XFX GeForce 9600 GSO

Bob39Bob39
edited December 2008 in Hardware
Hello, I was thinking of buying the XFX GeForce 9600 GSO Video Card soon,

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4128445&Sku=P450-9616

and I noticed that it said that i needed a 400 watt power supply minimum to run this card. I have a 300 watt power supply, but i don't think that a graphic card would need 400 watts to run. Could you guys please tell me if I will be able to run this card on my computer if I bought it. Thanks

Comments

  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    Bob, PCI-e video card are very dependent on high amperage of the 12 volt line ("rail") that is supplied to the video card. There are very, very few power supply units that have more than the bare minimum specifications to power the computers they come shipped with.

    I doubt seriously your power supply will have the necessary amperage to power a 9600 GSO. But so that we can give you a better informed advice, please provide us the following concerning your power supply:

    brand
    model

    Now, there should be a label on the side of the power supply that lists power ratings, such as +12v, -12v, +5v, and so forth. It will also list the amperage for each of those. Those specifications are critical.

    We also need to know what's in your computer:

    brand (if any)
    model "
    processor
    current video
    hard drive(s)
    CD/DVD drive(s)
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    power.png

    231 watts under load would kill your 300w PSU
  • mew905mew905 Saskatchewan
    edited December 2008
    fatcat wrote:
    power.png

    231 watts under load would kill your 300w PSU

    why? I never got why people always tell you to get huge PSU's compared to your PC's actual usage. a 1000 watt PSU on a 200 watt system would be overkill, and make the 1000 watt run with horrid efficiency. Around 80% usage of the PSU is what you want to use, so I would think 231 watts should be fine. I bought a 550 watt Gigabyte Odin GT a couple weeks ago, love every aspect of it. Turns out my PC has only EVER used 231 watts, peak. usually hovers around 150 under load. The 8800GT peaks at 7.6A too

    Athlon X2 5000+
    3GB PC2-5300 DDR2 RAM (2x 1GB, 2x 512MB)
    160GB SATA HDD
    GeForce 8800GT
    SATA DVD Burner
    PCI Capture card and 802.11g wireless card
    Media card reader with built in bluetooth

    Of course, I dont know what the original poster runs, but I think he should be fine with the 9600 GSO... HOWEVER that does not mean dont upgrade your PSU! I make a point to run bare minimum a 400 watt PSU with any kind of dedicated graphics card.

    So, I suppose yes, you should upgrade the PSU, go for a 400 watt, maybe even a high efficiency one.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    I make a point to run bare minimum a 400 watt PSU with any kind of dedicated graphics card.
    Well yes, most of us here look at it that way. Bob39 currently has a 300Watt PSU. You can be fairly certain that almost any sub-400 PSU will have only the necessary power to run mid-grade or entry level older off-the-shelf computer. Also, my opinion, for those of us who upgrade frequently and want to keep power supplies for several future builds, it's a good idea to have excess capacity. In the last few months I have been migrating computers over to dual GPU (dual card and 9800GX2) configurations for Folding@Home. If I hadn't purchased my PSUs originally with some excess power, I would be having to upgrade all of them now or hold off on reconfiguring the computers.

    I have a 550W Corsair, just one example, running a 9800GT and 8800GT at full load. The computer also has a quad core Q6600 full load, overclocked from 2.4 to 3.5GHz. I still would like a little more power, though. At that power draw, approximately 460Watts, the 550's fan kicks in to higher RPM and is a little annoying.
  • Bob39Bob39
    edited December 2008
    mew905 wrote:
    Of course, I dont know what the original poster runs, but I think he should be fine with the 9600 GSO

    So do you think that without upgrading for now, that I should be able to run the video card? I listed my computer specifications below.

    PSU Company: Bestec
    Model #: ATX- 300- 12Z

    Processor: Athlon 64 X2 (W) 5000+ 2.6 GHz

    Current Video Card: GeForce 6150 LE (built into motherboard)

    Hard drive: one 400 GB Sata hard drive

    memory: 2 GB memory installed (1 GB x2)

    CD/DVD drive: 16X DVD(+/-)R/RW 12X RAM (+/-)R DL LightScribe SATA drive

    For more information, you could search for my computer. The brand and model number are listed below.

    Computer Brand: HP
    Model: m7750n

    Thanks for all your help.
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    9600GSO under load 231watts
    5000+ under load 65watts

    that leaves 4 watts on his 300watt PSU mew905 to run the rest of his system.

