6800 Ultra Power Supply Issue

[Tomahawk513]

Alrighty, I was able to get my hands on some elusive Asus EN6800Ultras (yes, two) for my system, which should be listed in my sig, but in case it isn't, here we go:
AMD FX-55
Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe
2x Asus EN6800Ultra
(1 gig) GeIL 4000+
550 watt power supply
and some other stuff, mostly just peripherals

Alright, so my question is, is that Five-hundred and Fifty watt power supply going to be sufficient? I've heard that combined, the Ultras take up (surprisingly) a mere 490 watts of power, which doesn't seem right... However, what, if not 550 watts, would be an acceptable power magnitude to run all of this stuff? Also, my other question, I, believe it or not, have room to fit another power supply in my case, in fact, it looks like that's what it was built for (it's an old modified server tower, complete with a Turbo button :-D)... Is this actually possible? that would save me a lot of time and money in the long run if I could just double them up, rather than replace the one with an expensive 650 watt, or whichever would be sufficient...

 

[CheesePoofs]

It depends on whether that is a quality 550 watt power supply or a generic one. If its a generic one, ie one that came with your case, then i wouldn't trust it to run 2 ultras. If it is a quality one, ie from anted, enermax, fortron, ocz, etc, then it should run two ultras fine.

A generic 500 watt power supply is often worse than a quality 350 watt power supply.

 

[Gamingphreek]

Youll be fine. People have ran an entire system with a 6800U in a 300Watt Quality PSU. You could probably run it withut problem in a 400Watt PSU.
Please tell us which brand PSU this is. We need to know more about it. Like Clock Frequency (mhz) Wattage isn't everything.

-Kevin

 

[kreidel]

How well would an Antec 350w do ?

 

[Duvie]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
Youll be fine. People have ran an entire system with a 6800U in a 300Watt Quality PSU. You could probably run it withut problem in a 400Watt PSU.
Please tell us which brand PSU this is. We need to know more about it. Like Clock Frequency (mhz) Wattage isn't everything.

-Kevin

400 watts may be pushing it.....

The fact is requirements on GT and above models states from nvidia themselves a 480watt minimum power supply...imagine now 2 of them..No dont double it since your are not doubling the system just the vid card...I would think 500+ QUALITY like OCZ, enermax, PC P&C, antec, etc can handle that.....

If it was me.....I would get a 600watt enermax or OCZ...I got the 600watt OCZ and I hope it will take care of my power needs for the next 2 years...my enermax I just sold lastest me that long and could power my current setup still....

 

[Gamingphreek]

480 is not minimum. It was at one point but it has been proven that an Ultra runs fine on a 300Watt PSU fully loaded. a 400Watt would be pushing it a bit but it would still be fine. I would get at minimum a Seasonic Super Tornado 400Watt. That is the lowest rated (Wattage) that i would go with SLI.

OCZ 600Wattt would be neat thought

-Kevin

 

[yhelothar]

Just get the 650W Enermax since apparently, money grows on trees for you anyways.

 

[XBoxLPU]

400 watts may be pushing it.....

The fact is requirements on GT and above models states from nvidia themselves a 480watt minimum power supply...imagine now 2 of them..No dont double it since your are not doubling the system just the vid card...I would think 500+ QUALITY like OCZ, enermax, PC P&C, antec, etc can handle that.....

If it was me.....I would get a 600watt enermax or OCZ...I got the 600watt OCZ and I hope it will take care of my power needs for the next 2 years...my enermax I just sold lastest me that long and could power my current setup still....

I have zero problems with my 6800 Ultra and my Vantec Ion 400 Watt

OCZ 600Wattt would be neat thought

and such a waste of money too.......

 

[Duvie]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
480 is not minimum. It was at one point but it has been proven that an Ultra runs fine on a 300Watt PSU fully loaded. a 400Watt would be pushing it a bit but it would still be fine. I would get at minimum a Seasonic Super Tornado 400Watt. That is the lowest rated (Wattage) that i would go with SLI.

OCZ 600Wattt would be neat thought

-Kevin

I agree it is not always about size, especially when you substitute quality. Often times manufacturers will give high specs like that cause they know average joe will find the cheapest 480watt produced and then when it actually turns out to be no better then a sub 400 watter he still has room.

However......

