Amperage importance for GPU

[Nilley]

Hey Forum!

I'm currently looking into buying a GTX 970 now that Fallout 4 is coming out soon. But with that, I also need a new power supply, and preferably a cheap one

The GTX 970 requires a minimum 500W power supply, with a min 12V current rating of 42A.

The PSU's I've been looking at has got around 550W, with a 12V - 22A-ish.

Is it really that important that I hit the 42 ampere?
Also, since PSU's don't utilize 100% of their capacity, should I get a 600W supply instead that utilizes a min of 84%, so it will always be over 500W?

 

[Someone Somewhere]

Also, since PSU's don't utilize 100% of their capacity, should I get a 600W supply instead that utilizes a min of 84%, so it will always be over 500W?

If you're talking about efficiency, you've got it backwards. A 500W power supply will deliver 500W whether it's 70% or 90% efficient. It just changes how much input power it takes.

I suggest you get a PSU from tier 1 or 2 of our list - cheaper ones are often crap: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

A good 500W PSU should have at least ~38A on the +12V rail(s). Note that that's combined; some split it up into multiple rails.