Tom's Guide > Forum > CPU & Components > Power Supplies, PC Cases & Case Mods > Is my Antec EW 650w enough for this??

Is my Antec EW 650w enough for this??

Forum CPU & Components : Power Supplies, PC Cases & Case Mods - Is my Antec EW 650w enough for this??

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Drfeelz   11-07-2009 at 10:26:01 AM

I was just curious to know if my Antec Earthwatts 650w PSU can handle a new cpu upgrade. I only ask because I am currently running an EVGA GTX 285 1GB gpu (minimum 550w psu) and my current cpu, an AMD Athlon X2 5050e (45w consumption). Am looking to upgrade to an AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition which uses 140w. I am just looking to get better fps out of games and have multiple apps running at the same time etc. Sooooo whats your take on this?


AMD Athlon X2 5050e (stock cooling/specs)
ASUS M3A78-CM
4Gb DDR2
EVGA GTX 285 1GB
Micro ATX Case
650 Watt PSU Antec

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JohnnyLucky   11-07-2009 at 02:45:56 PM

Absolutely! The Antec Earthwatts 650 watt power supply is an excellent psu.

The general rule of thumb is a high quality 500 to 550 watt power supply can power a system with any single video card made. No problem :)


Message edited by JohnnyLucky on 11-07-2009 at 02:46:12 PM
Reply to JohnnyLucky
sanchz   11-07-2009 at 11:29:29 PM

DrFeelz I need some help from you.
Can you test if the PSU will power up WITHOUT any PCIe connector attached to anything (no load) and obviously, your GPU removed to avoid it from being underpowered during the test.
Its just I need a new PSU but I currently don't have any GPU which needs PCIe connectors...
Thanx

Reply to sanchz
rockyjohn   11-07-2009 at 11:56:25 PM

Sanchz - if you are just concerned about the power requirements for you system, I suggest using the Extreme PS calculator at:

http://www.extreme.outervision.com [...] orlite.jsp

If you have a small graphics card power requirement, I suggest going with the rule of thumb mentioned above and getting a good 500w one - they are not too expensive. Keep in mind that the sweet spot for PSU operation is at 50% to 70% of rated capacity. Any less and you are both wasting money and operating the PSU at lower efficiency level. Any more and you are again entering the lower efficiency range and for some PSU's entering the range when fans start creating more noise.

For instance, here is a decent one for only $45 AR:

OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ500MXSP 500W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817341016


Message edited by rockyjohn on 11-08-2009 at 12:01:42 AM
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 Reply to rockyjohn
sanchz   11-08-2009 at 02:14:12 AM

rockyjohn, I'm just concerned with the Antec's minimum current requirements for the +12v rail which feeds the PCIe connectors (0.5 A), and since I won't be connecting the PCIe connectors to anything, I want to know if the PSU will work properly.
I'll upgrade to a bigger card in December.

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Reply to sanchz
Delluser1   11-08-2009 at 02:16:36 AM

sanchz wrote :

rockyjohn, I'm just concerned with the Antec's minimum current requirements for the +12v rail which feeds the PCIe connectors (0.5 A), and since I won't be connecting the PCIe connectors to anything, I want to know if the PSU will work properly.


The 12v rail feeds much more than just the PCIE connectors, the power supply will work fine without a graphics card connected.

Message quoted 1 times
Reply to Delluser1
Drfeelz   11-08-2009 at 04:11:35 AM

Excellent feedback! Thanks again TH!

Reply to Drfeelz
sanchz   11-08-2009 at 04:15:57 AM

Delluser1 wrote :

The 12v rail feeds much more than just the PCIE connectors, the power supply will work fine without a graphics card connected.



i believe so, but the PSU I mention (antec EA650w) has 3 rails, each of them requires a minimum of 0.5A according to specs, and the 3rd rail (+12v3) exclusively powers the PCIe connectors. Hence, would no vid card mean no load in the +12v3 rail?

Reply to sanchz
Delluser1   11-08-2009 at 04:58:08 AM

You could plug in a 12v fan on a 4 pin molex and jumpstartstart the psu with nothing else connected, the lack of a video card WILL NOT keep your psu from operating properly.

Reply to Delluser1
JohnnyLucky   11-08-2009 at 12:52:46 PM

There are quite a few motherboards with onboard graphics. The pc's do not have a video card and the psu's still work. No problem.

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