Is this enough wattage? Power Supply Question.

[DanDinh]

Hi, I'm wondering if im getting enough voltage for my rig. It would help me if this is one of the problem whereas I have cold boot problems sometimes. I currently have a
COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power Plus RS-500-PCAR-A3-US 500W ATX12V v2.3 Power Supply

Output: +3.3V@22A, +5V@25A, +12V1@18A, +12V@218A, [email protected], [email protected]

I'm not real good with power supply amps and what not but here's the specs of my rig
and already my video card minimum req. are: Minimum of a 450 Watt power Supply

(Minimum recommended power supply with +12 Volt current rating of 24 Amps.)

Specs:
AMD Phenom x4 955 3.2ghz
1x GTS 250 512mb DDR3
2x 1GB Corsair XMS2
1x SATA Hitachi 750GB H/D 7200rpm
1x ASUS CD-/+RW/DVD-/+RW
1x PC-e TrendMicro Ethernet Adapter
1x 200mm Case Fan w/ LED
3x 120mm Case Fan w/ LED
1x Antec 900 Case

My question is it says i need 12v@24 or more amps and the specs of my power supply says it gives off only 12v@18amps. Do I need more juice for my rig?

 

[WindowsStar]

Yes, I would go with at least a 650W PS

 

[TVeblen]

Your current PS has two 12v "rails" that supply a max 18A each. A PS with more watts that is also multi-rail may still only supply 18A on the 12v leads. You've got to check the specs.

A single 12v rail PS will supply higher amps on the single 12v lead. This will get you your 24 amp min for the card and these PS's are cheaper that the same size multi-rail too.

 

[pparks1]

According to the website that I use to determine power requirements...you current specs require 363w of power.
eXtreme Outer Vision - eXtreme tools for computer enthusiasts

I see no reason whatsoever that Your Coolermaster 500W power supply would not be providing you with adequate power.

 

[Everlong]

You should be alright. The amperage requirements that you see on graphic cards are generally meaning for the entire system, not just for that graphic card.

 

[bobkn]

You're OK. Two 18A +12V rails should be adequate. The card needs a single PCI-E 6 pin auxiliary power connector, and the PSU that you list has one.

That PSU may not support heavy upgrades (GTX480 etc.), but that's offset by its fairly low price ($40 at Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, LED LCD TV, Digital Cameras and more!).

 

[sygnus21]

Your current PS has two 12v "rails" that supply a max 18A each. A PS with more watts that is also multi-rail may still only supply 18A on the 12v leads. You've got to check the specs.

A single 12v rail PS will supply higher amps on the single 12v lead. This will get you your 24 amp min for the card and these PS's are cheaper that the same size multi-rail too.

PSU Myths Busted - Myth 2: A Single-Rail Power Supply Is More Powerful Than A Multi Rail Power Supply!