"How many watts do I need"? Check Here!

[MNMadman]

11 hours ago, Aniallation said:

I'm not saying that it's not better for your money to just get a higher wattage one. I'm saying that telling someone they NEED "at least a quality 500W" for that system is misleading.

Fine.

 

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@htonettti You don't actually need a good quality 500W power supply for that system.  You can certainly get by with a 400W or 450W unit which very likely has lower quality components due to the manufacturer actually wanting to make some money from the sale of those low-wattage power supplies.

 

-OR-

 

You could make the smart choice and purchase a good quality 500W+ power supply.  Because, you know, a good quality power supply might be especially important for someone who wants to overclock.

 

-----

 

There, @Aniallation, is that better?  I tried very hard not to mislead anyone.

[quan289]

53 minutes ago, MNMadman said:

Fine.

 

-----

 

@htonettti You don't actually need a good quality 500W power supply for that system.  You can certainly get by with a 400W or 450W unit which very likely has lower quality components due to the manufacturer actually wanting to make some money from the sale of those low-wattage power supplies.

 

-OR-

 

You could make the smart choice and purchase a good quality 500W+ power supply.  Because, you know, a good quality power supply might be especially important for someone who wants to overclock.

 

-----

 

There, @Aniallation, is that better?  I tried very hard not to mislead anyone.

Not really, as you're still making the generalization that a lower wattage unit than 500w is "very likely" inferior. Often enough, if there's a 500w and above of a particular platform, there tend to be a lower wattage 400-450 unit of that same platform. I guess you got that impression otherwise, as many high-end units lately had been limiting themselves to 550-650 minimum.

But why can't the he just get a quality ~450w unit such as the Seasonic G / S12G 450w or the Super Flower Golden Green 450w. Another quality unit would also be the Delta build, DC-DC regulated Antec VPF450.

 

[Erwylh]

Actually, You can find high quality 3-400W power supplies. 

 

I have i5-6600 + GTX980 system, and my Be Quiet! Straight Power 10E 400W PSU is more than enough. Btw, I can't even reach 300W consumption. I just cannot. Thus for a basic system (without OC) 500W is plenty. Altough, I do not recommend low quality PSUs generally whether you need more wattage later or not. Simply because I rather spend 20 bucks more for a stable power supply, and you should spend your extra 20 for quality instead of unused wattage since your components will last dramatically longer and this is an underestimated thing.

[Aniallation]

7 hours ago, MNMadman said:

 

@htonettti You don't actually need a good quality 500W power supply for that system.  You can certainly get by with a 400W or 450W unit which very likely has lower quality components due to the manufacturer actually wanting to make some money from the sale of those low-wattage power supplies.

 

There, @Aniallation, is that better?  I tried very hard not to mislead anyone.

 

As quan289 said, it's not like good <500W units don't exist.

[Icytech]

Thanks, will take this into consideration once I start comparing PSUs.

[smoke2012]

trying to find a good 650 to 750 w psu to replace my 460w cooler master psu with full modular black cables and 8 to 10 sata conectors here is what my system is

mobo asus z97 deluxe/usb3.1
cpu i7 4790k oc to 47 and uncore to 46
memory G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2400
vid caed NVIDIA GeForce GT 740
tv tuner Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250 (8851)
sound Sound Blaster Z
Silverstone ECU01 PCI-E Gen 2.0 Card w/ 2 x Internal 19-Pin USB3.0 10Gbps Ports requires a sata conector
ssd G.SKILL FM-25S3-240GPFS
hdd1 500gb wd green
hdd2 500gb wd green
odd 1 lg blue ray burner
odd 2 lite on dvd burner

that's what I have now. here is what I want to add

ek predator 240
hdd 3 2tb wd red
hdd 4 2tb wd red
memory G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2400

[caruz]

Hi guys,

currently my rigs are :

i7 6700k 4.6ghz oc

hyper x fury 32gb ram 2666mhz cl15

gtx 980ti lightning

mobo asus maximus viii hero.

samsung 850pro 500gb

3tb hdd wd blue

transcend ssd 250gb

Currently im using thermaltake dps g 850w platinum. 