I read a massive thread here, a couple at GURU3d.com, etc and most of ppl issues with the ultras came back to Power supplies...insufficient that is....And many of those were not even SLI systems...


I say dont cut corners here and get a 520 OCZ power stream or better and stick with quality brands you see here a lot....

 

[Tomahawk513]

Alrighty, here are the specs for the PSU:
Link Depot Super Flower 550 watts
88V~265V
14cm fan (it's got a nifty blue LED!)
50/60 hz frequency

Model Number: TT-550TB

 

[Gamingphreek]

IIRC that one has 32A on the 12V. You should be just fine with it. It definately isn't the best out there but it is a decent mid-range PSU. Itll run everything fine.

-Kevin

 

[CheesePoofs]

I just checked. It has 30 amps on the 12v rail. Tha should be fine for your system.

 

[Tomahawk513]

Awesome, thank you everybody!

 

[Keysplayr]

P4 2.8
ASUS P4P800
2x512 Kingston Dual Channel
CD ROM
DVD Burner
Audigy2
Pinnacle Studio Card
120mm case fan
BFG 6800GT

running fine on Generic 350W PSU with 16A 12V rail.

Just to be on the safe side and to protect my hardware, I have purchased a 460W Enermax PSU.
Has 33A on the 12V rail. Should be more than enough, but will make me feel better.

 

[fibes]

Super-Flower is a rebadged Enermax, so it should do fine with your twin Ultra's.

Run a 3DMark2005 and tell us how they perform?

 

[Deskstar]

Just to give an example of an inadequate power supply setup, when trying to both overclock my processor and my memory, I currently do get warnings that my video card needs more power after which lock up occurs.

I have a 3 year old Antec 420 True Blue that performs without any problem and has tight power on all rails based on Winbond monitoring. I have also a 6800 Ultra with two power inputs. But, my older power supply version has only 22A on the 12v rail. Now I am getting a "Warning, lack of power" popup in hard game activities. This lack of power occurs in spite of correctly powering the card with two separate feeds from the power supply and no other hardware on either feed. The rest of my machine is packed with 3 IDE drives, 1 SCSI drive, CDRW, CD, multi-fan monitor with LEDs, blue LED on power, blue LED fans, and lots of fans, including a 120mm power hog. The lockups are not due to heat because I can watch the temps on both the chip and the video GPU and they are fine. I am convinced that this is a power supply issue and have ordered a new one with 30A on the 12v rail. So, remembert that all the stories above of running the Ultra on 350w power may work fine in some systems but not on others. YMMV. And, of course 6800GT only need one power input, so they are a different story entirely. Just be warned.

 

[SOTY]

My powersupply works great for me.

 

[uOpt]

Forget the wattage ratings, look for quality Vendors.

I have a Zalman 400B, rated 400 watts, and the computer has:

- AMD64 3400+
- 6800 Ultra
- three harddrives
- 5 CD-ROM/DVD/burner (won't run at the same time, though)
- extra PCI SCSI
- extra PCI sound
- extra PCI ethernet
- PCI TV tuner
- assorted USB junk without its own power connected

No problems whatsoever.

 

[Deskstar]

The Zalman 400B shows 18A on the critical 12v rail which is slightly lower than my Antec 420, yet I still get low power to the card warnings. I agree with Martin that the power supply ratings are bunk.

Deskstar

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: fibes
Super-Flower is a rebadged Enermax, so it should do fine with your twin Ultra's.

I'm trying to figure that out myself. I ordered a "Super Flower" from Directron a few days back (still in transit), that appeared to be made by TTGI, with a TT-xxx model number. But they also sell some "Super Flower" PSUs, with SF-xxx model numbers, that look nearly identical to the Fortron models that they sell. So how that does all fit in with Enermax? Not directly related to that bunch, I've also seemingly determined that HighPower, ThermalTake, and Chieftec supplies, at least the ones that share the HPC-xxx-xx model designations are the same.

Anyways, I ordered a "520W" SuperFlower (TTGI), and a 360W Chieftec (HighPower) PSU, both have either 17A or 18A on the 12V rail, would those be decent to run some of these more modern high-powered video cards, or should I eventually spring for one of the newer (more expensive) high-powered Fortron PSUs with something like 20A or more on the 12V rail?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: Duvie
I agree it is not always about size, especially when you substitute quality. Often times manufacturers will give high specs like that cause they know average joe will find the cheapest 480watt produced and then when it actually turns out to be no better then a sub 400 watter he still has room.

