My PSU with 6870

[Azza]

Hi guys i hope i'm on the right board. I've been looking around, and been asking lots of questions, but it really comes down to my specific PSU.

My computer is as follows
Core i5-750 (lynnfield) quad @ 2.66ghz
4gb (2x2gb) Corsair DDR3 ram @1333mhz
Albatron Geforce 9600GT (Which i'm upgrading obviously)
Asus P7P55 LX Motherboard
Acbel 510w PSU AcBel Polytech Inc. (Im almost 100% certain this is the one, so go by this)
I have a 500gb WD GREEN HD,
a standard DVD burner,

Now I dont do ANY overclocking, tampering with voltages etc, and i never plan to, so that aside, I purchased a Gigabyte 6870 graphics card, the 'OC version' with the three fans (it's massive), and i havent installed it yet. Will my power supply, going by that link (has all details etc), be able to handle it fine? or will i need to upgrade? Some people say i should be fine, but they havent seen specs of the PSU.
Oh and it's about 1 year old, the PSU that is, and doesnt get used 24-7, just regular usage and gaming.
Thanks heaps in advance for any help guys!

 

[Kipper]

On the two 12v rails it only puts out 18A on each and a total of 360WS, this PSU is pretty much the bottom of the food chain.

You should use a PSU calculator, (search on the web) there are several from almost every PSU manufacturer and input your total components and see what is recommended.

The PSU is the most important piece of equipment in the system with under-voltage or over-voltage you can ruin the rest of your components.

If your PSU will work with your components by the calculation you should allow for additional Amps and Watts to the PSU is not under a constant load causing it to run hot and go out before its time.

 

[smarteyeball]

, this PSU is pretty much the bottom of the food chain.

+1

There are recommendations of needing between 12.6A to 28A for a single 6870 with the PSU wattage being 500W minimum.

If your current PSU was a quality brand, you could possibly get away with it, but unfortunately yours isn't and as Kipper mentioned, under load that thing would give up prematurely.

Personally I wouldn't risk it.

 

[profdlp]

Good advice there.

I've got a similar rig (see my specs) and don't have a lot of room left on my 600W PSU. It has four 12V rails, allowing me to spread around the load a little. There is some debate as to whether this is better than one hugely powered rail, but it still means that it will knock the socks off a single-rail or dual-rail PSU with the same amperage per rail.

My guess is that it would run with what you have, but like Kipper pointed out, it will definitely put a strain on the PSU and if it goes it might take something (or everything) else with it.

EDIT: Slow typing. I was "ditto"-ing Kipper, but smarteyeball is just as much on target.

 

[Azza]

Hey thanks guys, i appreciate your advice. Knowing that, i would MUCH rather upgrade my PSU!!
How does this one look for it? MSY Online It's an Australian site. The PSU looks pretty good for value. Corsair is a good brand, unless i'm horribly mistaken. I'm kinda not very confident with getting new psu and plugging everything in. Would i need to take out my motherboard?
Again thanks for the advice!

 

[hjonesMCT]

I have a fantastic Corsair 750W and it is a beast (easily supports my AMD x6 1090T, ATI 5830, 3 HDs (1 SSD) and a lot of high-end gaming). I also recommend Antec.

You usually don't need to take out your motherboard; just unplug all the cables.

 

[profdlp]

...How does this one look for it? MSY Online It's an Australian site. The PSU looks pretty good for value. Corsair is a good brand, unless i'm horribly mistaken.

With one big 52A 12V rail you should be more than fine. I'm not sure on the current AUS$/US$ exchange rate, but Corsair makes quality stuff.

I'm kinda not very confident with getting new psu and plugging everything in. Would i need to take out my motherboard?
Again thanks for the advice!

Probably not, unless you have some custom power wiring running between the MB and the back panel. Just make sure you plug something in everywhere you take something out. In addition to the big connector, there is usually at least one small connector directly to the MB that is easy to miss.

 

[Azza]

Thanks so much guys, i really appreciate the help. Ill definately get that corsair power supply then, id rather spend a little more to make sure everything runs right!
Saved me a lot of worrying!

 

[profdlp]

It might be worth mentioning that your new Video Card will take a couple extra connectors, too. Those are also easy to miss, especially when you're in a hurry to try out your cool new hardware.

 

[Azza]

By extra connectors, do you mean more power cables? The corsair PSU i was looking at, has 2 PCI-E power cables, but if it had only 1, the 6870 i brought has a converter to make another. I hope once i get the PSU ill be all set, im excited!

 

[profdlp]

Yep, those are the connectors I was referring to.

 

[Azza]

Ah cool thanks for pointing that out then, I'm gonna be so thorough making sure everything's connected. Hope i dont break or zap anything

 

[profdlp]

You won't. Count the power connectors as you unplug them so you don't miss anything. Don't pinch any wires when putting the new one in. That's about it.

 

[smarteyeball]

Ah cool thanks for pointing that out then, I'm gonna be so thorough making sure everything's connected. Hope i dont break or zap anything

You won't

It's almost impossible to plug the wrong thing into the wrong spot these days.

And that PSU has all the plugs needed, so adapters aren't necessary.

And if MSY doesn't have the PSU you want in stock, there is always PCCG or Umart. It all depends on whether you plan to order online or pick up from the store. If it's a store pick up, make sure MSY actually have it in stock before you go.

 

[essenbe]

Just a suggestion. It's not really needed but will make you feel more confident. Print out a diagram of your board. As you take a wire out, mark it on the diagram, so when you reinstall, you will know exactly where every wire goes. Thats what I did the first time, and made me feel more confident. Of course, when I got everything installed, I thought- I didn't need the diagram - but it will make you feel better. The only hard part is replacing the front panel connectors, and that is just knowing where each one goes. Your MB manuel will tell you exactly where.

BTW: When you get through and find out how easy is was, you'll be wanting to start building your own computers. Be careful, it's addictive.

 

[Azza]

That's a great idea thanks! i will do that! I checked that MSY has that PSU in stock and they do, so I will pick it up from there. I'm very excited about doing this!

 

[Azza]

If you guys dont mind my asking, I saw this on pc case gear, which would mean extra costs for shipping, but it's a version 2 of the tx650 psu Corsair TX-650 V2 Power Supply [CMPSU-650TXv2] - $115.00 : PC Case Gear
It's only 1 dollar more, but shipping would make it cost $19 more, with another $10 for postage insurance. Is it worth it over the version 1 for the extra cost? or is it pointless really? Thanks again!

 

[smarteyeball]

For the extra cost of shipping and insurance, I'd say no.

The v2 is a better unit, but not drastically so.

 

[Azza]

Okay cool thanks for that bit of extra advice.

 

[sygnus21]

While the brand name may be suspect, the wattage isn't. In short you could get a quality 550 watt power supply and it'll run your 6870 all day long no problem.

In short you don't need "more" power, you just need/want a better power supply.

BTW look at my system specs. Before upgrading my PS, and video card, I ran the system on an Antec 550 watt power supply with an ATI 4890 video card (power consumption greater than your 6870) and had absolutely no issues - http://www.sevenforums.com/hardware-devices/81169-experience-gigabyte-motherboards-2.html#post717247

However I would probably go with no less then a 650watt. My point on the 550 however is that if it's a good quality power supply, it's be powerful enough for a system such as mine.

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

My two cents.