So my question is that whether my psu is enough if im going to get another 980ti lightning to SLI them?

Thankyou in advance

[porterj5]

good info

[Mira Yurizaki]

On 3/8/2016 at 7:44 PM, caruz said:

Hi guys,

currently my rigs are :

i7 6700k 4.6ghz oc

hyper x fury 32gb ram 2666mhz cl15

gtx 980ti lightning

mobo asus maximus viii hero.

samsung 850pro 500gb

3tb hdd wd blue

transcend ssd 250gb

Currently im using thermaltake dps g 850w platinum. 

So my question is that whether my psu is enough if im going to get another 980ti lightning to SLI them?

Thankyou in advance

850W is plenty for another video card. You could even triple it up though that'd probably put the PSU at about 70%-80% load when you're really chugging at it.

[Cra7yChicken412]

Hello everybody i'm new to this. i was hoping that you can tell me if the power supply will run okay. 

If it does not work with my PC build please tell me what power supply do i get. 

 

If you can help me I appreciate it

 

 

I'm building my first PC

 

the case i will be using is : NZXT Phantom 820 (Black) ATX Full Tower Case 

 

 here are my PC Parts 

 

CPU : Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor 
................................................... 

CPU Cooler : NZXT Kraken X61 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler 
................................................... 

Motherboard : MSI Z170A GAMING M9 ACK ATX LGA1151 Motherboard 
................................................... 

Memory : Corsair Dominator Platinum 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory 
................................................... 

Storage : Samsung 850 Pro Series 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive 

Western Digital BLACK SERIES 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive 
................................................... 

Video Card : MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card 
................................................... 

Power Supply : NZXT HALE90 V2 1200W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply

[Cra7yChicken412]

On 5/18/2016 at 0:47 AM, M.Yurizaki said:

850W is plenty for another video card. You could even triple it up though that'd probably put the PSU at about 70%-80% load when you're really chugging at it.

USe this site to calculate how much your system will draw and then use that to decide how many W power supply you want http://outervision.com/power-supply-calculator

[Mira Yurizaki]

That website defaults to 90% load. I tried plugging in my hardware specs to match what I've been getting on Kill-A-Watt while running say... Crysis and I couldn't get it to match at all even at the lowest setting (60%), but it was getting pretty close. So the website grossly overestimates what you really need. Or rather, it estimates what wattage PSU you should get since PSUs tend to be most efficient around 50%.

[Cra7yChicken412]

Oh i was think it was 100% on the . 

 

I am sorry if i can't help you

[Hayden Redmond]

I am currently saving to build a gaming computer. I have been wondering about PSU compatibility. Say my rig only needs a maximum of 500 watts but I want to upgrade to more power consuming components in the future. Would it be a good idea or even possible to use a PSU that has a much higher power output than what is listed on my components?

[HKZeroFive]

49 minutes ago, Hayden Redmond said:

I am currently saving to build a gaming computer. I have been wondering about PSU compatibility. Say my rig only needs a maximum of 500 watts but I want to upgrade to more power consuming components in the future. Would it be a good idea or even possible to use a PSU that has a much higher power output than what is listed on my components?

It is possible. A PC takes as much power as it needs. If 1500W PSUs didn't work on a rig that consumes 350W total (I'm exaggerating but you get what I mean), there would be riots.

 

Frankly, the only thing you need to worry about is spending either too little or too much on a PSU.

