400W PSU & HD 6850

[bosing]

Hello, I thought I'd seek new advice here.

I have a brand new OCZ 400W Stealthxstream PSU unboxed, and I'm hoping that it can run an HD 6850. I also have a cheapy ColorsIT 600W PSU, but I've read that the OCZ brand to be more reputable than CIT, and thus more stable.

Will my OCZ 400W Stealthxtream be enough for the HD 6850?

Much appreciated.

 

[scout_03]

check power requirements your to low http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/amd-radeon-hd-6000/hd-6850/pages/amd-radeon-hd-6850-overview.aspx#3

 

[bosing]

Ah, that's too bad. I was clinging onto dear life, reading through a previous Toms thread.

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/333235-15-best-graphic-card-supported-400w-power-supply

Any recommendation for 400W powered cards, or am I looking too far down the barrel, hanging onto this PSU?

 

[Ohmybad]

400w is low for for the 6850, it requires two 6 pin connectors, and your PSU only has one... plus you're going to hear that OCZ isn't as reputable Seasonic, corsair, antec, xfx... i would want a 550W+ PSU

 

[nukemaster]

If your cpu is not too heavy and the system is not overclocked, i would honestly guess you could squeeze it in. This all assumes the power supply will deliver its rated 372 watts @ 12 volts. Its all about the 12 volt wattage(or amps if you want to go V x W = A)

What else is in the system.

I have a i5 750(Under volted to so it is cooler and takes less power) system with a 5770 and a single hard drive(used to have 2 but was too loud). That system had no issues at all on a 300 watt FSP(i have a feeling your OCZ is an FSP unit, but have not looked into it) based unit.

It is important to know, i planned my system for the power supply. not the other way around and it has a hard time pulling 200 watts from the wall. On an average game of Just Cause 2 for instance, it peaks at about 140 watts from the wall(39 watts idle).

Your card is more powerful then my media center, but what else is in the system?

EDIT.

Your power supply is made by CTW. CWT also happens to make the Corsair HX 850. This is not to say that this power supply is on the same level as Corsair.

 

[bosing]

you're going to hear that OCZ isn't as reputable Seasonic, corsair, antec, xfx... i would want a 550W+ PSU

Thanks for your help.

Would using my ColorsIT 600W be a daft move? I've read that cutting corners on a weak PSU can set one up on fragile grounds. It might be worth noting that I've used this PSU for years now, on my old Athlon rig, with the 8800GT.

 

[nukemaster]

Thanks for your help.

Would using my ColorsIT 600W be a daft move? I've read that cutting corners on a weak PSU can set one up on fragile grounds. It might be worth noting that I've used this PSU for years now, on my old Athlon rig, with the 8800GT.

Can you get an image of the sticker?

Depending on the the design, you can get a 500-600 watt power supply with less 12 volt power then a good 400. This is one of the biggest ways to cut costs on a power supply(by pushing 3.3 and 5 hard and having less 12 volt current).

 

[bosing]

what else is in the system?

Hello. Thanks a great deal. I've actually been looking into a new build, and the cherry was to be the HD 6850. Anyway, I don't have a lot of coin to spare, so I've taken a fancy to AMD for the time being. I'm upgrading from my Athlon rig, and I was hoping I could use either of the PSUs (600W ColorsIT or 400W OCZ) I currently own, to power the thing up.

This is what I was about to order earlier, before the thoughts of a PSU entered my mind: Build 1

I also have three SATA drives in use at the moment. They're not great, but I quite like the extra storage.

I'm not sure if it's worth noting, but I'm gaming at a measly 1280x1024, and I haven't the space to push aside for anything bigger. I'm not sure if that's on the right track when discussing power consumption.

Hopefully this helps.

 

[nukemaster]

The extreme power supply calc shows you needing about 346 watts. This is at 90% load. No cap aging was added, so the number would be pushed just over 400 with 20%

Since i am not sure about others stuff(have hard drive and a slightly different, but similar power use cpu), I added 3 120mm led fans and 4 usb devices taking the full 500ma each and a DVD burner.

My media center with its under volt gives me 253(294 with aging) on the same site. mITX board helps allot

I would say you are what one would call on the edge, but it is important to know that most systems do not draw the full lower they are able to under normal or even heavy use.

