# How many watts do I need?



## chimpinator (May 6, 2007)

Hi all - 

I am building a computer soon but I do not know how many watts I need in my PSU. I am tyring to get as less/cheap as possible with the PSU. I tried some of the online power supply calculators but they don't have the hardware I'm getting (ie, they don't have the c2ds or 8800s). Can anyone with PSU experience give me a "guesstimate", at least, on how many watts I need for these specs?

Specs:

Core 2 Duo E6420 
8800 GTS/ Factory OC/ 540/840
650i SLI Mobo, Asus pne-5 
2 X 1 GB DDR2 800 MHz memory, 4-4-4-12
Sound Blaster X-fi xtremegamer
ENCORE ENLWI-G(2) IEEE 802.11b/g PCI Wireless Adapter
6-in-1 USB 2.0 card reader
3.5" hdd cooler
80mm PCI slot cooler
Seagate barracuda 7200.10 320 GB, ┴ -recording
SATA 20X DVD+R drive
4 120mm case fans

Sorry for the long list. I have a 550 W PSU listed so far, plz tell me if thats enough. Also, if anyone sees necessary comments or suggestions about the list, plz tell me too.

Thanks a bunch,
Chimp


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## Tumbleweed36 (May 14, 2005)

Please read THIS before you go any further with this project. There is a calculator here that will do the job for you and be SURE you add 30% to your final total for what you need. I can tell you that without running the calculator, that 550 watts most likely won't do the job for you just glancing at your list of components. Run the calculator and then we will see.

Before you make a bad mistake, whatever you do, don't try to go cheap on a power supply because that is the most important component of your computer. If you go cheap there, you can burn up other components.

When done reading, post back and we can talk about your needs.


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## chimpinator (May 6, 2007)

Hi Tumbleweed -

Guess ya saved my life there xD. Owe ya big time.

Done reading, did a test and after adding 30% I got 470 Watts.


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## Kalim (Nov 24, 2006)

I agree with what Tumbleweed is saying, and also let us know if you plan to upgrade anything at all in the next 8-9 months.


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## chimpinator (May 6, 2007)

Well I plan to buy parts as soon as school's out (around June 10th) and no plans to upgrade until two years later, if i change my mind i will keep u updated


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## Tumbleweed36 (May 14, 2005)

I think what Kalim is saying (reading between the lines for you), is that if you change your mind and upgrade with some biz-wow video card in a few months, that if you go too low, it simply won't pull it. Therefore, you need to go bigger to insure that you don't have to do this power supply thing again so soon. 

Buy a great brand name supply (they cost more) with adequate wattage and amps per rail and it will last through the next couple of years. Go cheap, and you will have to do this power supply thing again and again and again. 

Have a great day and feel free to throw questions back to Kalim or me. I will be gone for an hour or so, but I think Kalim is still on and can answer any of those questions you might have.


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## chimpinator (May 6, 2007)

Ty a bunch, tumbleweed.

So, hi kalim.

based on the article tumbleweed sent me about PSUs and how we underestimate its importance, I am between these two:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171010
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817189014

Tell me what you think. Ones cheaper than the other by a noticeable margin, but it has the things that the article recommended. 

Chimp


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## Kalim (Nov 24, 2006)

I'm always signed on, but don't ever take that as me being online. :laugh:
Usually away, but have access to the net. I get a "beep" on my mobile when there's an email sent out when there's a reply to a thread I subscribed to. :wink:

Oke doke.

Which RAM do you plan on getting and at what prices? Also what about the CPU cooling and which/why/how much for the GPU?

Let me just do a rough calculation of max power pulled if all components pulled max watts at the same time:

Core 2 Duo E6420 - 120W tops
8800 GTS/ Factory OC/ 540/840 - 150W tops
650i SLI Mobo, Asus pne-5 - 30W tops
2 X 1 GB DDR2 800 MHz memory, 4-4-4-12 - 20W tops
Sound Blaster X-fi xtremegamer - ~40W tops
ENCORE ENLWI-G(2) IEEE 802.11b/g PCI Wireless Adapter - 15W tops
6-in-1 USB 2.0 card reader - ~20W tops
3.5" hdd cooler - 10W tops
80mm PCI slot cooler - 5W tops
Seagate barracuda 7200.10 320 GB, ┴ -recording - 30W (spinup) tops
SATA 20X DVD+R drive - 20W tops
4 120mm case fans - 20W tops

Maximum total draw possible comes to *480W* with that system, and I've added a few watts for extreme cases too.