I am seeing a very disturbing trend the last year or two on displaying the "MAX" power on lower-end PSU boxes and in ads. For example, a PSU that can output 350W steady-state combined, with the capability to handle transient power-load conditions as high as 450W, as a "450W" PSU.

So your average joe goes and puts together a system, with an estimated power draw of something above 350W but below 450W, buys that PSU, and then has stability problems. He then goes and buys a bigger, "550W" generic PSU, and then doesn't have problems. He says to himself, "Maybe I miscalculated, I must have needed more than 450W of power".

Meanwhile, the *quality* PSU mfg's, that rate their products more conservatively and more accurately, don't ever sell any PSUs to this "joe", because he believes that they won't work for his application, "not high enough specs". So they lose sales, market-share, and the el-cheapo wishfully-rated generic supplies start to take over the market.

Kind of like cheapo made-in-china computer speakers with obscene ratings like "300W computer speakers", with a tiny asterix and "P.M.P.O." written there, or more than likely simply not. Yeah, right, like a 2" paper speaker can handle 300W of power, perhaps for a nanosecond before it promptly explodes.

I know I'm kind of preaching to the choir here, but I guess I just had to rant. I've seen 250W-labeled AOpen PSUs (rebadged Fortrons), handle loads that even a 350/400W generic couldn't. It's just sad to see decent mfgs get hurt by this practice. Then again, I recently ordered some PSUs, and didn't order a Fortron, because they were twice the price (really, only because the other ones were on sale for half price). So I guess I'm partially guilty here too. But in my defense, the ones I ordered weren't generic either.

Originally posted by: Duvie
I say dont cut corners here and get a 520 OCZ power stream or better and stick with quality brands you see here a lot....

Forgive me, but I kind of cringe whenever I happen to see OCZ stuff recommended, at least knowing some of their past history, and even semi-recent behavior. Granted, their PowerStream PSUs do look pretty decent, but you will end up paying a notable premium for the OCZ name and the pretty flashing lights, rather than just buying the same model under the OEM name. (For example, I ordered a Chieftec 360W for $20, which is the exact same model as the ThermalTake 360W selling for $45, or the HighPower selling from their own web site for $80, although that model was newer with SATA leads too.)

 

[Gamingphreek]

Originally posted by: VirtualLarry

Originally posted by: Duvie
I agree it is not always about size, especially when you substitute quality. Often times manufacturers will give high specs like that cause they know average joe will find the cheapest 480watt produced and then when it actually turns out to be no better then a sub 400 watter he still has room.

I am seeing a very disturbing trend the last year or two on displaying the "MAX" power on lower-end PSU boxes and in ads. For example, a PSU that can output 350W steady-state combined, with the capability to handle transient power-load conditions as high as 450W, as a "450W" PSU.

So your average joe goes and puts together a system, with an estimated power draw of something above 350W but below 450W, buys that PSU, and then has stability problems. He then goes and buys a bigger, "550W" generic PSU, and then doesn't have problems. He says to himself, "Maybe I miscalculated, I must have needed more than 450W of power".

Meanwhile, the *quality* PSU mfg's, that rate their products more conservatively and more accurately, don't ever sell any PSUs to this "joe", because he believes that they won't work for his application, "not high enough specs". So they lose sales, market-share, and the el-cheapo wishfully-rated generic supplies start to take over the market.

Kind of like cheapo made-in-china computer speakers with obscene ratings like "300W computer speakers", with a tiny asterix and "P.M.P.O." written there, or more than likely simply not. Yeah, right, like a 2" paper speaker can handle 300W of power, perhaps for a nanosecond before it promptly explodes.

I know I'm kind of preaching to the choir here, but I guess I just had to rant. I've seen 250W-labeled AOpen PSUs (rebadged Fortrons), handle loads that even a 350/400W generic couldn't. It's just sad to see decent mfgs get hurt by this practice. Then again, I recently ordered some PSUs, and didn't order a Fortron, because they were twice the price (really, only because the other ones were on sale for half price). So I guess I'm partially guilty here too. But in my defense, the ones I ordered weren't generic either.

