Power Supply and New Graphics Card

O

odunican

New Member
Hello I bought a custom built pc around 2 years ago. I don't have a lot of money at the moment so cannot afford a new one till around next year prehaps. Basically my graphics card has broken (I have already had a pc expert at a computer shop look at the computer and he said this was only problem).

So obviously I need a new graphics card. However I really want the Nvidia 560 TI. But i've been told this needs at least 550w Power Supply. Mine is only 450w at the moment so I was thinking of upgrading the power supply.

I use my computer mainly for gaming such as Sims 3 and World of Warcraft. My old graphics card was the Nvidia 9800gt and it was fine however I couldn't have all my settings on high and I would love to be able to do this.

I have a budget of around £200-£300 for a new graphics card and power supply. Anyway my question is can I shove any old power supply into my computer or does it have to be compatible with the rest of the hardware. And whats the best power supply I can get that fit within that budget?

Here are my system specs:
Windows Home Edition x64
Case: ANTEC 900 BLACK GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU): Intel® Core™2 Duo E8400 (3.00GHz) 1333MHz FSB/6MB L2 Cache
Motherboard: ASUS® P5Q: DDR2, SATAII, PCI-e x16, 3 PCI, 2 x PCI-e x1
Memory (RAM):4GB CORSAIR XMS2 800MHz
Graphics Card:512MB NVIDIA GEFORCE 9800GT PCI EXPRESS (Broken)
Memory - 1st Hard Disk: 640GB SERIAL ATA 3-Gb/s HARD DRIVE WITH 16MB CACHE (7,200rpm)
Power Supply: 450W Quiet Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan
Processor Cooling: STANDARD CPU COOLER
 
You're going to need at least 550w, yes. You're going to want one from the brands Antec, Corsair, Seasonic, silverstone, xfx, or PC power and cooling.

Here's some for reference. You'll have to go to a site for the UK.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371016

Those are some nice prices on those and you'll have room to spare. If you are upgrading your entire system next year, will you try to sell your whole computer, or just sell some parts around?
If so, you might want to consider a 650w so you can transfer that to your new build. If you wanna do that, go with a high quality one.
 
I'm up for spending a little bit more if it means it will last. I have been looking online and generally the brands you mentioned are like in the £70 region or so for 650w. So I thought whats an extra £5-10 if it means a higher upgrade. So here is some I've found. Here is the link

http://www.cclonline.com/product/43468/P1-850S-NLB9/Power-Supplies/XFX-Pro-850W-Power-Supply-Unit/PSU1237/ I like this as it also has a 5 year warranty which is great I think as i've had issues what dodgy power supplies in the past.
Next link doesn't have any warranty which concerns me but I just thought I'd get your opinion
http://www.cclonline.com/product/59323/CMPSU-700GUK/Power-Supplies/Corsair-GS700-80-PLUS-Certified-700-Watt-Power-Supply-Unit/PSU0233/

This last one is a little more expensive but is a big upgrade. But it seems to good for the price so am thinking something isn't that good about it? not sure though have no idea about power supplies

http://www.cclonline.com/product/59324/CMPSU-800GUK/Power-Supplies/Corsair-GS800-80-PLUS-Certified-800-Watt-Power-Supply-Unit/PSU0234/

Also just being curious but if I did upgrade my computer. Could I still keep my casing I have the Antec 900 or would I need a complete new one. I was just thinking that if I am upgrading the graphics card and also power supply then would it not be cheaper to just get a new hard-drive and motherboard and other hardware that needs upgrading rather than a new computer?

Thanks for the help by the way i've been lost for weeks just want to be able to go on my computer once again.

Also i've seen really cheap powersupplies with like 850w for like £40 by a company called CiT should I stay away from these?
 
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560ti and an e8400 could run on a quality 400w psu with overclocking and a quality 350w without. But you want headroom for future upgrades. XFX 550w/600w come to mind, along with corsair/antec/silverstone/seasonic offerings.
 
I was told that yeah it would be ok but if I used a lot of usb then I would be pushing it with the 560ti. I use around 3 usb items all the time and all plugged in together.
 
linkin said:
USB items draw next to nothing.
Click to expand...

