430W power supply and a GTX 275

[dave_angel]

Hi all,

I have an Antec Truepower Trio 430W - this has 3x12v rails each giving 16A. However I looked at the side of my PSU by chance, I noticed it said the max draw is 32A from all 3 rails.

I am looking to add a new S775 processor and GPU before I jump over to i5/i7.

My rig:
Antec Truepower Trio 430W
Asus P5k Deluxe (P35 chipset)
Intel e6550 -> want to try to pick up a cheapy q6600 off ebay before I go to i5
4GB Kingston DDR2 666 RAM
Radeon 4830 -> want to get a gtx260/gtx 275 at some point but will wait until gtx400 are out to see if prices drop at all. (?)
2x seagate barracuda 7200rpm
1x Hauppauge nova-winTV tuner card
1x Asus xonar dx sound card
2x cd & dvd drives

I think I'll be walking a dangerous road with this PSU as its only 430W, but it seems to be solid on the amount of current puts out.

If I need a new PSU what would you guys recommend?

And also the graphics card buyers market seems to be dreadful at the moment. If I wait a couple of months will anything change so I can get a better deal?

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[delluser1]

The TPT430 could probably handle it, but you would be pushing it pretty hard ( it'll run hotter and louder the more you load it ).
A 550 watt unit ( Antec, Corsair, OCZ ) would be a better option.

 

[dave_angel]

thanks you've confirmed my thoughts.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

The general rule of thumb is a high quality 500 to 550 watt power supply with sufficient current (amps) on the +12 volt rail(s) can easily power a system with any single video card made. A high quality 700 to 750 watt power supply with sufficient current (amps) on the +12 volt rail(s) can power a system with two video cards operating in dual mode. There are a few exceptions like the new ATI Radeon HD 5XXX series cards which use less power due to their energy efficiency.

A high quality 500 to 550 watt psu will have a +12 volt rail rated at 40 amps. A high quality 700 to 750 watt psu will have a +12 volt rail rated at 60 amps.

In addition the power supply should be at least 80+ Bronze certified for energy efficiency. There are some models available which have achieved 80+ Silver and 80+ Gold Certifications.

Before purchasing a new psu you will need to decide whether you will eventually have a pc with one or two video cards.

Corsair and Seasonic are two brands that have a reputation for high quality power supplies that consistently earn high marks in technical reviews. They are reliable, stable, and come with a 5 year warranty. Some of the newer models come with a 7 year warranty. Lately we've been seeing a few other brands offering some high quality units. One example would be the Antec Earthwatts and Antec TruePower New models which are a major improvement over Antec’s older psu’s like the Basiq models.

 

[dave_angel]

thanks i've etched this into my brain

 

[JohnnyLucky]

There is a new exception to the general rule of thumb. Nvidia is recommending a 600 watt power supply for the new GTX 480 Fermi video card.

 

[LePhuronn]

As an aside, might I suggest not bothering with the CPU upgrade and putting the money towards a new i5/i7 rig anyway? Unless you're getting something dead cheap of course, but even a hundred bucks for a 775 processor now is a hundred bucks you don't have to spend in the future.

Just a thought.