GeForce Question

[Kev367th]

It's not so much the wattage of the power supply, it's how many amps it puts out on the +12v rail.
Modern cards need upwards of 15 amps, some go as high as 20 amps.

So you could have a 500W power supply but if it only puts out say 12 amps on the +12v rail your S.O.L.

Look on the side of the PSU it should list the amps per rail.

I picked up  real nice Enermax 500W PSU that has dual +12v rails each at 22amps for less than $100.

[38ruk]

Originally posted by Kev367th
It's not so much the wattage of the power supply, it's how many amps it puts out on the +12v rail.
Modern cards need upwards of 15 amps, some go as high as 20 amps.

So you could have a 500W power supply but if it only puts out say 12 amps on the +12v rail your S.O.L.

Look on the side of the PSU it should list the amps per rail.

I picked up  real nice Enermax 500W PSU that has dual +12v rails each at 22amps for less than $100.

There should be a sticky about PSU's in here reminding ,or informing people about Amps VS Watts for modern harware . Ive seen some expensive PSU's that have crap 12 rails but because they cost over 60 bucks people think they are getting something desent. unfortunately alot of people see Wattage as the big number , and some manufacturers take advantage of that. Later 38

[Bruv119]

Hiya Kev,

Quick question for you if I may.

Would this be able to handle a  XFX GeForce 8800GTS 640MB ?

What is a a good alternative to be able to power that card some people have been saying 500w minimum.  But as we know its whats on the rail that counts would 22 be enough??


Thanks in advance

Bruv
~S~

[TalonX]

Originally posted by Kev367th
It's not so much the wattage of the power supply, it's how many amps it puts out on the +12v rail.
Modern cards need upwards of 15 amps, some go as high as 20 amps.

So you could have a 500W power supply but if it only puts out say 12 amps on the +12v rail your S.O.L.

Look on the side of the PSU it should list the amps per rail.

I picked up  real nice Enermax 500W PSU that has dual +12v rails each at 22amps for less than $100.

Aren't they usually 12V?   If so, them amperage and wattage is essentially the same thing...

 Volts x Amps = Watts.

Anyway - I checked mine and it is rated for 25amps on dual 12v rails.

Thanks for the education!

[Bruv119]

Just checked my current PSU  480W  28a on the 12v rail

Should be more than enough for the smaller  GTS variant of this card.

[Kev367th]

Originally posted by Bruv119
Hiya Kev,

Quick question for you if I may.

Would this be able to handle a  XFX GeForce 8800GTS 640MB ?

What is a a good alternative to be able to power that card some people have been saying 500w minimum.  But as we know its whats on the rail that counts would 22 be enough??


Thanks in advance

Bruv
~S~

Recommended for an 8800 - 28 amps!!!!!! (also seen 30 amps quoted)

You will need a PSU with dual +12v rails each at 14+ amps.

OR

A single +12v rail at 28+ amps

You have to have more than 28amps to allow for other devices.

[wabbit]

I've been researching the BFG 7800GS myself. I also came across some XFX cards, but also saw a few too many complaints about the company.

If you go to Newegg, you can check their reviews yourself. I felt that XFX had a few too many complaints for my taste, whereas BFG had a considerable number of positive reviews.

Since it sounds like your motherboard uses PCI-E for video, you should find those cards a bit cheaper.  Myself, I prefer 256mb and 256-bit cards.

Hope this helps,

Wabbit

[Kermit de frog]

Originally posted by TalonX
Aren't they usually 12V?   If so, them amperage and wattage is essentially the same thing...

 Volts x Amps = Watts.

Anyway - I checked mine and it is rated for 25amps on dual 12v rails.

Thanks for the education!

The box gives you the TOTAL WATTS.
You have more than just the 12volts. You have a 3.3v and a 5v as well as a few others.