Originally posted by: Duvie
I say dont cut corners here and get a 520 OCZ power stream or better and stick with quality brands you see here a lot....

Forgive me, but I kind of cringe whenever I happen to see OCZ stuff recommended, at least knowing some of their past history, and even semi-recent behavior. Granted, their PowerStream PSUs do look pretty decent, but you will end up paying a notable premium for the OCZ name and the pretty flashing lights, rather than just buying the same model under the OEM name. (For example, I ordered a Chieftec 360W for $20, which is the exact same model as the ThermalTake 360W selling for $45, or the HighPower selling from their own web site for $80, although that model was newer with SATA leads too.)

Thermaltake is no where near OCZ's caliber. OCZ set the world clockspeed record (Team Akiba @ ~6000mhz). The OCZ 520 Watt is only surpassed by the Zippys and the PCP&C. Other than that you dont get any better. That is top of the line.

You also dont pay for the flashiness. Have you ever seen the inside of one of these things. Its nice. The Heatsinks are very large, the fans are quiet. It has adjustable POTs, and excellent EMI control.

These PCP&C and Zippy are the best you get. Nothing else competes as this level.

-Kevin

 

[i love pcp]

Pretty Soon PC-Power coolong is coming out with a 850 watt power supply that can peak at 950 and has four 12 volt rails

It sound like your power supply that sholud power your system

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
Thermaltake is no where near OCZ's caliber. OCZ set the world clockspeed record (Team Akiba @ ~6000mhz).

You do realize, that means absolutely nothing by itself, right?

The proper way, would be to test (under varying load conditions), the output of the supply, on an ocilliscope, and measure the results. That's the only real way to test. There are a lot more important parameters than just overall output power levels. Not to mention noise and long-term reliability, two things that the overclocking event says nothing about. It does informally at least tend to suggest that it is a "not crap" supply though, which is a good thing.

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
You also dont pay for the flashiness. Have you ever seen the inside of one of these things. Its nice. The Heatsinks are very large, the fans are quiet. It has adjustable POTs, and excellent EMI control.
These PCP&C and Zippy are the best you get. Nothing else competes as this level.
-Kevin

So who actually makes the OCZ supply, since I know that they don't really make anythingthemselves? It would be nice to track down the OEM, and then look at some actual spec sheets.

Edit: Perhaps I should have been more clear in my comments towards OCZ. In general, their stuff is overpriced relabeled OEM stuff, hype-marketed, but that their PSUs were actually somewhat of an exception, and actually decent. I wasn't in any way trying to make a direct comparison between OCZ and TT, another company that I consider to be a waste of money paying extra for flashiness, but rather to suggest that tracking down the OEM version of the OCZ PSU would save you money over buying the branded one.

 

[michaeldorian]

Originally posted by: VirtualLarry

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
Thermaltake is no where near OCZ's caliber. OCZ set the world clockspeed record (Team Akiba @ ~6000mhz).

You do realize, that means absolutely nothing by itself, right?

The proper way, would be to test (under varying load conditions), the output of the supply, on an ocilliscope, and measure the results. That's the only real way to test. There are a lot more important parameters than just overall output power levels. Not to mention noise and long-term reliability, two things that the overclocking event says nothing about. It does informally at least tend to suggest that it is a "not crap" supply though, which is a good thing.

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
You also dont pay for the flashiness. Have you ever seen the inside of one of these things. Its nice. The Heatsinks are very large, the fans are quiet. It has adjustable POTs, and excellent EMI control.
These PCP&C and Zippy are the best you get. Nothing else competes as this level.
-Kevin

So who actually makes the OCZ supply, since I know that they don't really make anythingthemselves? It would be nice to track down the OEM, and then look at some actual spec sheets.

Edit: Perhaps I should have been more clear in my comments towards OCZ. In general, their stuff is overpriced relabeled OEM stuff, hype-marketed, but that their PSUs were actually somewhat of an exception, and actually decent. I wasn't in any way trying to make a direct comparison between OCZ and TT, another company that I consider to be a waste of money paying extra for flashiness, but rather to suggest that tracking down the OEM version of the OCZ PSU would save you money over buying the branded one.

Topower is the OEM manufacture of OCZ but OCZ designs and spec the PSU for them and they have an exclusive agreement to be the only manufacture with these specs from Topower.