Power supply and GPU

[ishyB]

Hey I was wondering about my setup and I was thinking of upgrading my GPU to a 980. I have a 450W BT EVGA Will it be enough because i've checked on some Power Supply calculator and it says it's around 445W but the recommended is around 500W My specs are (right now)
CPU: i5-4460

GPU 1050ti (Upgrading to a Gtx 980)

Storage: 1 SSD (SATA) 1 Hard Drive 7.2k RPM (SATA)

Optical Drive: Some Random CD DVD reader and write (never use it)

PCI slot: 1 WLAN card (wIfi card)=

5 Fans I think 120MM

Some LED Strips like 3

Usage: I use it around 8 hours+ on weekends and around 4 hours on weekdays usually 

Other info: Gaming Mouse and keyboard 27 inch monitor 

Thanks for reading!

Also If needed another PSU please recommend some but not pricey ones anything cheap but good quality will do. Thanks

[Herman Mcpootis]

https://www.anandtech.com/show/9306/the-nvidia-geforce-gtx-980-ti-review/16

the wattage is enough but it's poor quality, try to get a CX450/M or coolermaster masterwatt if possible.

[Livin]

52 minutes ago, Herman Mcpootis said:

https://www.anandtech.com/show/9306/the-nvidia-geforce-gtx-980-ti-review/16

the wattage is enough but it's poor quality, try to get a CX450/M or coolermaster masterwatt if possible.

Though a 450w power supply may be able to run it, I would definitely be more comfortable with a 500w - 600w.  Keeping your power requirements closer to 80% of the power supply's wattage will help with the useful life of the power supply.  There are components that will degrade over time in a power supply and if you're pushing close to its limit, you'll see signs of this sooner.

[Quadriplegic]

3 minutes ago, Livin said:

Though a 450w power supply may be able to run it, I would definitely be more comfortable with a 500w - 600w.  Keeping your power requirements closer to 80% of the power supply's wattage will help with the useful life of the power supply.  There are components that will degrade over time in a power supply and if you're pushing close to its limit, you'll see signs of this sooner.

Source/proof?

[Livin]

1 minute ago, Quadriplegic said:

Source/proof?

Capacitors degrade with time and heat.  They are rated for a certain amount of hours at a certain temperature typically.  As these degrade in your power supply, it will loose its ability to supply full power.

 

 

[Quadriplegic]

2 minutes ago, Livin said:

Capacitors degrade with time and heat.  They are rated for a certain amount of hours at a certain temperature typically.  As these degrade in your power supply, it will loose its ability to supply full power.

 

 

But aren't PSUs rated for 100% usage, hence capacitors should be well within safe temperature margins?
https://pcpartpicker.com/forums/topic/15652-demonstrating-a-common-myth-with-power-supply-degredation
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/290519-28-units-wear-time
https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/just-how-long-is-a-psu-expected-to-last.232653/

And it seems like it's the efficiency that might degrade over the time, not output power. So it would just draw more power from the wall, but still deliver the rated power

[Livin]

Just now, Quadriplegic said:

But aren't PSUs rated for 100% usage, hence capacitors should be well within safe temperature margins?
https://pcpartpicker.com/forums/topic/15652-demonstrating-a-common-myth-with-power-supply-degredation
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/290519-28-units-wear-time
https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/just-how-long-is-a-psu-expected-to-last.232653/

And it seems like it's the efficiency that might degrade over the time, not output power. So it would just draw more power from the wall, but still deliver the rated power

Yes there is typically capacity beyond the advertised wattage but that is overloading over what it is meant to run.  It might still work, but if it is drawing too much power from the wall and losing efficiency, you're going to be running higher temperatures inside the power supply.  This will lead to a failure at some point in its life.

 

Here's an article from HardOCP where they tested a power supply that they had originally reviewd and then used for 7.5 years.  I've linked the page where they jump in to the load testing where the 7.5 year old power supply failed to deliver the 1000w that it is rated for and originally was able to just fine.  It failed this test running at an intake air temp of 45C (easy to hit for a power supply that uses an internal case intake) as well as a "room temperature" 22C intake temp.

 

https://www.hardocp.com/article/2015/03/09/silverstone_olympia_1000w_power_supply_7_year_redux/2

 

If you read the rest of the article, one thing that stayed consistent is though it wasn't running at the same temperatures, efficiency, or ripple, it was able to maintain 80% load.

[Livin]

With all this in mind, I'm not saying it can't be done.  I've definitely ran some of my less important systems right close to power supply capacity, but I knew what I was getting in to.  If you're looking to get a new power supply anyway, it's best to size it appropriately and get a good long life out of it.  Following the 80% rule and getting a quality power supply should give you 7+ years of life assuming there were no flaws in the manufacturing process (which these should typically show up in the warranty period).