    I never said get a 1000 watt PSU

    A good quality Antec 500w will suit him fine.
  • mew905mew905 Saskatchewan
    edited December 2008
    fatcat wrote:
    9600GSO under load 231watts
    5000+ under load 65watts

    that leaves 4 watts on his 300watt PSU mew905 to run the rest of his system.

    I never said get a 1000 watt PSU

    A good quality Antec 500w will suit him fine.

    well. I didnt mean you suggested a 1000 watt, I was using it as an example. And are you totally sure that power benchmark is accurate for JUSt the video card? I would think the 9600GSO uses less power than the 8800GT, and the 8800 maxes out (on my system) at 7.6A, which is 91.2 watts. It's said to use a peak of 9A, havent seen it hit that yet but you know, better to be safe than sorry. I think that benchmark is likely the entire system using midrange specs (of course thats a very wide range of parts). Maybe I'll download a stress-tester (is ATI tool good?) to determine the maximum load from the 8800, but I honestly doubt the 9600GSO runs more power than the 8800. And yes, I will agree, a 500 watt should be more than adequate
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    yea 231watts seems high. Here is what else I found.

    powerconsumption.jpg

    so 189w - 231w ?
  • mew905mew905 Saskatchewan
    edited December 2008
    I would agree with that based on his system, its nearly identical to mine actually, and I've only ever peaked at around 251 watts total, so yeah, seems about right.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    The second graph is much closer to reality. That first one in this thread is, well, bizarre. System No. 4 (signature) with a Q6600 at at 45% overclock and a 9800GT and 8800GT all at full load are pulling 460 watts. That includes case lights, PSU inefficiency (power loss), two hard drives, and numerous fans. Power usage measurement is from the APC monitoring software of the UPS. Full load is three Folding@Home clients - 1 X SMP & 2 X GPU2.
  • Bob39Bob39
    edited December 2008
    Ok. I got a lot of mixed answers for this question. I know you guys are suggesting that i should buy a 500w PSU, but many people are telling me to try to see if the graphic card will work with my PSU without buying a new one.

    Could you guys please tell me if something bad will happen to my computer if my computer requires more power than the PSU could provide. I think that it just won't turn on, in which case i'll buy a new PSU. But please tell me if you guys think my hard drive will crash or something. Thanks for all your help.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    Bob, I would NOT run a higher powered video card with your 300W PSU or ANY 300W PSU for that matter. It is not worth the risk. Regardless of the total watts output rating, 300W PSUs are designed to provide bare minimal power and to keep things inexpensive for manufacturers. There is so much more to a PSU than it's ratings on the label. BTW, 300W means total, not necessarily on the power rails, - +12v in this case - that your video card will use. Some PSUs with high output ratings have pathetic supply for the components that pull the most power.

    If a cheap PSU goes out under load, it can take other components with it, to include processor, motherboard, memory, and video card.
  • mas0nmas0n howdy Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    Leonardo wrote:
    Bob, I would NOT run a higher powered video card with your 300W PSU or ANY 300W PSU for that matter. It is not worth the risk. Regardless of the total watts output rating, 300W PSUs are designed to provide bare minimal power and to keep things inexpensive for manufacturers. There is so much more to a PSU than it's ratings on the label. BTW, 300W means total, not necessarily on the power rails, - +12v in this case - that your video card will use. Some PSUs with high output ratings have pathetic supply for the components that pull the most power.

    If a cheap PSU goes out under load, it can take other components with it, to include processor, motherboard, memory, and video card.

    To add to this, cheapo PSU manufacturers typically rate a unit as 300W when it can achieve a peak of 300W (or 400W, 500W, etc) while manufacturers of quality units will only rate a unit as 300W when it can sustain that load 24/7. This is why fatcat stated earlier that a regular load of 231W would eat right through your 300W unit. I don't think you need anything more than a 500W PSU, maybe just a high quality ~400W. However, If you plan to keep the PSU for 3+ years it is usually a good idea to overshoot a bit to compensate for capacitor aging. Yet another factor which I believe was touched on above is that running a PSU at or near it's W rating is a pretty noisy way to go through life.

