ATI Radeon 4870 power supply question

[dullshot]

Hello all,

I bought an ACER Desktop PC featuring an Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q8200 and a Diamond Multimedia Radeon HD 4870 512MB Graphics card over the black Friday weekend. The desktop has its own integrated videocard with an extra PCI-E slot. I originally thought that I could just plug the Radeon 4870 and I could start gaming but I ran into a problem with the power supply. The power supply is only 300W and doesn't have any 2x3-pin PCIe power connectors. In order to solve this problem, will I have to replace the power supply? The manual says that I need at the very least a 750W power supply but is that much power necessary? I know I'm a noob in asking this but if I do need to replace the power supply, will all the plugs I need be there for all the other stuff like for the motherboard and the drive? Anyone know of some good power supplies that are moderately cheap? Any help is appreciated.

Here are the specs for the PC.

OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200
RAM: 6GB DDRII
HDD: 640GB SATA
OPTICAL: SuperMulti
Video: Built-in Graphics

not sure if you'll need these

Audio: Integrated Audio
LAN: Integrated LAN 10/100/1000
MODEM: External USB Modem
KEYBOARD: USB
MOUSE: USB OPTICAL
SPEAKER: USB
Remote controller: none
Other: Media card reader
BIOS: R01-B2

 

[Zecow]

The PSU supplied by brand name PCs are not quality PSU. A 550 can do you fine with a single 4870. Might wanna look at Corsair, Antec, PC & Cooling

 

[Guest]

Yeah you will need to replace your power supply. Im pretty sure that 750 watt figure is for the 4870x2, you definitely dont need that much. Those are all excellent brands mentioned my ZeCow. There are some unbeatable deals on Newegg right now.

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

PC Power & Cooling S61EPS 610W

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703005

Both of these are 65 dollars after a 35 dollar rebate and are top notch. They are probably both a little more power than you need and they will come with more connectors than you could imagine.

 

[raider37]

Corsair HX620 would do just fine, the 4870 is quite power hungry but even a quality 500 watt power supply from the above mentioned companies would do just fine, powering ure system.

 

[V3NOM]

6GB RAM? how did they manage that...

 

[Zecow]

^ 4GB + 2GB... in single channel? lol

actually the 4870 consumes less than 400 watt. So if you're on a budget a 550 is fine - a 620 if you want some headroom. I'm running 4870 crossfire on a 620w with no issues, so a 550 for a single card works fine.

Here's the link to the power consumption of the 'whole system':

http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTUzMSw5LCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==

 

[zodiacfml]

you meant, you bought an acer without the graphics card?
yeah, it won't work since it doesn't have the adapter and the power supply is of not quality, it can't sustain maximum load all the time, only for a short time and probably rated only 80% of 300 watts which is only 240 watts.

750W is ideal if you plan to crossfire the pc in the future.
if not, a quality 300 or 350 watt PSU will do fine since the maximum power draw of a 4850 is around 200 watts.
if not quality PSU then get a 450W or more.

 

[zodiacfml]

my bad, its 4870 after all.
a quality 350 or 400Watts PSU will do.

 

[dullshot]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. I'm considering buying the Antec NeoPower 550 550W ATX12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply. I'm still worried about the other cables that attach to stuff besides the videocard. Do all power supplies have the same basic cables that attach to the motherboard and drive bays? Also I want to know if this psu will fit into my case. The measurements for the psu are

Unit Dimensions:
• 3.4"(H) x 5.9"(W) x 5.9"(D)
• 8.6cm(H) x 14.9cm(W) x 14.9cm(D)

while for the case

Dimensions:
14.6" (370mm) W x 17.9" (455mm) D x 7.2" (183mm) H

Oh and I found the official specs.



