How Accurate is This?

http://extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine

I'm in the middle of building a new computer, and while looking for PSU's I came across this calculator. With the spec of the PC I'm building:

GIGABYTE Intel P45 ATX Mobo
Intel Q9550 Yorkfield
EVGA GTX 260
2 Sticks DDR2 (For the sake of the calculator)
1x SATA HDD (For the sake of the calculator)
1x DVD/CDRW Drive (For the sake of the calculator)
1x Additional PCI Card (For the sake of the calculator)
1x Cold Cathode
3x 120mm LED Fans
1x 120mm Regular Fan
1x 250mm Regular Fan

And it recommended only a 350W PSU... Is that right? Will all those components really only require a minimum of 350 watts with no OC and 90% System Load? That doesn't sound right to me, because otherwise what would be the point of PSU's above, say, 500W besides being used in a server? If this is accurate, it will save me an assload of money, and I can use the brand new PSU I've already got (a 450W).

One of the big reasons you look for a larger more capable power supply is due to power fluctuation. You don't ever just want the bare minimum, and the PSU calculator isn't 100% right, but it's giving it's best guess at what you should have when it's at load. You have to remember, higher wattage PSU = more money, and more business. But don't think the companies that sell these units don't want to cover your ass too.

I was speaking out of my ass up there (sorry really feeling shitty right now; cold and all), but in all reality, you have to realize there are too many variables to calculate if this setup will work on such a meager PSU. Thing is, you always want room to breathe. I would suggest looking up the processor or at least video card (the two biggest power hogs) on Google and see what wattage they can be handled on. Best shot is "GTX 260 on Corsair 450W", or something to that effect.

Yeah, whenever going with a PSU, never get the bare minimum. Get the biggest one you can, because the bigger your PSU the bigger your e-peen.

No but seriously. I would go with at least 650W if not more. I personally recommend Thermaltake power supplies, even though i had to eRMA one a little while back.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817153038

That's a good one. I never had any problems with the actual power supply, just the fan inside it.

Let us know which PSU you decide to settle with.

Wattage really isn't a very good metric for determining what power supply you need. Amps are what really matter. Anyone that tells you that you need "600..700w" without looking at the load out of Amps per rail etc is guessing, just like the calculator is.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by srsinternets

because otherwise what would be the point of PSU's above, say, 500W besides being used in a server?

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The point is that people are wasteful and buy things they really don't need. Very few people actually need more than a good 500w (with 40-50A), but end up with ridiculous PSUs because the listened to some idiot enthusiast. I'm currently running a Q6600, GTX 280, Xonar DX2, BD-R and 5 drives on a Corsair 650. (I would've been fine with their 520 but got that on sale for the same price.)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bananallama!

No but seriously. I would go with at least 650W if not more. I personally recommend Thermaltake power supplies, even though i had to eRMA one a little while back.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817153038

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Ignoring the fact that Thermaltake makes subpar PSUs, your claim that he needs a "650 if not more" is ridiculous. How are you even making this determination? He has a fairly basic setup with a 45nm/96W CPU, 1 disk, 1 optical drive and a couple case fans. There's no way he'd ever need more than something like this, even if he added a ton of disks (given a liberal assumption of .5A per disk). He'd probably be fine with their 450.



TL;DR - Get this PSU. It's cheaper and higher quality than the Thermaltake, and still overkill for your system. I'm only suggesting this over the 450 because the latter may be tight for future upgrades. If you don't plan on upgrading then the 450 should be more than enough.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ephekt

The point is that people are wasteful and buy things they really don't need. Very few people actually need more than a good 500w (with 40-50A), but end up with ridiculous PSUs because the listened to some idiot enthusiast.

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QFT. I have a classmate who had built his computer over the course of 8 months (why not all at once? Insert Starving College Student clause here), and he had a 1KW PSU in his. I doubt he was coming anywhere near close to that. He did have an SLI system with water cooling (3 pumps), but still. Hell I'm happy with my 450VX. It can't handle anything more than a GTS 250, but I can live with a decent one card setup. Now just to buy a GTS 250...

Do you guys think this setup would be okay with a 450w?

GIGABYTE Intel EP45-UD3P Mobo
Intel Core2Duo E8400 3.0GHz (OC'd to 3.6GHz)
4x2GB GSkill RAM
Sapphire ATI Radeon HD4870 1GB GDDR5
4x 120mm Fans
1x 240mm Fan

Thats my exact setup right now, minus the video card (I'm running an 8800GT currently) and it runs flawlessly. I just want to up my GPU at the moment, but don't want to have to fork out an extra $140 for a new PSU (obviously, I mean I did make this thread and all).

You're in the same situation as I am. I have an 8600GTS and want to go for a GTS 250, but I don't know if the PSU would handle it to the best of it's ability (apparently it is good enough according to some sites out there). However, the 4870 needs a 500 Watt PSU for nominal awesomeness. Newegg says so at least.

This website says otherwise, with one member mentioning how his rig hits load at 250W on his system.

As I mentioned before, the watt ratings are there to give you a little leeway, as even though the cards might not always pull in that much power, the combined system load may, and on top of that, your PSU may be rated at 450W, but what is it's extended capacity? As Ephekt said, having some breathing room is better than suffocating :P

I'd say give it a shot if you have money to blow. Otherwise, save up a little more and get the PSU Ephekt brought up.