X1900 PSU concern

[Justin Baker]

I'd sort of decided on my PC upgrade, but I've noticed that the X1900XT &
XTX require a 450w PSU. My question is - do they really?

I've got an Aspire X-QPack case with a 420w PSU, and I'd ideally like to
have the following in it:

Athlon 64 X2 3800+
DFI RS482 Infinity
4 x 512Mb Crucial DDR400 (already own these)
X1900XT or XTX
Sapphire Theatrix TV card
Audigy 2 ZS (or onboard sound, if airflow is a problem)
160Gb Maxtor SATA HDD
DVD-ROM & CD-RW
FDD etc.

Is this feasible on a 420w PSU or will the system keel over and die?

Thanks,

JB

 

[Bill Crocker]

I bought one yesterday and it wouldn't fit. The double-wide card wanted to
sit on top of my motherboard power connector!

Bill Crocker

 

[First of One]

Should be okay. Only thing you can do is to try it. If you experience
cold-boot problems or unexplained crashes in games, upgrade the PSU.

 

[Ian]

I'd sort of decided on my PC upgrade, but I've noticed that the X1900XT &
XTX require a 450w PSU. My question is - do they really?

I've got an Aspire X-QPack case with a 420w PSU, and I'd ideally like to
have the following in it:

Athlon 64 X2 3800+
DFI RS482 Infinity
4 x 512Mb Crucial DDR400 (already own these)
X1900XT or XTX
Sapphire Theatrix TV card
Audigy 2 ZS (or onboard sound, if airflow is a problem)
160Gb Maxtor SATA HDD
DVD-ROM & CD-RW
FDD etc.

Is this feasible on a 420w PSU or will the system keel over and die?

Thanks,

JB

You know, there are good and bad PSUs, a really good quality big-name 400w
is likely to be better than a crap-box 550. By better I mean can actually
handle more load and be more stable under a heavy load. I wouldn't split
hairs between 420 and 450 if you have a decent unit. If you don't it
might tip the balance. You didn't name your PSU.


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[John Lewis]

I'd sort of decided on my PC upgrade, but I've noticed that the X1900XT &
XTX require a 450w PSU. My question is - do they really?

I've got an Aspire X-QPack case with a 420w PSU, and I'd ideally like to
have the following in it:

Athlon 64 X2 3800+
DFI RS482 Infinity
4 x 512Mb Crucial DDR400 (already own these)
X1900XT or XTX
Sapphire Theatrix TV card
Audigy 2 ZS (or onboard sound, if airflow is a problem)
160Gb Maxtor SATA HDD
DVD-ROM & CD-RW
FDD etc.

Is this feasible on a 420w PSU or will the system keel over and die?

Thanks,

JB

CAPITALS ON

TOTAL WATTAGE IS NOT THE ISSUE.... AVAILABLE +12V CURRENT
CERTAINLY IS !!

CAPITALS OFF

For your setup with a XTX card, you will require roughly 22 amps of
peak +12V power. A modern ATX2.x power supply has dual +12V
power rails, one for motherboard+CPU regulators and the other for
peripherals including the +12V plug-supply to the high-end graphics
cards. Typically the dual +12V output power-supplies start at 15 amps
each leg and go upwards from there. ( Dual +12V >20amp per leg is
recommended for dual-card Crossfire X1900XTX systems ). Your
proposed system should do fine with a dual +12V/15 amp (or greater )
power-supply, ( or a power-supply with > 22amps available on a single
+12V rail, if such an item is available) from a reputable
manufacturer of course.

Others might get away with less, until they run Far Cry or Dreamfall:
The Longest Journey...... at high resolution with high AA/aniso
settings.


John Lewis