4850 on a cheap 500w?

[spinnizle]

i have a coolmax 500w psu can i run a xfx 4850 512 meg

 

[HibyPrime]

Most likely.

Can you find out the amperage on the 12v rail? What are your other system specs, and how old is your psu?

 

[spinnizle]

it has 2 12v rails one is 18a and the other is 17a i have a e8500 cpu 4 gigs of corsair xms DDR2 800 a gigabyte g31m-es2l motherboard and a 160gig hdd the psu is only a cupple weeks old

 

[HibyPrime]

Yes it can support a 4850 with ease. That doesn't sound like a cheap PSU

nice rig fyi

 

[spinnizle]

thank you

 

[masterjaw]

Yes it can support a 4850 with ease. That doesn't sound like a cheap PSU

nice rig fyi

It's a cheap PSU belonging to tier 5.
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=108088

And anyone who suggests people to use those types of PSU are just plain stupid.

 

[Dudemonjr]

so it cant run a 4850,what r u saying?

 

[masterjaw]

If the issue is just "running the card", it might be able to. But beware of the imminent issues that you've might encounter by using one of those mediocre PSUs.

 

[spinnizle]

can i run it more confeddently with this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703017

 

[masterjaw]

That would be better.

 

[spinnizle]

will i have any trouble down the road or will i hav to worry about any thing going, im not trying to spend any more money than i have to but i want a relibile system

 

[HibyPrime]

The chances of that 500w power supply failing on you so soon is pretty low...

Your system will draw TOPS 400w, and that's with severe overclocking. Likely you're computer will never be drawing over 350w.

Lets say your computer draws 300 out of the 350 on the 12v rail, thats 25A total, you're PSU is rated at 35A total.

masterjaw is one of those people who overestimate power requirements and under estimate power supplies. That said, if you want a power supply that will last many years, then buy a new one. The one you have, even with the worst of luck, would still probably last you a good year.

 

[Onus]

No, masterjaw is one of those people who realize that a crappy PSU of any size is still a crappy PSU. It isn't just about the capacity, it is about the quality of the outputs. Of course, the label may simply be a lie, with no relation to the true capacity of the PSU.
Read the reviews of cheap PSUs on sites like www.jonnyguru.com and www.hardwaresecrets.com. These are the ones that tend to take other parts with them when they die. Here's a Chokemax PSU croaking at a mere 75% of its rated load: http://www.corsair.com/cinema/movie.aspx?id=622747
Look for full range active PFC (no little voltage switch) and 80+ certification. Antec, Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, Seasonic, and Enermax are at the top of my short list of quality PSUs.

 

[ill b ben]

Sigh..

A quallity 400 watt psu could run that system without having any issues.
But id never risk using a psu wich has 2, 12v rails combined 35 amps (often more like 30) wich comes to 35x12= 420 watts.

In other words that psu is way overrated for what it can deliver on the 12v rail (the one that matters)

 

[spinnizle]

so the one i had posted above would be perfect its a pcpower & cooling and its 420watts with a single 12v rail with 27a and a pci-e connecter so it can run the card and have quailty parts to last me a while

 

[djcoolmasterx]

PC Power & Cooling are a good brand, one of the top 3.

 

[Onus]

Yes, that would be a good choice.

 

[4745454b]

First, there is a difference between what the OP wrote, and what everyone read. The OP said "i have a coolmax 500w psu", and everyone replied about the "I have a coolermaster 550W" Can you see the error now?

Second, I would agree with the xtremesystems list. Coolmax isn't known for producing the best PSU. I would certainly want to buy one that "would still probably last you a good year."

Third, while I understand he "drew first blood", Masterjaw didn't "overestimate power requirements". He didn't say to run a 750W PSU, or anything larger. For whatever reason you believe that PSU is ok, but most of us here would not. That company isn't well known, and is on a good list as a tier 5 PSU. I would avoid it for those reasons alone. (Coolmax does have some psu that are rated higher, but they are 750W and above.)

 

[masterjaw]

one of those people who overestimate power requirements and under estimate power supplies.

I think this is better than being underpowered. Less heat plus some room for upgrades. And if you plan on using your PSU for an extended period of time, you must consider the electrolytic capacitor aging.

 

[Onus]

I don't think I read it wrong; I saw it as a Chokemax, any PSU with "max" in its name, OTHER THAN Enermax (the exception that proves the rule). The cited list is old, but so is that model of PSU. Modern PSU designs will have full range active PFC (no little voltage switch). They are also more efficient. 80+ certification is becoming more and more common, and ought to be a minimum criterion for selecting a PSU today.

 

[Bluescreendeath]

coolmax is a piece of sh*t power supply company. I work/worked at Microcenter, and we didn't recommend these PSUs unless the guy was looking for a VERY cheap computer build.

Most of the CoolMax PSUs 500watt and under only came with a single SATA connector...so choose between your harddrive or your optical drive, lawls...


In any case, I don't recommend powering a 4850 on a coolmax500watt. You might be able to, but that thing will probably die very quickly. Microcenter is actually having a cooler master sale this month, and they have decent 460watt-500watt PSUs for about $36.00

 

[4745454b]

Thats what I was getting at BSoD. Coolmax is junk, while Coolermasters newer PSUs are ok. Completely different companies AFAIK. I would run a new 500W Coolermaster, wouldn't touch a coolmax.

 

[HibyPrime]

I still say the coolmax would last a minimum of a year. Obviously computers are meant to be kept around longer than that, the fact that the guy was questioning it made me believe he was short on cash, makes sense no?

I know very well how cheap PSU's perform, I used two cheap ass 250w power supplies to run a quad core and HD 4830 setup that died after 6 months. The difference is that those two psu's had a combined 26A on the 12v rails, and the system didn't fail until I added a third hard drive. Not to mention the 4830 had an overclock to 650/900.

That system should use as much if not more than the OP's, and his PSU is rated for 35A, even if it can only provide 75% of that thats still 26.25A = 315w. I'd bet that system would hold up after one year.

That said, get a better quality PSU if you have the cash to spend now.

 

[Onus]

Capacity, maybe, how about voltages regulated within spec? How about being able to deal with a power glitch? Turn-on spikes and other transients? Coolmax, Chokemax, Zilchmax, all garbage.
An Antec Earthwatts 380 is only $40 right now. A Corsair cx400 is $50, $30 if you play the rebate game and win. At those prices in particular, Coolmax has no excuse.

 

[ill b ben]

Indeed i just doesnt justify the cost of cheap psu's, when you can get a reliable Earthwatt for $40 wich will actually last longer then a year.