500w psu enough?

siresword · Aug 25, 2005

I'm going to build a new system and I want to know if a 500watt psu is enough, especially if I want to at least overclock my cpu

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811144095 <-- is the case I want, its like my old one ... :-/

lol I like flashy lights and cases, (i'm buying two cold cathode lights too) anyway.

500watt psu

system specs
amd 64 3700+ san dieago
evga 7800gtx 256mb
dfi lanparty nf4 ultra d
2x512 ocz el plat revis 2 pc3200 ram
gigabyte pcuvh31 cpu cooler
120gb 7200rpm maxtor ide
160gb 7200rpm samsung ide

will this psu be enough, especially *if* i want to overclock? I know the aspire psu is good, I have the same one in my current case, and I've overclocked my a64 3200+ 200mhz with no problems at all

im just scared of the 7800gtx... looks like that thing takes a lot of power...
.. lol and my case has 5 case fans and a temp sensor and fan controllers..

mantralord · Aug 25, 2005

Over here we really recommend that you buy the PSU seperate from a case, because the ones that come with cases are usually crap. That's not to say that Aspire PSU won't power that system reliably (it probably will), but it's more likely to fail one day than, say, a Fortron or an OCZ.

If you can, choose a different case without a PSU, and buy a good reliable Fortron, OCZ, or Seasonic to go along with it.

siresword · Aug 25, 2005

yeah I know that its better to buy the psu separate, but this case looks good.. I've been using this aspire psu though(its in my old ' xsuperalien ' case), and its very stable and I don't have any problems with it .. I'm just worried that it won't be *enough*

is 500w plenty to run a system like this?

diehrd · Aug 25, 2005

siresword said:
yeah I know that its better to buy the psu separate, but this case looks good.. I've been using this aspire psu though(its in my old ' xsuperalien ' case), and its very stable and I don't have any problems with it .. I'm just worried that it won't be *enough*

is 500w plenty to run a system like this?

It is not the wattage you should be totally looking for but the amperage a PSU makes for each rail.A good PSU will have up to a 36a 12v rail , be very heavy and able to sustain a high percentage of the rated amperage for long periods of time.

I agree the case is nice,And if you like that brand of PSU and it has good values on its lines go for it.

siresword · Aug 25, 2005

oh wow i had no idea

...this is kinda stupid..but since I already have one, is there a way for me to test the amperage that the psu makes for each rail?

diehrd · Aug 25, 2005

It will be listed on the PSU. . And from looking at your above parts you need a strong 12v rail to run what you are going to set up.

siresword · Aug 25, 2005

ah okay thanks a lot

i just checked newegg's pics of the psu, and it says 34amps for the +12v rail, do you think that's enough for the cpu ram and 7800gtx overclocks?

ckj · Aug 25, 2005

It would be if you knew they were being totally honest with the specs... some of them say that they'll get a good amperage like that at 25C, which most people don't get and only have 3/4 that at 45-55C. I'd say it'd just be safer to get yourself a proven quality psu like fortron 550w or a powerstream 520w. Besides, i'd rather spend the money for a good psu then have to buy replacement parts because I had a poor quality psu that took components with it when it died.

siresword · Aug 25, 2005

ckj said:
It would be if you knew they were being totally honest with the specs... some of them say that they'll get a good amperage like that at 25C, which most people don't get and only have 3/4 that at 45-55C. I'd say it'd just be safer to get yourself a proven quality psu like fortron 550w or a powerstream 520w. Besides, i'd rather spend the money for a good psu then have to buy replacement parts because I had a poor quality psu that took components with it when it died.

oh okay thanks, are those the only ones you recommend?

... uhh lol sry stupid question, newegg has psu's from "FSP group" which is 'fortron source' .. thats the right company right?

Encore2097 · Aug 25, 2005

siresword said:
oh okay thanks, are those the only ones you recommend?

... uhh lol sry stupid question, newegg has psu's from "FSP group" which is 'fortron source' .. thats the right company right?

Yeah. Some other good ones are (no particular order)

FSP => Fortron Source Power?
Enermax
OCZ
PC Power & Cooling
Antec (Some people say they been a bit off over the past few years, they seem fine to me)
Zippy
SeaSonic

siresword · Aug 25, 2005

oh okay thanks
yeah I have an antec 500w psu, it runs my comp with no problems
..and . lol zippy? psu's?

Oklahoma Wolf · Aug 25, 2005

siresword said:
..and . lol zippy? psu's?

I thought the same thing when I first heard about them

As I did my homework though, it quickly became apparent Zippy/Emacs is one of the best in the world. They target their units at servers and workstations - they aren't flashy, but they work and work well.

siresword · Aug 25, 2005

thats interesting .

anyway what do you guys think? do you think 34a 12v rail/500w would be enough to power an a64 3700+ system with a 7800gtx and a dfi ultra-d?

should I buy the aspire 520w psu (looks nice and has the 24 pins I need and a 36a 12v rail) or a fortron 550w (FSP-550-60PLG)

Scott9027 · Aug 25, 2005

Fortron.

Oklahoma Wolf · Aug 25, 2005

siresword said:
should I buy the aspire 520w psu (looks nice and has the 24 pins I need and a 36a 12v rail) or a fortron 550w (FSP-550-60PLG)

I'd aspire to buy the Fortron

Aspire is Youngyear made - a little below average quality. 36A @ 12v isn't possible for long with one, if it's possible at all.

siresword · Aug 25, 2005

you guys really dun like the fortron ?

but its ugly... (my case has lights and a window and stuff...)

haha "aspire to buy a fortron" ...but ... I have an aspire 500w, and its 30a+ (i'm not sure) and its running my a64 3200+ fine, and is plenty stable during overclocks (tested from stock 2.0 - 2.35ghz) .. you're all 100% sure on the fortron? its also twice as expensive OEM
the aspire 520w from newegg = $55, the fortron OEM (only one they have of this psu) is ~$105 ..

hafa · Aug 25, 2005

siresword said:
...its also twice as expensive OEM
the aspire 520w from newegg = $55, the fortron OEM (only one they have of this psu) is ~$105 ..

You get what you pay for. Buy junk, expect trouble. How much are your other components worth? Can you afford to buy a new mobo, cpu and memory when your poor-quality PSU bites it and spikes the system, frying your components?

Save up if you need to, or skimp elsewhere if need be (lights, etc...), but don't skimp on the PSU.

Oklahoma Wolf · Aug 25, 2005

siresword said:
the fortron OEM (only one they have of this psu) is ~$105 ..

Try eWiz instead - the two Fortrons are $80-85 there last time I looked. I never buy my own PSU's based on how they look or how cheap they are... your A64 doesn't actually need 30A+.

Truth be told, the AX500-A will run that rig as well as the 550's, but it won't do SLI if that's what you plan in the future.

siresword · Aug 25, 2005

heh.. yeah. okay I'll get a fortron psu, but I did hear that a 'good' psu had 12v rails with 34a+ (for my 7800gtx too)

siresword · Aug 25, 2005

thanks but the only problem with the ocz psu is that it has a 20pin connector, and i need a 24 pin one

500w psu enough?

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