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What wattage do I need for a psu

malcolm2608

malcolm2608

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Joined
Dec 28, 2010
Messages
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System Specs
Processor AMD Athlon II X3 445 Rana
Motherboard BIOSTAR Group A780L3L
Memory 4.00 GB Single-Channel DDR3 ( forgot the company)
Video Card(s) ATI Radeon HD 4600 Series (Sapphire/PCPartner)
Storage 313GB Western Digital (SATA),195GB SAMSUNG SAMSUNG ( SATA)
Display(s) AOC 931W
Case forgot lol
Audio Device(s) Realtek High Definition Audio
Power Supply 500psu ( came with case )
Software MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit SP1
I have used the calculator in the sticked post in this forum section and newegg's one.
Newegg says I should use about 431w and the other calculator ( Im sorry I forgot the name of it ) said about 270 I think
I just need some one to confirm this is correct for this pc
Also this pc has an extra 5400rpm sata drive
I was thinking about getting a 500w psu
but Im not sure yet.
PC specs
1308958
 
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A 400W unit should be more than enough. A solid 350W unit should also be just fine.
 
TheLaughingMan said:
A 400W unit should be more than enough. A solid 350W unit should also be just fine.
Click to expand...

Oh thank god, I knew I might have been over estimating how much power my computer uses.
I know I might need to get a little larger of a psu because im upgrading my gpu soon .
 
out of curiousity. alot of stuff on that list is out of stock and if memory serves they only sell quad phenomII and up now.
 
Play3r said:
out of curiousity. alot of stuff on that list is out of stock and if memory serves they only sell quad phenomII and up now.
Click to expand...

Well this is just a list of the part already in my pc , I already bought it .
I just need to upgrade my psu from the crappy one in the case
 
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ahhh righto
 
If you're upgrading your GPU you will need to account for the power draw from it and the # of 6/8 pin PCIE connectors it has.

Do you have a specific GPU in mind?
 
Norton said:
If you're upgrading your GPU you will need to account for the power draw from it and the # of 6/8 pin PCIE connectors it has.

Do you have a specific GPU in mind?
Click to expand...

The HD 6770 looks nice
 
malcolm2608 said:
The HD 6770 looks nice
Click to expand...

Recommended PSU is 450watt for that card and 1 PCIE connector. The 500 watt Coolermaster PSU you were looking would meet those specs and give you a little headroom.

As an option, you may want to look for a decent PSU with 550 watts or so w/2 PCIE connectors if you are going to go to a more powerful card (w/2 PCIE connectors) in the near future or overclock a little.

There's lots of opinions on PSU's out there- just list out your usage and budget and we can assist in finding you something decent.:cool:
 
Even with that 6770 any good 400w would power that and your setup no issue. AMD spec's higher to make up for shitty OEM powersupplies.
 
Be advised, that Cooler Master PSU can't (safely) deliver its specified wattage. Use it as a 400w unit, above that load ripple starts to go beyond ATX specs.

For $45 I'd go for something like this: CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 (CMPSU-430CXV2) 43...
Should be more than enough for you, even with an HD6770 in the cards.

Or spend an extra 10-15 bucks and get a better PSU. Don't skim on that, it's the heart of your PC. The CX430 should be plenty, though, if you want to leave it at that.
 
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TRWOV said:
Be advised, that Cooler Master PSU can't (safely) deliver its specified wattage. Use it as a 400w unit, above that load ripple starts to go beyond ATX specs.
Click to expand...
The new ones are great units. Go look at current reviews they have switched to a different OEM since the old days. On top of that at load his PC might pull 250w at the wall.

Norton said:
You're right! I forgot about the junk PSU's they throw into Dell's and etc....

@ cdawall- maybe a Corsair CX430 (430 watt-80plus) will be OK for the Op?

CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 (CMPSU-430CXV2) 43...
Click to expand...

It would be plenty they are good little PSU's
 
cdawall said:
The new ones are great units. Go look at current reviews they have switched to a different OEM since the old days. On top of that at load his PC might pull 250w at the wall.
Click to expand...

Didn't know that. I think CM should rename the PSUs whenever that happens, maybe add a V2 like Corsair does.
 
Honestly, I would go for the Corsair CX600 due to the fact that you may upgrade soon and it would handle quite a bit for the price. Its better to get a good quality one now and not worry about it for a long while.
 
Thanks for the recommendations guys :D
 
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