What is the full specs on that 600 watt unit?

If you are looking at power supplies, i would recommend looking at some of the Corsair units. XFX also has some good units.

 

[scout_03]

found few details on is cool-it psu chinese made but no other specs

 

[bosing]

Can you get an image of the sticker?

I tried my best with the phone, but I own a crap one of those too. http://s15.postimage.org/c7a12jsdn/Pic_0223_001.jpg

I also took down some of the details from the sticker, just in case the picture quality was too rubbish to read.

Details from left to right, (as they appear on the image):

AC INPUT: 230VAC 10A 50 - 60GHz

Model: 600U

+3.3v | +5v | +12v | -5v | -12v | +5VSB |
28A | 35A | 30A | 0.5A | 0.8A | 2.5A

600W

 

[nukemaster]

So from what i see here

12 x 30 = 360.

The 600 watt unit is actually worse then the 400 watt unit. Only by 12 watts, but that is the kind of thing I was talking about.

 

[bosing]

The 600 watt unit is actually worse then the 400 watt unit. Only by 12 watts, but that is the kind of thing I was talking about.

Ah OK. Since I'd be hitting the wall with the other 400W CPU, I assume my safest bet would be a new PSU.

Thanks for all of your help. I'm relieved I didn't order those parts and something to go wrong in the power unit.

 

[scout_03]

good choice take one from the company recommended upper in the post

 

[bosing]

I've now included 600W Corsair Builder Series as part of the order based on your earlier recommendations. Hopefully this'll do the trick. Thanks again.

 

[Boopoo]

NOOBS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! a 6850 is one 6 pin ONLY 125WATTS MAX TDP yes it will run on any decent 400Watt PSU hell I run a GTX 275 220Watt TDP on a crappy old 420Watt Cooler Master PSU no problems

 

[bosing]

a 6850 is one 6 pin ONLY 125WATTS MAX TDP yes it will run on any decent 400Watt PSU hell I run a GTX 275 220Watt TDP on a crappy old 420Watt Cooler Master PSU no problems

Ah, well that's good going. I haven't shipped the graphics card or PSU yet, so I'm considering dropping down the GPU peg, to something like the 6790 or 550ti in the hope that my OCZ 400W could handle either of them safely. Again, I'm only gaming at 1280x1024, so I'm hopeful a lower DX11 card could do the job.

 

[FlintIronStagg]

Did anyone research this psu before recommending a new one? The psu op has is highly reviewed and extremely efficient and outputs labeled wattage at 85% efficiency.
The 6850 would run just fine on.this psu.
Op; rest easy the 6850 needs one pcie 6 pin and also runs at around 125w. Your total system would use around 300w and wouldnt even come close to the ceiling on your psus capability

 

[bosing]

Op; rest easy the 6850 needs one pcie 6 pin and also runs at around 125w. Your total system would use around 300w and wouldnt even come close to the ceiling on your psus capability

Ah OK. Thanks for your help. Obviously, this would be a very welcome solution as I could keep my wallet from deflating even further. What's the worst case scenario if I go ahead with the build, and the machine won't boot up -- or am I getting ahead of myself?

 

[FlintIronStagg]

You are; full system wattage with the 6850is around 300w.
That psu is well made.
Worst case scenario if you had an inadequate psu which you dont, you would get signal errors to your monitor when trying to game
You wont have to worry about that though as the recommended specs.for cards on amds site is overkill due to the wide variety of psu reliability and manufacturers they are just playing it safe

 

[bosing]

You are; full system wattage with the 6850is around 300w.
That psu is well made.
Worst case scenario if you had an inadequate psu which you dont, you would get signal errors to your monitor when trying to game
You wont have to worry about that though as the recommended specs.for cards on amds site is overkill due to the wide variety of psu reliability and manufacturers they are just playing it safe

Ah, well that's grand. With cautious optimism, I'll eagerly wait on the parts to arrive. Thanks again.

 

[FlintIronStagg]

No prob, glad i could help

 

[jyjjy]

Yeah, the 400w from OCZ should handle the HD6850 just fine. It is a very low power card for its performance level.