Operating System

Genuine Windows is authentic Windows software that is properly licensed and legally installed. Learn more about the special benefits reserved for genuine Windows customers by visiting www.microsoft.com/genuine.
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium
Processor
Intel® Core™2 Quad Processor Q8200
(4MB L2 cache, 2.33GHz, 1333MHz FSB)
Chipset
Intel® G33
Memory
6GB (2/2/1/1) DDR2 SDRAM installed in four of four memory slots

User upgradeable up to 8GB (one 2GB memory card in each slot)*

* If upgrading after initial purchase, one or more of the memory cards provided with the system may have to be replaced with optional larger memory cards in order to achieve the maximum capacity.
Storage
640GB* SATA hard drive, 7200RPM

Variable-speed Super-Multi drive:
Read Max - 16X DVD-ROM, 48X CD-ROM
Write Max - 18X DVD+/R, 6XDVD-RW, 8X DVD+RW, 8X DVD +/-R DL, 12X DVD-RWM, 48X CD-R, 32 CD-RW

Multi-in-one card reader supporting optional CF+™ Microdrive, CompactFlash® I/II, Memory Stick®, Memory Stick Duo™, Memory Stick PRO™, Memory Stick PRO Duo™, MMCmobile™, miniSD™, MultiMediaCard™, Reduced-Size MultiMediaCard (RS-MMC), Secure Digital, xD-Picture Card™, USB 2.0 port or FireWire® (IEEE 1394) port

*When referring to storage capacity, GB stands for one billion bytes and MB stands for one million bytes. Some utilities may indicate varying storage capacities. Total user-accessible capacity may vary depending on operating environments.
Video
Integrated Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 3100

VGA port
Audio
Embedded high-definition audio with 7.1-channel audio support

Two external speakers

Headphones, microphone, SPDIF, and six audio ports
Interface Ports
RJ-45 LAN
VGA
Headphones
Microphone
SPDIF
Four-pin FireWire® (IEEE 1394)
Six-pin FireWire® (IEEE 1394)
Serial
Parallel
Six audio
Ten USB 2.0 (four front, six back)
Communications
Gigabit LAN
V.92 modem
Included Software
Acer® Arcade Live
Acer® Empowering Technology (eRecovery, ePerformance, eDataSecurity Management)
Adobe® Acrobat® Reader
eSobi™*
Microsoft® Works 8.5 (full version)
Microsoft® Office Home & Student 2007 (60-day trial)
McAfee® Internet Security Suite (60-day trial)
NTI Media Maker™*

*OEM, not full-featured, version.
Drive Bays
Four internal 3.5" (one occupied, three available)
Two external 5.25" (one occupied, one available)
Two external 3.5" (one occupied, one available)
Expansion Slots
One PCI Express® x1 (available)
One PCI Express® x16 (available)
Two PCI 2.3 (one occupied, one available)
Dimensions
14.6" (370mm) W x 17.9" (455mm) D x 7.2" (183mm) H
User Interface
USB keyboard and optical mouse
Power Supply
300 watts

Thanks for the help!

 

[tato999]

Actually I have 6GB in Vista 64 2x2GB In slot 1 and 3.
and
2x1GB slot 2 an d 4 in cpuz Dual channel and symetric.

same Latencies and everyting the same

 

[dullshot]

bump, I really wanna know these details before I order the power supply. Thanks in advance for the replies!

 

[wingfan1991]

will this work with Radeon 4870 and Q6600 CPU? plan on getting this combo for XMAS ..

Antec Sonata III Quiet Super Mid Tower with 500 Watt power supply

 

[SpinachEater]

If I were a fish hungry for a PSU I would bite on this

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703005&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL120408&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL120408-_-PowerSupplies-_-L1B-_-17703005

Promo: EMCBCAEBB

$55 after rebate. Nice.

 

[starrysky321]

Seeing the original posting date, my reply could be too late for you, but anyway, i hope this message can be seen by others who may need this piece of information.

To get the right PSU for your GPU, it CANNOT be based on the WATTAGE alone, this is completely misleading, for example, a 850W but having low +12V amp will not be sufficient for ATI 4870 at all, the 4870 needs around 30Amps (+ or -), running the system with underpowered PSU without power protection feature may damage your computer, when the PSU is overloaded it will give annoying buzzing sound.

