GTX 470 & 680 watt PSU

[whiplash]

I totally understand what you're saying, you thought that your current PSU could handle the newer Video Card so you didn't think about upgrading it! Well... that PSU seems OK, at least it has 45A on the +12V Rail..

If you have bought Ultra products before and you feel confident about them, go ahead, follow your heart it's an "OK" PSU that'll handle your new Video Card.

so that one will work?

 

[Mashed1316]

Yeah it will, HOWEVER, it's still kinda tight, because it only leaves 10A for ALL the other hardware on your computer, and i don't now which components you have in your PC. But if you have the regular hardware: HDD (no more than 3), DVD Drive, Cooling Fans, i don't see a problem with it

 

[whiplash]

okay, thanks Punkster.

 

[stormy13]

What to look for in a power supply,

Power Supply Information and Selection - Tech Support Forum

why you avoid cheap junk,

The Bargain Basement Power Supply Roundup Review

Looking at the specs that Punkster found for that Echo Star, it looks more like a 400 W (if you're lucky) with a 650 W label on it. There is just no way that that thing will be up to running a GTX 470 as well as the rest of the system. It also doesn't have any PCI-E 6/8 pin connectors on it, of which the GTX 470 requires 2 of the 6 pin. Some of those cards come with molex to PCI-E adapters like this,



which from the specs listed for that power supply with only 4 molex connectors to begin with, not only would the video card need all four of them, there wouldn't be any left for anything else.

With all that said just to restate what the others have already said, you want that video card you're going to have to invest in a good quality power supply to run it.

 

[Mitchell90]

I'd personally look at the quality of the unit itself rather than it's +12v amp rating. Yes it is somewhat of importance but not as much as the overall quality of the unit as this determines what exact OEM manufactures the unit.

For example, Corsair are known to use three OEM's that produce their units. SeaSonic, Channel Well (CWT) and Flextronics (AX1200)

There are cheap generic units out there that claim to support X amount of amps on the +12 rail and also claim to output their rated wattage at say, 50c operational. Generally these kind of units will fail pretty quickly when put through extensive testing and won't be able to deliver anywhere near their rated wattage. So, at times what looks to be a 500W unit only ends up being able to produce 300W for example. This paired with the likes of horrible ripple suppression and voltage regulation, which is why choosing a quality PSU is crucial.


Now, I'm not saying that the Ultra unit that was linked to was horrible but there are better quality units out there that you can find, better than the Corsair TX650 and HX750 too.

I'd strongly recommend going for the Antec True Power New 650W, these units are based of a modded SeaSonic M12D design and are one of the best you can get at the moment.

Newegg have this unit priced at $89.99 at the moment:

Newegg.com - Antec TruePower New TP-650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply

You can also read the jonnyGURU review of the True Power New TP-750 model here

 

[sygnus21]

Unless you have money to burn, there's no need to buy a power supply for that card. The 650 IS enough to power that card. Don't know why everyone insists you need mega power supplies to power a single graphic card.

Qaulity however is a completely different issue, but again, 650 IS enough for that card!!!

Your money, your wallet.

Info on power supplies …

- Recommended Power Supplies | silentpcreview.com
- Everything You Need to Know About Power Supplies | Hardware Secrets
- How to Buy a Power Supply - wikiHow

Myths Busted - Antec PSU

 

[stormy13]

sygnus21 no one is saying a 680W power supply isn't enough, we're all saying this particular 680W isn't enough.

This,

Echostar "680W": A Special Kind of Suck - jonnyGURU Forums

is why we're saying that. And after reading that I wouldn't trust that power supply to power a light bulb, never mind trying to run a GTX 470 on it.

 

[WDAexodus]

Rosewill's are hit and miss. I bought one for my media center pc and have had it for 3 years no problems. Had another and it lasted for six months then the fan died followed by the rectifier in the PSU. I have an Antec truepower 750. It is bulletproof and will keep you from breaking the bank.

 

[sygnus21]

sygnus21 no one is saying a 680W power supply isn't enough, we're all saying this particular 680W isn't enough.

This,

Echostar "680W": A Special Kind of Suck - jonnyGURU Forums

is why we're saying that. And after reading that I wouldn't trust that power supply to power a light bulb, never mind trying to run a GTX 470 on it.

You're right. After re-reading the posts it is about the quality of that power supply. It's just that I see so many posts telling people they need a super duper uber wattage power supply to run some of today's performance video cards which is simply not true, especially for a single card.

As stated, quality is what matters most. Sorry.

To the OP, check this

Info on power supplies …

- Recommended Power Supplies | silentpcreview.com
- Everything You Need to Know About Power Supplies | Hardware Secrets
- How to Buy a Power Supply - wikiHow

 

[Ivan the SoSo]

Rosewill's are hit and miss. I bought one for my media center pc and have had it for 3 years no problems. Had another and it lasted for six months then the fan died followed by the transformer in the PSU. I have an Antec truepower 750. It is bulletproof and will keep you from breaking the bank.

Not many power supplies will live long after the fan goes....Right now my Rosewill 530 watt is carrying way too much load, I bought but have not yet installed a 630 watt Rosewill.... so as of now I like that brand....tomorrow? Who knows?

 

[Solarstarshines]

I had to stop reading the review cause the reviewer compared that psu to a sanford n son episode which i almost was in tears from laughing

that psu looks like it would kill i would choose something else