (active vs. passive), OCP, OVP,80PLUS (80PLUS, Bronze, Silver, Gold), What ripple suppression and the ATX specs for ripple on each rail is, regulation and ATX specs for voltages by rail, what modular means, etc...

Also, just a formatting note, in most cases footnotes are usually a font size or two below that of the main text, to differentiate them from your compiled works.


linkin said:


> That's quite a post there, I'll certainly have a look at everything, But I am quite sick today
> 
> *Infact I shouldn't even be online *


Yet you are We need a health warning about how addictive computerforum may be, hehe.


----------



## linkin

Well I've been away for the weekend, I'll get working tomorrow


----------



## linkin

Did a little editing... How are we looking now?


----------



## Okedokey

Its a good improvement mate.  Still a few issues I think.  Well done, especially being sick and all.


----------



## linkin

Thanks


----------



## gamerwithoutrig

''GTX 580 SLI...........................850W .........................60A
GTX 570 SLI...........................800W .........................58A''
Is this the card themselves that takes 800/850 watt? or the whole system with them?


----------



## fastdude

gamerwithoutrig said:


> ''GTX 580 SLI...........................850W .........................60A
> GTX 570 SLI...........................800W .........................58A''
> Is this the card themselves that takes 800/850 watt? or the whole system with them?



The wattage figures above are the recommended PSU wattage for the whole system.
So if you had GTX580 SLi you'd want at least a 850W PSU.


----------



## linkin

Correct.

Also, I've been looking up that Corsair CX430. It's not a good powersupply at all. It can barely do 350 watts. All the primary capacitors are Chinese or Taiwanese, and it has zero PFC. The design is also similar in the VX450 and VX550 PSU's

So to anyone reading this, do not buy it. Antec and Silverstone have much better offerings in that wattage range, with quality parts.


----------



## Okedokey

daniel1881 said:


> hi, you posted on my computer that it looks good to you.
> http://www.computerforum.com/189228-need-help-first-build.html
> 
> I changed to the cooler master silent pro M600 600Watt.
> would it be better than the corsair TX 650Watt.



the Corsair would be better IMHO


----------



## gamerwithoutrig

NZXT Hale 90 Series - :good: or bad?


----------



## fastdude

Do you have wattage/amperage figures for the HD 6970 yet?


----------



## linkin

I have not looked recently, I shall do it now (even though it's 2:30am and I need sleep, I'll do it just for you )

EDIT: It's there now. the AMD website states 550w, for amperage I have used a "safe" value until I can find some solid sata.

The GTX 560's TDP is said to be 180w, by the CEO of nvidia himself... that's for the card only of course.


----------



## fastdude

linkin said:


> I have not looked recently, I shall do it now (even though it's 2:30am and I need sleep, I'll do it just for you )
> 
> EDIT: It's there now. the AMD website states 550w, for amperage I have used a "safe" value until I can find some solid sata.
> 
> The GTX 560's TDP is said to be 180w, by the CEO of nvidia himself... that's for the card only of course.



Aw thank you

Right, 550W is pretty good. Best to be on safe side eh?

Yeah... Wonder what the reference cooler'll be like... Maybe vapour chamber like its big brothers, but then again its just revised GF104, not GF110


----------



## fastdude

So theoretically, I could run a HD 5870 on my ModXStream Pro.


----------



## Giantz

I'm wondering how much of a difference it would make if my power supply has 38 amps on the 12v rail thing and crossfire 6850s require 40.

would the results be drastic??


----------



## bomberboysk

linkin said:


> Correct.
> 
> Also, I've been looking up that Corsair CX430. It's not a good powersupply at all. It can barely do 350 watts. All the primary capacitors are Chinese or Taiwanese, and it has zero PFC. The design is also similar in the VX450 and VX550 PSU's
> 
> So to anyone reading this, do not buy it. Antec and Silverstone have much better offerings in that wattage range, with quality parts.



CX430 does use chinese (Samxon) caps, could be better, definately could be worse. Yes, the +12v rails are rated @ 350W, but it does have active PFC (IIRC in the EU switched mode power supplies are required to have at bare minimum passive PFC, not 100% sure on that though). What does really let down the CX430 however is the efficiency, not even up to 80PLUS standards.

The seasonic S12II and even the ATNG built rosewill units are better quality though in the same price range...


----------



## BLITZKREIG99

Can anyone recommend a 400W PSU for a slim tower?


----------



## johnb35

BLITZKREIG99 said:


> Can anyone recommend a 400W PSU for a slim tower?



What brand and model of computer do you have?