    :cheers:
  • Bob39Bob39
    edited December 2008
    OK, I didn't want to spend much money on the PSU, so i'm gonna pick up this PSU.

    http://www.factorydirect.ca/catalog/product_spec.php?pcode=PO0500

    It is cheap and it should power up my system still. (I'm getting the 3 year warranty to make sure that it continues working). Thanks for all your help.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    It is cheap
    Indeed! More so in quality than price. Look you are learning, so the following is not directed at you. That PSU is so cheaply made that they won't even post the specifications that REALLY matter, such as the amperage of the individual voltage rails. That is critical. That PSU is most likely an ancient design with one or two internal components swapped so that they can claim 500W. Bob, if your budget is so tight that you need to purchase what you just posted, you really should NOT upgrade at this time. Sorry, but I would feel guilty if I did not write anything.

    Come on guys, let's look at Newegg Canada and NCIX and see what we can find Bob.

    EDIT: I just looked more closely at the image in the link. No wonder they won't show details. That PSU is a POWMAX. Bob, that is bottom of the barrel. Hang on, we'll help you find something.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    Bob, I'm finding good stuff for you, and not so expensive. Here's the best quality with the specifications I could find for you under $50 Canadian:
    http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171031
    This would serve you well.

    In it's class, I don't think you can find a better PSU for the money. Most everything else I found in that price range at Newegg Canada is crap, or only for low powered, office drone machines that never do anything more intense than open an email.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    Here's another good one, $60 Canadian after rebate. From NCIX, OCZ GameXStream 600W
  • LincLinc Owner Detroit Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    Leonardo wrote:
    That PSU is a POWMAX. Bob, that is bottom of the barrel.
    Indeed... that's like finding a tinfoil carburetor. Cheap, but damned if I'm putting it in my car! :hair:
    Bob39 wrote:
    OK, I didn't want to spend much money on the PSU
    Coincidentally, the PSU is the one component that can destroy every other piece of your computer if it goes south in a hurry. Maybe rethink that position :D
  • CBCB Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Der Millionendorf- Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    If you want to go cheap but reliable with your PSU, go CoolerMaster (as Leo linked above). Their PSUs are almost as cheap as the bottom of the barrel, but they are signifigantly more reliable. Not as good as OCZ or other top-of-the-line PSUs, but good enough, if you're on a tight budget.
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    spending a good amount of money on pc components and buying a cheap PSU makes no sense, ever.

    The PSU is the most important component of a PC. Dont skimp on quality.
  • mew905mew905 Saskatchewan
    edited December 2008
    fatcat wrote:
    spending a good amount of money on pc components and buying a cheap PSU makes no sense, ever.

    The PSU is the most important component of a PC. Dont skimp on quality.

    yes, there is actually a list around that lists all the companies that usually make quality PSU's. Never go with a cheap quality one, honestly, as it was stated, it can easily destroy everything in your PC if it dies. random shutdowns and fans always on full-speed are usually a warning however some dont even do that, they just simply start smoking or even catch fire (some apevia PSU's do that!) Corsair, OCZ, Cooler Master, Gigabyte (the odin series *drool*) are all good companies in other areas, however I dont know how good their PSU's are. If someone can find a list, try to use companies on that list. a 400 watt PSU will likely do you fine but I'd say future-proof a little bit and go with a 500.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    Mew905, there is no magic list of good PSUs. If there is I would use it only with seasoning. The PSU world is nearly completely different than it was only five years ago. New players come into the market, some good, some bad. Some mediocre brands improve their quality. Some quality brands falter. Sure, there are trends and there are brands that seem to consistently provide better quality, but I am unaware of any "list."
  • mew905mew905 Saskatchewan
    edited December 2008
    I've actually found 3 a few years back, while quality tends to change (with new management, equipment, technology, etc), generally speaking everyone here will recommend Corsair for memory. Kingston was another one that got high praises over at www.4peeps.com, and OCZ according to reviews is also right up there. Gigabyte has gotten alot of high praises, and some low for their video cards (their 9800GT with the vCore modifier program OMG) and motherboards. Zotac I've never really heard of until february '08, but their card I can vouch for so far is good. OC to 735/1800/1980 (Core/Shader/Mem respectively) easily. However mine as of late has been touching 107 degrees C playing WoW with an 80mm fan helping it blow the air out an open PCI slot right under it, blowing at 2800 RPM (no idea what CFM). I think I cooked the thermal paste... anyway the point is while you're right, there is a recommended list out there for Power Supplies. Not sure if it only mentions just companies or if it mentions models as well. It'll have to be an 08 list for sure.
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