The best PSU is to provide enough AMP (around 18 or above) on each PCIE 6 pin cable (2 PCIE 6 pin cables for 4870), many PSU comes with multiple +12 rails (you only need to pay attention to +12V rails, not others), but not all split the power properly, the best PSU could be the Antec Quattro 850, please google it for its review.

I just returned my 750W Powercool PSU to Scan, this PSU shuts down everytime i tried to start loading game.

As a summary, just don't look at the wattage and price alone, you need to make sure it can supply a combination of more than 30Amps from its +12V rail(s).

Buy cheap buy twice, good luck to you all.

 

[starrysky321]

my bad, its 4870 after all.
a quality 350 or 400Watts PSU will do.

I have just added a message in the forum, I explained don't look at the wattage alone when buying a PSU, have a look.

 

[starrysky321]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. I'm considering buying the Antec NeoPower 550 550W ATX12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply. I'm still worried about the other cables that attach to stuff besides the videocard. Do all power supplies have the same basic cables that attach to the motherboard and drive bays? Also I want to know if this psu will fit into my case. The measurements for the psu are

Unit Dimensions:
• 3.4"(H) x 5.9"(W) x 5.9"(D)
• 8.6cm(H) x 14.9cm(W) x 14.9cm(D)

while for the case

Dimensions:
14.6" (370mm) W x 17.9" (455mm) D x 7.2" (183mm) H

Oh and I found the official specs.



Operating System

Genuine Windows is authentic Windows software that is properly licensed and legally installed. Learn more about the special benefits reserved for genuine Windows customers by visiting www.microsoft.com/genuine.
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium
Processor
Intel® Core™2 Quad Processor Q8200
(4MB L2 cache, 2.33GHz, 1333MHz FSB)
Chipset
Intel® G33
Memory
6GB (2/2/1/1) DDR2 SDRAM installed in four of four memory slots

User upgradeable up to 8GB (one 2GB memory card in each slot)*

* If upgrading after initial purchase, one or more of the memory cards provided with the system may have to be replaced with optional larger memory cards in order to achieve the maximum capacity.
Storage
640GB* SATA hard drive, 7200RPM

Variable-speed Super-Multi drive:
Read Max - 16X DVD-ROM, 48X CD-ROM
Write Max - 18X DVD+/R, 6XDVD-RW, 8X DVD+RW, 8X DVD +/-R DL, 12X DVD-RWM, 48X CD-R, 32 CD-RW

Multi-in-one card reader supporting optional CF+™ Microdrive, CompactFlash® I/II, Memory Stick®, Memory Stick Duo™, Memory Stick PRO™, Memory Stick PRO Duo™, MMCmobile™, miniSD™, MultiMediaCard™, Reduced-Size MultiMediaCard (RS-MMC), Secure Digital, xD-Picture Card™, USB 2.0 port or FireWire® (IEEE 1394) port

*When referring to storage capacity, GB stands for one billion bytes and MB stands for one million bytes. Some utilities may indicate varying storage capacities. Total user-accessible capacity may vary depending on operating environments.
Video
Integrated Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 3100

VGA port
Audio
Embedded high-definition audio with 7.1-channel audio support

Two external speakers

Headphones, microphone, SPDIF, and six audio ports
Interface Ports
RJ-45 LAN
VGA
Headphones
Microphone
SPDIF
Four-pin FireWire® (IEEE 1394)
Six-pin FireWire® (IEEE 1394)
Serial
Parallel
Six audio
Ten USB 2.0 (four front, six back)
Communications
Gigabit LAN
V.92 modem
Included Software
Acer® Arcade Live
Acer® Empowering Technology (eRecovery, ePerformance, eDataSecurity Management)
Adobe® Acrobat® Reader
eSobi™*
Microsoft® Works 8.5 (full version)
Microsoft® Office Home & Student 2007 (60-day trial)
McAfee® Internet Security Suite (60-day trial)
NTI Media Maker™*

*OEM, not full-featured, version.
Drive Bays
Four internal 3.5" (one occupied, three available)
Two external 5.25" (one occupied, one available)
Two external 3.5" (one occupied, one available)
Expansion Slots
One PCI Express® x1 (available)
One PCI Express® x16 (available)
Two PCI 2.3 (one occupied, one available)
Dimensions
14.6" (370mm) W x 17.9" (455mm) D x 7.2" (183mm) H
User Interface
USB keyboard and optical mouse
Power Supply
300 watts

Thanks for the help!