Not true, USB 3 can draw up to 1.8A each so it can add up.

Also the 560TI can draw up to 170W (over 14A) by itself, that is why it has a minimum of 500W PSU recommended by nvidia.

Given that a e8400 has a tdp of 65W (5.5A), you need at least 26A on the 12V rail (312W), and this doesn't even account for fans, hdds etc

A quality 350W PSU such as this seasonic (http://lanccs.com/seasonic-ss-350et-350w-80-plus-bronze-atx12v-power-supply-918.html) will JUST suffice, but without oc.

I would not recommend anything below a quality 30A 12V rail PSU for that card, especially if you plan on overclocking. As such, a 500W PSU quality, is minimum.

This should (IMHO) be considered minimum quality and power http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139018
 
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Mark Johnson said:
Hi, I want to build a new PC and I am confused which power supply to add to the PC. Is Cooler Master's 460 watt is enough for the Core i7?
I have a passion for computers and I would like to share a quote about it:
"I do not fear computers. I fear the lack of them."
Click to expand...
Hi Mark -
We start our own thread for an individuals topic.
If you click the "Quote" button on your post above, you will find a way to delete it.
Then, at the top left of each form section, use the "New Thread" button to start your thread.
:)
 
I don't really want to buy a power supply that will just about suffice. As I said am up for spending a little more if it means I can use it from now till at least 3 years. Did you look at the links I posted as these seems great.

Also why would I go for a 350w when I have a 450w already? the plan was to upgrade im confused.

What is overclocking by the way i've heard of it but don't actually know what is it or what it does?

Thanks for all your help people:good:
 
bigfellla said:
The point is, its not about wattage, its about 12V rail amperage and quality.
Click to expand...

;)

Don't go by recommend psu values either, that's for a whole system not just one card by itself.

Just look up the TDP of the card (eg, "GTS 450 tdp) and that will give you a fairly decent estimate of what the card will draw on its own, in wattage. divide that number by 12 to get amperage.
 
Think I am going to go for the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139025 Corsair 800w seems to have the best reviews etc.

Now the graphic card has got me confused I wanted a Nvidia 560TI but there is so many to choose from. What is the difference between these 3 cards or is it just different brands. I am swinging towards the first one which is the EVGA GeForce GTX 560Ti 1GB GDDR5 Graphics Card 01G-P3-1560-KR. This is because it has a 3 year warranty which is great and it says 10 years warranty if u register within 30 days and the others cards dont offer that which is a bit of worry.

Here is the links to all 3 if you could tell me your opinion on which you would buy would be great.
http://www.cclonline.com/product/53...-560Ti-DirectCU-II-1GB-Graphics-Card/VGA1569/

http://www.cclonline.com/product/54...-GeForce-GTX-560Ti-1GB-Graphics-Card/VGA0143/

http://www.cclonline.com/product/63...ce-GTX-560Ti-1GB-GDDR5-Graphics-Card/VGA0326/
 
Ok well I decided to upgrade some more hardware. I have a £600 budget.

The case i have is an Antec 900 so the hardware would need to fit in this.

Basically I need a new CPU,Motherboard, Power Supply and Graphics Card.

I need to have a 3 year warranty on either the bundle or each item. This is very important as I don't want to have to pay for new parts in a year if they break.
To be honest most things offer this but as I said need to have some form a warranty 3years+ or I don't wanna know lol.I

I want a graphics card that is going to be as good at the 560TI maybe better this is the most important thing as I want to have all my games on max settings such as World of Warcraft and Sims3.

Obvs that everything is has to fit with this as well to run smoothly otherwise you get issues.

I'd rather spend my full budget if it means I can still have great graphics and a fast computer in the future such as 3 years from now. So this needs to be bared in mind I have been looking at the Intel Core i7-2600K 3.4GHz Quad Core Processor which seems great but this almost half the budget as its £230 in most places.

All my existing hardware and system spec is on the first post.

Thanks I am so grateful for help I have no idea about computers only basics.
 
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