Add 25% for aging as total wattage/efficiency that a PSU can provide decreases over usage/load and you have 600W there that will last you perfectly throughout the DX10 gaming era and for a few years. 

Looks like a >600W PSU is needed to do the job sufficiently. You are out of luck, as the best deals just ended, which slashed the PSU prices $80 below expected. Now they are back up to >$140 with some still retaining a $40 rebate to make them $110. I'll have to look around later on to see if there are any bargain offers and possibly tomorrow morning, I'm expecting there to be.


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## floydfan (Oct 18, 2006)

huh? a core 2 at 120w? not unless he overclocks it to 3.6ghz or something. at stock the max the chip can consume is 65w. for the 8800, its also not 150w, more like less than 120w even with the oc version. that, and how likely is every component to be loaded at the same time? not very. if he has no plans to upgrade, a 520w corsair psu is all he needs.


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## chimpinator (May 6, 2007)

Kalim, 
me 2 about the sign on thing. no cell yet tho, getting one soon.

Anyways, i am getting GeIL Ram ddr2 800 and it's $99.99, but 74.99 with rebate. 

Right, forgot to mention CPU fan, it's a ZEROtherm BTF90 92mm Silent UFO CPU Cooler. not sure what u mean by which why and how so i'll answer all of them xD. the name tellls you which, why because it gets pretty much unanimously positive reviews, and it is $44, $34 after rebate. The GPU is a leadtek with factory OC, and it costs 259 after rebate, 284 without. I got it because I was looking forward to a future vista upgrade (after it's been refined in say, a year and a half or so) and thus DX10. It looks like its a beast at today's dx 9 games, too, so that'll serve me well.

k, about the power supply, what about this one? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817104023

or this one?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341002

 the price hurts. but its worth it. *sniff*


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## chimpinator (May 6, 2007)

ty, floydfan, but actually i do plan to mimic legion hardware and use the same board and cpu and OC to 3.496. 
The gpu, i dunno. I was a bit shocked by the wattage of 150 tho. Not taking any sides, only taking opinions.
Some actual suggestions about PSUs would be nice. Floydfan, appreciate the corsair suggestion i checked it out looks great, a little pricy but ill keep it in mind.


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

I think the OCZ is better then the other one.


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## floydfan (Oct 18, 2006)

its the exact same thing... fsp makes ocz gamextreams


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## Kalim (Nov 24, 2006)

floydfan said:


> huh? a core 2 at 120w? not unless he overclocks it to 3.6ghz or something. at stock the max the chip can consume is 65w. for the 8800, its also not 150w, more like less than 120w even with the oc version. that, and how likely is every component to be loaded at the same time? not very. if he has no plans to upgrade, a 520w corsair psu is all he needs.


Floydfan , please read again. It says max possible with those components that'll last him for 2 years. Yes overclocking is included. And no, more power draw is possible for the 8800GTS overclocked when running DX10 games in the next 2 years, not 120W. Sorry, your advice is not correct there.

Don't believe anyone who doesn't know facts about game coding or PSU internals, but look at a overclocking site and then go off rough hearsay. Go ask Jon Gerow if PSUs will pull more power than currently doing with DX10 games in the next 2 years- its a bit obvious and I can already tell you the answer as we've discussed *many* times over. :wink:


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

floydfan said:


> its the exact same thing... fsp makes ocz gamextreams


The fsb has 4 15a 12v rails
The ocz has 4 18a 12v rails 

(not the same)


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## Tumbleweed36 (May 14, 2005)

chimpinator said:


> ty, floydfan, but actually i do plan to mimic legion hardware and use the same board and cpu and OC to 3.496.
> The gpu, i dunno. I was a bit shocked by the wattage of 150 tho. Not taking any sides, only taking opinions.
> Some actual suggestions about PSUs would be nice. Floydfan, appreciate the corsair suggestion i checked it out looks great, a little pricy but ill keep it in mind.


Chimpinator, you said something about opinions and here it is. You can choose who you wish to believe or not believe in this issue, but I can tell you that Kalim and 1 g0t 0wn3d are giving you information that is in your best interest. 