----------



## BLITZKREIG99

Dell Dimension C521. And i just purchased a radeon hd4650 so i need more power. I haven't found anything that would help but i was going to attempt to do an external PSU. I was looking at a Thermaltake TR2, because i saw someone routed it through the computer.


----------



## linkin

You'll need a Micro-ATX PSU by the looks of it.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...7151063&cm_re=seasonic-_-17-151-063-_-Product

its only 350w though


----------



## BLITZKREIG99

linkin said:


> You'll need a Micro-ATX PSU by the looks of it.
> 
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...7151063&cm_re=seasonic-_-17-151-063-_-Product
> 
> its only 350w though




Do you think that will be enough power to run the card safely?


----------



## linkin

A 4650? yes. It has no additional connectors on the card, so the max it can draw is 75W from the PCI-E slot itself, powered by the main 24 pin connector.


----------



## BLITZKREIG99

linkin said:


> A 4650? yes. It has no additional connectors on the card, so the max it can draw is 75W from the PCI-E slot itself, powered by the main 24 pin connector.




I had a friend with a similar situation, and he said that he needed the required power for his. He didn't and it messed up his computer.


----------



## linkin

Id the card has on power connectors, it can only draw 75w from the slot.

Total power consumption varies based on the TDP of other components.


----------



## BLITZKREIG99

linkin said:


> Id the card has on power connectors, it can only draw 75w from the slot.
> 
> Total power consumption varies based on the TDP of other components.



ok then i'll go with it and give it a try and hopefully everything works out


----------



## gamerwithoutrig

GTX 560 needs 170 watts alone. Just a tip!


----------



## linkin

gamerwithoutrig said:


> GTX 560 needs 170 watts alone. Just a tip!



Thanks, It's on nvidia's site now, I'll see what EVGA say about the minimum amperage.

EDIT:

GTX 560 Ti single card/sli figures added. Sli Figures are a "safe" guess for now until I can pull actual figures.


----------



## gamerwithoutrig

So, I can't see the 6950, is it in the same range as the 6970?


----------



## linkin

Oh good point I will add it now.

EDIT: As of 9pm my time today, I will be gone for a week. Going to Melbourne to visit the grandparents. I most likely won't be online at all, but I think they have dialup.


----------



## msc

*looking for a quiet P/S*

Hi, Building a new computer. Can someone recommend a power supply? Hoping to find some thing 650/800W and is quiet. And would like to stay under $100.00
Thank you, Mark


----------



## gamerwithoutrig

silverpower, is that a no good or?


----------



## gamerwithoutrig

and 6950 with flashed bios, how much?


----------



## linkin

Updated prices on the recommended power supplies list.

Remember if you have any issues or recommendations for the list don't hesitate to post or PM me with your thoughts.


----------



## linkin

I have done some more editing today, mostly to improve the readability of the guide, fixed formatting and spelling errors and so on, and most notably un-centred the text.

Please give me your thoughts.


----------



## linkin

GTX 590 and GTX 590 SLI figures have been added.


----------



## linkin

GTX 550 and GTX 550 SLI figures added.

I think I should eventually add some tri-sli or crossfire-x figures eventually, what does everyone else think?


----------



## Breadman177

How about a who makes what guide. You could list a good, better, best list of the actual makers then the next list would have for example XFX=Seasonic or whatever the case may be. At least for the ones that have all their stuff made by the same company then go from there. Sound like a good idea?


----------



## fastdude

Any figures for the HD6790 yet?


----------



## linkin

fastdude said:


> Any figures for the HD6790 yet?



Not yet, I'll get onto it along with the GTX 550, and non-Ti GTX 560


----------



## linkin

6790 and 6990 figures added.


----------



## linkin

Updated and added a bunch more information from _another_ guide sort of thing I wrote on another forum.


----------



## mihir

linkin said:


> Updated and added a bunch more information from _another_ guide sort of thing I wrote on another forum.



Check this out if you haven't done yet(Which I seriously doubt :good
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&file=print&reid=238

I was wondering whether it seriously is as good as they are claiming it to be since I never thought an OCZ PSU would do this well.

Also how good are the OCZ Z series compared to the ZX series?


----------



## StrangleHold

mihir said:


> Check this out if you haven't done yet(Which I seriously doubt :good
> http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&file=print&reid=238
> 
> I was wondering whether it seriously is as good as they are claiming it to be since I never thought an OCZ PSU would do this well.
> 
> Also how good are the OCZ Z series compared to the ZX series?


 
OCZ can make a pretty good power supply. Depends on what model and who made it. But they do make some mediocre units too.

The Z is a older model made by Highpower. The ZX is a newer model made by FSP. The ZX seems to test alittle better.


