300 watt for 8800 ?

nmwords

nmwords

New Member
Okay now I know the requirements for the 8800gts (g82) is 400watts, BUT we tested his card out before he's bought a new power supply, and hes running his 8800 with a 300 watt PSU. we tried doom 3 maxed out and It ran it fine and he seems to be content with his PSU. my question is what will happen if he continues to do this, can his psu catch fire or something or is he really good to go ??
 
it might work for a while but save money..you will need one after that one pops! and it will....i had a 500 wtt cheapie on one of my rigs with a 8800 gts 1 week was gone:eek: (will not catch fire prolly just go out)POP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
If the Power supplies +12v rating was sufficient, I could almost give the go ahead. But of course a PSU struggling to provide power to the system, for lengthy periods of time, can have it's toll. PSU failure is the most likely thing, I wouldn't imagine it'd catch fire, but all is possible. Singular components will likely go unharmed, unless of course the failing PSU sent spikes through a failing voltage regulator, could fry the video card, motherboard, ram, CPU, etc.

On the other hand, the system in mind may not tax the 300w to levels needed for such disastrous outcome. Recommended current and wattage requirements are not minimum requirement. My 3800 x2, 7600gt, 2 gigs ram worked wonderfully on a 200w, +12@10a unit for 2 weeks, waiting for a replacement. So as you see, there are arguments either way, safest route is buying a PSU that provided sufficient power. But all things considered, I wouldn't be surprised if it the current configuration worked like a charm, providing no trouble.

Btw, doom may not put the system in a situation where it's drawing at peak levels. Take this into account.
 
I found out with my last PSU that it may play some games to the max (with me warrock, BF2) but when you send it a really taxing game like COD4 or Crysis, i can't really see his PSU being up to the challenge.
 
nffc10 is correct, power draw under DX10 games such as Crysis will be higher than that under Doom 3. It does depend on the quality of the PSU in question - what PSU is it?, and of the other hardware in the system, and do keep in mind that while the PSU may be able to power the system in question for a week or a month, that certainly doesn't mean it will work for a year or two.

I'm not saying it's impossible for a 8800GT to survive indefinitely with a 300W PSU, but I certainly wouldn't want to be the one trying it!
 
While you're at it make sure you buy a battery backup and 6 or 7 surge protectors, and then go ahead and surge protect your whole house. I don't think 600W is enough by the way, you'd be safer with 3 or 4 kilowatts. Maybe you should get a few power supplies just in case.

Then make sure you go to Nvidia's website and buy anything else them and their partners say you need. Remember, the more expensive, the safer!
 
fortyways said:
While you're at it make sure you buy a battery backup and 6 or 7 surge protectors, and then go ahead and surge protect your whole house. I don't think 600W is enough by the way, you'd be safer with 3 or 4 kilowatts. Maybe you should get a few power supplies just in case.

Then make sure you go to Nvidia's website and buy anything else them and their partners say you need. Remember, the more expensive, the safer!
Click to expand...

Holy shit talk about an over reaction. I got it for 30 dollars at radio shack and its a thermaltake smart guy.
 
fortyways said:
While you're at it make sure you buy a battery backup and 6 or 7 surge protectors, and then go ahead and surge protect your whole house. I don't think 600W is enough by the way, you'd be safer with 3 or 4 kilowatts. Maybe you should get a few power supplies just in case.

Then make sure you go to Nvidia's website and buy anything else them and their partners say you need. Remember, the more expensive, the safer!
Click to expand...

Ahah wow what? 600 watt powersupply isn't that outrageous, I have a 650watt PSU.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top