While it is quite possible that a Corsair 520 (a great power supply) will do the job for you immediately as mentioned by our friend Floydfan, you have nothing left for any tweaks that you might decide (not intend) to make in the near future as Kalim, 1 g0t 0wn3d, and I have been advising for you. 

I have no idea what experience Floydfan brings to the table, but from running a shop on my own and years of experience as a tech, I can tell you that it is very unwise to plan "no headroom" for growth in this business. Therefore, you have to decide what advice you want to follow and see who is helping you in this process. When you buy something with no headroom, you will end up doing this again very shortly when you decide to expand your computer just a little.

Enough of that issue. If you are looking for a great supply at a decent price with plenty of headroom, here is a link that is a great deal:

*Antec Trio 650 for $101.20*

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/DeepSearch.hmx?scriteria=antec+trio+650&ALL=y&TP=3

This unit will be better than either of the ones you mentioned in your last post. I will keep looking and will come back on when I find something that is decently priced.


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## Tumbleweed36 (May 14, 2005)

*OCZ 600 watt *$81 bucks after rebate
*OCZ 700 watt *$93 bucks after rebate

http://clubit.com/search.cfm?brand=OCZ Technology&keyword=power supplies&cat=all

Still looking for you and will be back if I find more deals:


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

Floyd:



please tell me how in hades is the price of a corsair 520 a good deal ??????


yes the Corsair is a great supply / I dont think its "much" better than a Trio, but they are better. $30.00 to $40.00 better >>>>>> think NOT

why do you love to distract people with the notion that they should "deliberately" get a 500 watt PSU ??????? in todays world ???

I could maybeeeeeeeeeeeeee see it if the Corsair 520 was a $80.00 PSU

but when you can get the Antec Trio 650 for $100.00 and or the OCZ 700 watt for $99.00

then the Corsair 520 just doesnt shine any more

for that matter; wayyyyyyyyyyy before I ever ponied up the price tag for the Corsair 520 I would jump up to the king of the heap with a Seasonic 650 or 700

I agree with Tumble, Kalim and got owned

why have a unit that may limit you *at all *in the near future; better it be SLI or overclocking

I cant stress enough to you / read the SLI zone reccomendation units 

the Corsair 620 is there for SLI 8800GTS the Antec 650 Trio is there too! as well as the OCZ 700 and the Seasonic 600

the Corsair 520 is NOT there >>>>> unless maybe YOU know more than Nvidea and Corsair ?????????????????????????? do you really think Corsair only submitted the 620 for testing ???????????


this gets old, you are very involved in the other sites that push that 500 watt will power anything theory >>>>>>> push it there


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## Kalim (Nov 24, 2006)

I agree Joe. Corsair is just another PSU MFG, interested in their own profits. They do not have a 620W+ PSU and hence they need to churn the market speak to cover for it, on every other forum. Just because everyone else moved up faster than they did (even Ultra has 1.2kW PSUs now) doesn't mean they are correct. But if they really believed that their 620W could handle the same load as an PCP&C 1kW can, then they wouldn't be working day and night to produce a 750W and 850W PSU for nowadays needs. Even a 1kW is rumored, by which they shoot down their own market speak right down to their own foot. Unfortunately, gullible guys hanging out on online forums tend to fall for this, although it's disproven. :sayno:


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## redsunx (Apr 5, 2007)

550 watts is my guess breathing room for upgrading


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## Tumbleweed36 (May 14, 2005)

redsunx said:


> 550 watts is my guess breathing room for upgrading


*Good* (520 Corsair), *Better* (550), *BEST* (650), never let it rest, until the good is better, and the better is BEST. I would advise that you go for the BEST or you won't be happy in a few months. Why would you do the Good or Better, when you can do the *BEST* for about the same price.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

60% of their rated load is the "sweet" spot where they will run for ever


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

scroll thru the menu's and see which units are tested and approved to run 


dual 7950GTX

dual 8800 GTS

Dual 8800 GTX 

http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone_build_psu.html


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## chimpinator (May 6, 2007)

Guys, 

Thanks for all ur suggestions so far. Can anyone give me a thumbs up/down for this power supply? It seems so good so far based on the specs, and reviews are overall good. 

Greater than 70% efficiency, 650 Watt, >100,000 hrs MTBF, SLi Certfied, Active PFC. 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171014

If I get a thumbs up then I'll order this one immediately.

