Is my power supply enough?

[imported_Shepherd]

I have a Sonata II with stock Antec SP450 psu which has 15/17A on the 12V rails. I currenty have a P5K-Deluxe, Q6600, 7800 GT/KO, 4 hd and 2 dvd drives. I do plan to oc. Would this psu be enough or do I have to upgrade? Thanks.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Should work, but SP is failure prone.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

If the SP is > 18 months old try to get a peek at the secondary capacitors. They sre surrounded by the output wiring. If they are swollen or have vented redish brown gunk out the top, RMA the PSU. Antec will give you and upgrade for this unit...they have done so for many. Use a flashlight and look as best you can. Don't break the warranty seal if the unit is < 3 years old. The caps will be purple Fuhjyyu brand.

 

[mpilchfamily]

The 450W SP doesn't offer enough amperage on ther combined +12v rails to support your system. Particularly with a good OC. As mentioned the PSU is prone to failing adn will take out other system components such as the motherboard and CPU. It would be in your best intrest to look for a better PSU. See if the PSU qualifies for Antec sending you a replacement.

 

[imported_Shepherd]

Any idea on how many amps I would need for this system? I used the Antec psu calculator and it says I need 835W!

 

[MarcVenice]

lol a s12 430w will run your rig just fine, so will a corsair 450vx or a antec earthwatts 500w. Anything with 30a or more will do just fine.

 

[tcsenter]

Originally posted by: Shepherd
Any idea on how many amps I would need for this system? I used the Antec psu calculator and it says I need 835W!

I bet it does! If I were selling PSUs, my online PSU calculator would offer grave warnings about damaging components, data loss, system instability, risk of fire, and cancer unless you used at least a 1500W redundant PSU...which I happen to sell for the low low price of just $400.

 

[Acanthus]

I run a very similar system to yours, and i have to upgrade the PSU due to power stability issues.

Current is 14A and 15A on the 12v rails, with 280w combined max on 12v. (23.3A)

I have a Corsair 520HX on the way, which is 480w combined max on 12v. (40A)

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: tcsenter

Originally posted by: Shepherd
Any idea on how many amps I would need for this system? I used the Antec psu calculator and it says I need 835W!

I bet it does! If I were selling PSUs, my online PSU calculator would offer grave warnings about damaging components, data loss, system instability, risk of fire, and cancer unless you used at least a 1500W redundant PSU...which I happen to sell for the low low price of just $400.

:laugh:

 

[Acanthus]

Update: Just started with the new power supply.

Already a night and day difference, systems hangs gone, now blend testing prime95 @ 3.2ghz (wasnt prime stable at 3.0ghz before, would fail in seconds) been running 3.2ghz for 22 minutes.

All artifacing in gaming is also gone, all 3 rails are more stable.

 

[imported_Shepherd]

Never thought a psu could make so much difference. Glad it worked out for you.

 

[Spike]

Someone said the Antec EW 500 would work? Just curious as I picked one up mothes ago for $40 AR and was planning on using it in a new Q6600 + 8800GTX (or 9800 depending on price/release) build a few months from now. I ask because it only has two rails with 17a on each and with an overclocked quad and a high end vid card I am kinda worried. thanks!

 

[John]

Acanthus, welcome to the HX520 club.

Originally posted by: Spike
Someone said the Antec EW 500 would work? Just curious as I picked one up mothes ago for $40 AR and was planning on using it in a new Q6600 + 8800GTX (or 9800 depending on price/release) build a few months from now. I ask because it only has two rails with 17a on each and with an overclocked quad and a high end vid card I am kinda worried. thanks!

The EarthWatts are built by Seasonic, and just like the Corsair HX series they are in fact single 12V rail psu's. If you look at the internal pics of the Corsair VX450 you'll immediately notice that it's built on the same platform as the EarthWatts. The main differences are the fan and caps on the primary and secondary side (VX uses better quality caps). The EA-500 will easily power a C2Q + 8800GTX and a couple of HDD's.