----------



## Aastii

I reckon you need to update the recommended PSU list, and put it in some sort of order, be it wattage or price.

There are so many excellent units being missed out on in favour of some which, when you look at the prices, aren't worth it compared to what else you can get.

the rest of it seems pretty solid, good job :good:


----------



## mihir

StrangleHold said:


> OCZ can make a pretty good power supply. Depends on what model and who made it. But they do make some mediocre units too.
> 
> The Z is a older model made by Highpower. The ZX is a newer model made by FSP. The ZX seems to test alittle better.



But FSP isin't that great,right???
I thought FSP at max was mediocre.
So how can it make a good PSU for OCZ


----------



## StrangleHold

mihir said:


> But FSP isin't that great,right???
> I thought FSP at max was mediocre.
> So how can it make a good PSU for OCZ


 
If you noticed I said they can make a (pretty good) one. There are alot better power power supplies in the 1000W range.


----------



## linkin

Thanks everyone. I guess I have some stuff to do over the weekend now  I suppose I'll organise them into wattage range or brands. The OCZ PSU you linked is alright. FSP is not bad, but there are better units out there. I wouldn't hesitate to use one.


----------



## Okedokey

I think really we still need to add the differences betewen ATX standards and how that effects 'multi' rail PSU amperage distribution.  I mean something with 2 x 12 V rail at 20A with ATX 1x standards can only provide 20A to the GPU minus the CPU.  Not enough.


----------



## linkin

Can't hurt, can it? I'll get around to it.


----------



## mohamoha6200

*your ideas plzz*

my config is :

Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3

amd phenom II X6 1090t BE

Sapphire radeon hd 5850 xtreme

corsair 2*2 Gb

cooler master hyper 212 plus

samsung 1 to HDD

My Qus :

Did a "be quiet pure power l7 530w" PSU would be enough to run my pc at max load ? ( even after overclocking ) ? 

Help me plz


----------



## tech savvy

You should also list that the power requirements you listed are for reference cards, not OC'ed one's. Ive seen a vid on youtube that had 2x6990's OC'ed that was pulling alittle over a 1000w(you have it at 850w).


----------



## linkin

tech savvy said:


> You should also list that the power requirements you listed are for reference cards, not OC'ed one's. Ive seen a vid on youtube that had 2x6990's OC'ed that was pulling alittle over a 1000w(you have it at 850w).Same with a single 6990, ive seen it hit up to 600w+,OC'ed.(you have it at 650w).



Noted. But as for 6990's pulling 1000W, that must include the rest of the system with a hefty overclock in everything, otherwise that's just unbelievable.


----------



## iamnoone

hey you posted these....


9600GT.................................400W .........................28A
but i ran that card at 17 amps and with a 250 watt psu???    and now i'm buying a gtx 460 1gb can you please recommended a psu which would allow some overclocking.....
i have 


Intel C2D E7200 OCed @ 3.60 ghz,1hdd,1dvdcdrw drive,one 12v fan and a gts 250 on a 450 watt psu giving 21 amps on +12v rail.Is that enough or should i buy a new one.


----------



## Okedokey

iamnoone said:


> hey you posted these....
> 
> 
> 9600GT.................................400W .........................28A
> but i ran that card at 17 amps and with a 250 watt psu???    and now i'm buying a gtx 460 1gb can you please recommended a psu which would allow some overclocking.....
> i have
> 
> 
> Intel C2D E7200 OCed @ 3.60 ghz,1hdd,1dvdcdrw drive,one 12v fan and a gts 250 on a 450 watt psu giving 21 amps on +12v rail.Is that enough or should i buy a new one.



You're a fool if you ran a 9600GT on a 250W PSU.  I also very much doubt a 250W PSU has 17A on the 12V rail.  It certainly couldn't provide that.

A GTX 460 OCd requires at least 26A on the 12V rail, I would rather see 500W quality PSU from something like Corsair.


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## linkin

I'll have to update this with the Radeon 7000 series soon. And the next Nvidia ones.

Guys, I'm quite busy, and I will be traveling to visit my grandfather who is not very well. It might be a while before I get a chance to properly do this. If anyone feels up to the challenge of adding the latest cards, give it a shot and ask an admin to add them, and refer them to this post. Thanks guys.


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## voyagerfan99

I'm still having issues with graphical crashes both in and out of game. Card was replaced by XFX, my mobo is fine, and so is my RAM. I'm wondering if I have an underpowered PSU. All specs are in my sig (running 3 HDD's though). I'm starting to think it's my PSU. Thought? I don't understand electronics very much, but from what I'm gathering from what I read I have a general idea.