Ty for all urs help and education bout the PSUs

Eric


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## chimpinator (May 6, 2007)

Hey guys,

Thumbs up/down on this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171014

Specs look gud, reviews look gud, etc. IF i get a thumbs up i'll order immediately.
Ty a bunch guys, really appreciate it all,

Eric


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## redsunx (Apr 5, 2007)

b(^_^)b my bet


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## chimpinator (May 6, 2007)

wait - waht's b(^_^)b?
lol sorry


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## Tumbleweed36 (May 14, 2005)

I would have to say this is not the best choice you have. While this is not a "bad" power supply, it is certainly middle of the road quality IMHO. A power supply with 70% efficiency is not the best, you need a higher efficiency supply to stand up to the demands of your rig. You need a "real" power supply to be safe:

Think Thermaltake Toughpower series, Coolermaster igreen series, Antec Trio series, Seasonic series, Corsair series, Silverstone series, OCZ series, PC Power & Cooling series. If you find one of these series on the 620+ range, it will do a heck of a job for you.


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## Kalim (Nov 24, 2006)

chimpinator said:


> Guys,
> 
> Thanks for all ur suggestions so far. Can anyone give me a thumbs up/down for this power supply? It seems so good so far based on the specs, and reviews are overall good.
> 
> ...





chimpinator said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> Thumbs up/down on this one:
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171014
> ...


Not eXtreme Power, no. :sayno:

Cooler Master iGreen, yes. Or others such as OCZ GameXStream 700W, Antec TruePower Trio 650W, Corsair 620W, SeaSonic S12 600 or 650W, SilverStone OP650 and so forth as mentioned by Tumbleweed, yes.

Here's a Cooler Master iGreen 600W (top notch) on sale: 
http://www.ipcrepublic.com/cooler_m...iciency_power_supply_rs600asaa_1786_1239.html
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=PS...60159de19a8d62c8d2439721fabc5b2ffb21655a78d8b

Depending on which lasts when you get round to checking them out. :wink:


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## chimpinator (May 6, 2007)

That looks like a good PSU, but...

Considering my tight PSU budget though, are you absolutely sure that the extreme power won't work?


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

if you want to save money look for less video card and cheaper memory / look for memory with 5-5-5 15 (i think it is ?????)

then get the antec 550 trio for $65.00 and kiss any chances of overclocking good-bye

but definetly not the PSU you found (extreme power is YUCK)


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## chimpinator (May 6, 2007)

Wait, so what's so bad about the extreme power? Ii'm not being critical or anything I'm just curioius. I'm a n00b at PSUs. :sigh:


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

you read the PSU sticky ????????????????????



go check the specs of the extreme power for the following ????


1) what temp was the label rating obtained from ??????? if it doesnt say at the retailer or at the manufacturers website; then you are very safe to assume 25C

2) active PFC or not ????

3) is the rating continious or peak ??????

4) does the PSU list the combined watts for the 12volt rails only , if so divide that number by 12 and thats the amps on the 12volt rails / of course thats the watts at the bull manure temp rating :sigh:


) what is the efficiency factor ?????? if its not shown its safe to assume the bare minimum of 70%


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## chimpinator (May 6, 2007)

ok ok i give up. Is there ANYTHING sub-100 dollars that I can get!?! pretty plz?!??


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## chimpinator (May 6, 2007)

Tell me this ocz stealxstream works!!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341010


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

yes the OCZ will work


this one is better

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/viewspec.hmx?scriteria=BA23051


and if you can live with a 15 day warranty >>>>> this deal is red hot

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/skusearch.hmx?SCriteria=CB23051


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## Tumbleweed36 (May 14, 2005)

Another smoking good deal IMHO:

OCZ GameXStream ATX12V v2.2 & EPS12V Power Supply - 700 W Single Fan - - ATX12V & EPS12V 
$92.98 after mail in rebate
http://clubit.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=A6276522


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

Tumbleweed does have a great deal there too!


you are now in a head & shoulders class above the extreme power



look at the specs of these PSU's they leave no "secrets"

the rating temp is in your face

the antec is rated for 50C and the OCZ's are rated for 40C thats a world of diff better than 25C >>>>> hockus pokus


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## chimpinator (May 6, 2007)

All right guys, i bought the oczstealthxstream. Thanks a bunch for ur help, and I'm glad i didn't end up with a 30 dollar PSU that wud blow all my parts.

- Eric


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