Thinking about upgrading to a 3850 or 8800GS but has a 300w PSU.

[DeadlyNinja]

I'm not very good with PSU and reading the stuff on the power supply so I have no clue if my PSU can handle either of those 2 cards. Anyway, since I have no clue what to look for, I'm going to type out what's on the sticker of the PSU so that someone with more knowledge can tell me if it's enough, or should I upgrade my PSU as well.

Brand Hipro (it's a pre-built HP m7664x)

DC Output: +5v=/25A, +3.3v=/18A, +5VSB=/2A, +12V=/19A, -12V=/0.8A

+5V and 3.3v Shall Not Exceed 175W

+5V and +12V Shall Not Exceed 268W

Max Power Output 300W

So, should I upgrade my PSU for one of those cards, or am I safe? If not, any good recommendations for the PSU? I want to save money on the electric bill too.

Oh, and which is better, 3850 or 8800GS? I know the 9800GSO is the same thing, but seems like people want to get rid of their 8800GSes and have dropped the price to 99 bucks.

 

[spearman914]

No don't. A 300W makes the upgrade a waste sincce the 12V+ the amperage sucks.

 

[sorehammer]

you will need more power dude get a decent 500w that should see you fine.

 

[ShadowFold]

Get a 400w psu and a HD 3850. Or get a 8600GT so you dont have to upgrade your psu.

 

[DeadlyNinja]

you will need more power dude get a decent 500w that should see you fine.

Well, I saw some specs on the cards and both require only a 400W PSU, so that should be enough for me. I'm not a hardcore modder/upgrader for my rig. I just need a little extra graphical power and I'm all set.

Get a 400w psu and a HD 3850. Or get a 8600GT so you dont have to upgrade your psu.

I've been hearing rumblings about a 3830 from AMD, but haven't heard a thing about it since March. I figured I might as well go for a 256 bit bus (yeah, I know the 8800GS uses 196 bit) to future proof my video a bit.

 

[sorehammer]

don't forget the rest of the system needs power too
cd
dvd
harddrive
fans
motherboard
memory
etc
etc
etc

 

[ShadowFold]

Yea a 400w would be fine if you just power a single HDD and a 3850.
Here are some good ones.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256032
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817104953

 

[DeadlyNinja]

Which kind of PSU saves power? I see certain PSU have this x% effective next to it. I have to pay for the electric bill so I would enjoy something that'll save me a few bucks in more ways than one.

I hope I can learn a bit about PSU from this as well. Might as well learn to understand instead of asking for help whenever I'm in a jam.

 

[ShadowFold]

80%+ ones do save a bit. I would recommend getting Active PFC tho, it pretty much takes the power to where its supost to be faster and makes stuff more stable(At least thats what ive been told)

 

[DeadlyNinja]

BTW, what should I look for when I read the specifications on newegg? How can I tell the PSU's good enough? Or do I simply need to know that it provides the 400W that I need?

 

[ShadowFold]

Look at the PSU guide we have Right Here to see if the brand is good. Then look if it has a good enough Efficiency, 75%+ is good. Active PFC is not needed but it really helps, and I recommend it. Then look at the +12v rail and see if its high enough for your setup. Two 18a rails or a single 22a rail or higher would be good.

 

[DrPepper]

Basically you should look for a brand name when buying a psu corsair, coolermaster, antec etc etc. Check reviews to see if that specific psu has any problems or advantages. I learned this the hard way and bought a cheap 700 watt psu for £40 and my pc crashed every hour or so. I bought a coolermaster realpower 700 watt and everything runs without a hitch but is overkill for your needs. I think someone who is more experienced than me could suggest a good psu.

 

[ShadowFold]

Whats your budget?

 

[DeadlyNinja]

I kinda wanna keep the budget to around 140 bucks or less. Working a lousy part time job so can't spend too much money with the way gas prices are these days.

 

[DrPepper]

for both the psu and the gpu?

 

[DeadlyNinja]

Yes, for both PSU and GPU combined.

Is this one good?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817101035

I like the price, obviously, and the wattage seems to be good enough. I haven't gotten a good grasp of the 12v rail thing though. I'm not sure what I'm suppose to be looking at. There are 2 12V numbers for all the output specs I've seen.

 

[DrPepper]

Bad link it won't let me view anything try again.

 

[DeadlyNinja]

Oops, I fixed the link now.

 

[ShadowFold]

E-power is a pretty good brand but that doesnt have that many amps or 80% eff.

 

[spearman914]

Yes, for both PSU and GPU combined.

Is this one good?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817101035

I like the price, obviously, and the wattage seems to be good enough. I haven't gotten a good grasp of the 12v rail thing though. I'm not sure what I'm suppose to be looking at. There are 2 12V numbers for all the output specs I've seen.

I've read about ePower PSU's in the PSU guide and is not that good. Get something from thermaltake, corsair or seasonic (my favorite).

 

[DrPepper]

It depends on other components, but a 3850 at stock only uses a little under 9A on the 12v rail. (105W/12V=8.75A)

Really I was assuming it was equal to my gts. I'd say he should get maybe a 400 -450 coolermaster or corsair.

 

[spearman914]

E-power is a pretty good brand but that doesnt have that many amps or 80% eff.

The amps is fine. The 3850 only sucks 15-20A I think.

 

[ShadowFold]

The amps is fine. The 3850 only sucks 15-20A I think.

Yea but I would get a little more to be on the safe side tho. idk you think 15a + 14a would be enough?

 

[DeadlyNinja]

Oh yeah, I forgot to ask, what suppose to be better for the efficiency rating? Higher percentage is good, or is lower percentage good?

 

[Pinchy]

Question: Where do you guys get all these uber high power requirements from?


http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/HIS/HD_3850_IceQ3/23.html


At full load, the entire system uses 210W. Thats with an overclocked card too.

Depending on his other system specs, he may not even need a new psu.