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## linkin

Well what brand and model is it?


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## voyagerfan99

600W Cooler Master SilentPro


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## linkin

So what kind of problems are you getting? That PSU is rather solid, though. How long have you had it?


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## voyagerfan99

I've had it for maybe 6 months. I get random video driver crashes (that can recover) and other video crashes that don't recover and reboot the system.

I had the same issue with my other 750W Antec PSU; that's why I got this one.


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## linkin

Sometimes my games freeze up, the audio screeches, artifacts appear, the game crashes, and everything artifacts until I reboot my PC. It's weird. Anyway, done the usual driver update and so on?


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## voyagerfan99

Plenty of times before. Driver updates, Windows reloads. I just want to see if I can find a solution. Otherwise I'll live until I build a new rig or update my GPU.


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## jonnyp11

linkin said:


> Sometimes my games freeze up, the audio screeches, artifacts appear, the game crashes, and everything artifacts until I reboot my PC. It's weird. Anyway, done the usual driver update and so on?



i had issues like that before when i was overclocking the igpu on my emachine, then stopped and it stopped, just thought i'd mention since you have a superclocked edition.


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## linkin

I've gone through 5 video cards, two CPU's, at least four kits of RAM, two SSD's and two PSU's. So no. HDD has no errors either, I scan that regularly. I'm beginning to think it's a windows 7 problem.


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## StrangleHold

voyagerfan99 said:


> I've had it for maybe 6 months. I get random video driver crashes (that can recover) and other video crashes that don't recover and reboot the system.
> 
> I had the same issue with my other 750W Antec PSU; that's why I got this one.


 
Doubt its a P/S issue. The Cooler Master is ok, but it really only has in the 450W range on the 12V rail. I've seen that happen with a issue between a sound card and video card driver.


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## voyagerfan99

Like, I had more issues when I had my X-fi Titanium installed it crashed a lot more. Not so much these days, but it still happens.


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## StrangleHold

Have you tried with just the onboard sound and see what happens?


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## voyagerfan99

StrangleHold said:


> Have you tried with just the onboard sound and see what happens?



I've had the sound card out for a while now. Like I said, it happens, but not as often as it used to.


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## StrangleHold

Maybe try uninstalling your sound drivers and disabling your sound in the bios and see what happens. Anything just to try tracking it down.


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## ROFLcopter

Would it be bad if your PSU wattage matches the video card usage exactly? I have an Antec 750w continous PSU and a ATI 6950 video card. I saw the list states that crossfired 6950's require 750w. Should I upgrade to a 1000w PSU?


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## johnb35

ROFLcopter said:


> Would it be bad if your PSU wattage matches the video card usage exactly? I have an Antec 750w continous PSU and a ATI 6950 video card. I saw the list states that crossfired 6950's require 750w. Should I upgrade to a 1000w PSU?



You don't understand the chart.  The chart means if you are going to crossfire 2 6950's then you need a 750 watt psu with that many amps on the 12 volt rail.


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## ROFLcopter

So the chart is the recommended minimum size PSU that you should use with a particular card(s)? Good to know I don't have to buy another PSU . Thanks


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## johnb35

ROFLcopter said:


> So the chart is the recommended minimum size PSU that you should use with a particular card(s)? Good to know I don't have to buy another PSU . Thanks



correct


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## linkin

Everyone,

I will get around to updating this list again, bit more difficult working full time but I promise that it will get done in the next month


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## G80FTW

linkin said:


> Everyone,
> 
> I will get around to updating this list again, bit more difficult working full time but I promise that it will get done in the next month



You may want to add this as an update for the antec earthwatts :

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371056

This is probably what ill be getting


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## Cyalume

I have a few questions.

HD 6990 Crossfire.....................850W ..........................54A

Isn't the amperage determined by (Watts/Voltage)? If the HD 6990 is 850w, why isn't the amperage 71?


How much headroom should I allow for when buying a power supply?


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## Darren

It's 54 amps off the 12 volt rail, not across the whole PSU.

Obviously more is better but you should be fine with 850 watts for that setup as per suggested.


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## linkin

Cyalume said:


> I have a few questions.
> 
> HD 6990 Crossfire.....................850W ..........................54A
> 
> Isn't the amperage determined by (Watts/Voltage)? If the HD 6990 is 850w, why isn't the amperage 71?
> 
> 
> How much headroom should I allow for when buying a power supply?



I would say 25% headroom. Need 400W? get 500W. Need 600W? Get 750W


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## Okedokey

Pretty much covers everything ive been spruiking for years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UnhzoRf4C4#at=1854


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