[Taj37]

Hello Everyone , I am building my first PC and I have chosen all the component but I am super confused if I have chosen the right power supply. I would really appreciate if someone can help me. The parts are:

 

Power Supply: Corsair CX-500 V3 Power Supply

Mother Board: MSI 970 Gaming Motherboard

CPU: AMD FX-6300 6 Core Black Edition Processor

RAM: Kingston HyperX Fury HX318C10FBK2/16 16GB (2x8GB) Black

HD: Seagate ST1000DX001 Desktop SSHD 1TB

GPU: MSI Radeon R7 370 Gaming 4GB

Case: Corsair Carbide SPEC-03 Mid Tower Gaming Case

Optical Drive:LG GH24NSD1 24x SATA DVD-RW Drive OEM

 

[daedricstoy25]

I'm thinking of doing an overhaul on my rig, according to pcpartpicker the total  I'll be pulling is 584W.

I plan to have:

 i7 6850k

Asus Sabertooth X99

2 MSI GTX 1080 Areos in SLI

16GB Vengeance LPX DDR4 3000

 

I currently have an EVGA Supernova 750W PSU, I plan to overclock everything pretty hard, and was wondering if this would be enough as I've read some forums about some people's power consumption double on a component from overclocking.

[vagabond139]

On 6/8/2016 at 7:19 AM, daedricstoy25 said:

I'm thinking of doing an overhaul on my rig, according to pcpartpicker the total  I'll be pulling is 584W.

I plan to have:

 i7 6850k

Asus Sabertooth X99

2 MSI GTX 1080 Areos in SLI

16GB Vengeance LPX DDR4 3000

 

I currently have an EVGA Supernova 750W PSU, I plan to overclock everything pretty hard, and was wondering if this would be enough as I've read some forums about some people's power consumption double on a component from overclocking.

What Supernova do you have?

[daedricstoy25]

On 6/15/2016 at 5:14 PM, vagabond139 said:

What Supernova do you have?

It's a G2. Also might not end up gettting the Aero's cause the price isn't what was advertised.

[Exprima]

Hey guys would an 850W EVGA Supernova T2 be enough to power 2 GTX 1080 FTWs, an Intel 750 400GB SSD, 2 8TB HDDs, and an i7-6700K or would a 1000W be more suitable?

[WoolyBug]

How many for:

• i7 6850k OR 5930k (Both use roughly the same wattage)
• NVIDIA GTX 1080 (x2) SLI (Founder's Edition Reference cards)
• 1 TB SSD (x1) Non-M2 type
• 2 TB @ 7200 RPM HDD (x2 RAID 0 config)
• Slight overclocking GPU and CPU (10 to 15%)
• Maybe some (1m or 2m strip) LEDS or cold cathode light strip.
• 6 to 10 high RPM fans (120-140mm x6, 200mm x4) (possible LEDS on fans)
• 5.25 bay fan/temp controllers (LCD, touch screen, x2)
• High-end CPU Fan/Heatsink OR 240mm AIO liquid cooler with push/pull fans (120 mm fans x4)
• 32GB of DDR4 3000 Ram (8x4 or 16x2)

When I did the math I got around 1100 watts.
However, that feels a touch high ?

 

[THawkSonYo]

Just use the calculator Linus linked in one of his videos a while back.

http://outervision.com/power-supply-calculator

 

It is a very good guide.

Dont make the topic more confusing than it has to be,

i know power supplies are vital but tools exist already out  there which people worked very hard on to ease the confusion I.E a power-supply calculator.

[Ketchupp]

I have a GTX 960 and i'm upgrading to a 1060, i have a 500w power supply, do i need to upgrade the power supply or what?heres the specs

• 3.8GHz AMD FX 4300 Quad Core Processor (Turbo Speed 4.0GHz)
• Nvidia Geforce GTX 960 2GB Dedicated Advanced Graphics Card
• 8GB of DDR3 1600MHz High Performance RAM Memory
• 1000GB (1TB) SATA-III 7200rpm Hard Drive Storage Space

[Ilicet]

On 8/17/2014 at 0:54 PM, Aniallation said:

Just a general reference for "how much wattage do I need" questions that are filling the forum. Check these and you'll have a general idea of where to start for shopping for a power supply, and questions can be diverted from "how many watts do I need" to a much more specific "what power supply should I get within my budget that will power a system that needs XXX watts"

 

Briefing on buying a quality power supply:

 

Shopping for a power supply is not all about wattage. As much as your mind or people might make it seem like so, it's not. It's about multiple factors, however the most important things are the quality of the PSU and the amps on the 12V rail. Not just watts. This is why the question of "how many watts of a PSU do I need" is becoming drowned out nowadays, because it's no longer a large variable

 

Info on PSU quality:

 

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As far as PSU quality goes, again, take a look online. If there's a PSU you have your mind set on, take some time to go on Google and take a look at the reviews by websites like Jonnyguru, HardOCP, and others, to see what people are actually saying about that power supply. If it's good, then follow your dreams! It's not worth risking buying a poor quality power supply for a high-end system because it's cheap or it's a brand you like. Also, use common sense. Don't buy a metal gray box Diablotek power supply because it advertises 600W for half the price of brand names like EVGA.

 

Note the OEM of the power supply, often mentioned in reviews. Not every company makes their own power supples. Most brand-name PSU's are made by other companies. However due to the huge variability of PSUs on the market, we can't possibly cover it all, so if you have a hard time finding information on a PSU, take some numbers from here, and create a thread in this section containing your location and budget, to have some members of our community help you out.

 

Here are some good OEM checking resources:

http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page541.htm

http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/psu_manufacturers

 

 

And remember, 80 Plus ratings are just efficiency ratings. They are not the rating of how good a power supply is. 

 

 

 

Info on PSU 12V rail amps:

Hidden Content

 

On with the numbers!

Again, These numbers are established assuming you are using a quality power supply. The overclocks are also based on heavy overclocking, including overvolting. 

 

Hidden Content

 

Maxwell users! Please use this section:

 

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GTX 750/750 Ti

CPU: Pentium G3258 OC, Core i3, Athlon X4

 

Minimum recommended PSU stock: 300W

Minimum recommended PSU with GPU overclocking: 350W

 

GTX 960

CPU: Intel Core i3/i5, FX6/8

 

Minimum recommended PSU stock: 350W

Minimum recommended PSU with CPU and GPU overclocking: 450W

 

GTX 970/980

CPU: Intel Core i5/i7, FX8/9

 

Minimum recommended PSU stock: 400W

Minimum recommended PSU with CPU and GPU overclocking: 500W

 

GTX 980 Ti/Titan X

CPU: Intel Core i5/i7 OC, FX8/9 OC

 

Minimum recommended PSU stock: 500W

Minimum recommended PSU with GPU overclocking: 550W

 

 

Another way you could get a rough estimate on your own, is take the TDP of the CPU + GPU(s) and add 100W for other components. This should give you a rough estimate of the maximum power draw your PC will require at stock clock speeds.

 

Use these numbers when shopping for a power supply, but if you're not sure of specifically what model to get, there is absolutely nothing wrong with asking! Create a thread in this section that contains your location (country is fine), preferred store or retailer (if any), and your budget. Our community members will be happy to assist you find a good quality power supply that will be quiet, efficient, and reliable. 

 

Hope this reference guide was of help to you if you're looking to get a new PSU to upgrade or for a build. If there's anything that you feel can be added to this, or if you have any questions then let myself know. This thread is a work in progress and I'll do my best to keep working on it so leave suggestions!   Thanks for looking!

 

Changelog:

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you can also build your pc on pcpartspicker and use their estimated system wattage to help decide on your power supply

[SilverZephyrGaming]

Okay instead of asking about watts ect. Here is what I have 430w Corsair CX430m so a high quality supply. My motherboard is a Asus H97M and CPU is Pentium G3258. I am planning to save up for a RX480 so my simple question because this is after all a new GPU will this setup be safe to run with some headroom or am I going to have to get some more power?

Side note I currently have no GPU I'm using integrated.