If your motherboard cable is 20 pins (old), then you make sure you buy those 20+4 pins PSU, but if yours is definitely 24pins then you can buy any PSU you like, but please make sure your PSU will provide enough amp (not wattage) for your GPU though.

 

[masemame]

The ATI 4870 needs around 30Amps (+ or -),...As a summary, just don't look at the wattage and price alone, you need to make sure it can supply a combination of more than 30Amps from its +12V rail(s).

Thanks starrysky321 thats was all i needed.
i've ASUS Radeon HD 4870 1GB and when i pluged to my 450W PSU with +12V@10A? im not sure if im reading it right? it keep restarting my pc(it coulden't even get to the login screen..) if im going to need to buy new PSU i what to know what to check for,u said "If your motherboard cable is 20 pins (old),buy those 20+4 pins PSU"? i have 'Intel D102GGC2' which have 24 pin pluged on it but 20pin and 4pin together.i want to be sure if its the old one.
and whats 'dual 12V rails ...amp on the 12V rails combined'?
This is my PSU http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/3751/psu450wmatrix.jpg

thanks.

 

[masemame]

This is my PSU http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/3751/psu450wmatrix.jpg

 

[justinheir]

Maybe the guy already bought his power supply because it has been months ago.

If he bought what was written here a 550W SLI ready PSU that would be fine. But I guess he could have purchased a 600-700 W P.S. for future upgrades.

No one knows if future components might consume more/less power (I hope less).

 

[starrysky321]

This is my PSU http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/3751/psu450wmatrix.jpg

Your PSU is severely under-powered for your need. A good PSU puts a lot of emphasis on circuit design, reliable components, surge protection, component failure safety and power split ratio, so it tends to be a lot more expensive than others.

My PSU cost me around £140, they are many good quality PSUs around, for example,
http://images.bit-tech.net/content_images/2009/05/enermax-revolution-85-950w-psu-review/1-8.jpg
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/psus/2009/05/13/enermax-revolution-85-950w-psu-review/2

This excellent and expensive Enermax PSU provides 6 x 30A 12V output, that means it can also support 2 or even 3 GPUs.

A poor designed PSU can damage all your other components attached to the motherboard, so my advice is avoid the cheap PSU.

Good luck.

 

[starrysky321]

Maybe the guy already bought his power supply because it has been months ago.

If he bought what was written here a 550W SLI ready PSU that would be fine. But I guess he could have purchased a 600-700 W P.S. for future upgrades.

No one knows if future components might consume more/less power (I hope less).

No one knows how future will form but we can get a rough idea for our future from records and trends in the past, I can safely assume future gaming GPUs will continue consuming more power, it won't be less. Many gaming cards take around 30A, future cards may take 40A, 45A, so and so forth, double/trible power are needed for cross-fire or SLi GPUs.

So again i want to emphasise "do not judge a card on its wattage alone", you have to do some research, i once bought a cheap 700W PSU but it does not even power a single ATi 4870. What u need is the enough AMP from its +12V rail, not others. 800W or even 1000W is merely a marketing gimmick that doesn't mean much, at least not for serious gamers.

 

[masemame]

i like ur PSU but its too expencive,i'll check another brand since i know now what to look for.thanks

 

[justinheir]

No one knows how future will form but we can get a rough idea for our future from records and trends in the past, I can safely assume future gaming GPUs will continue consuming more power, it won't be less. Many gaming cards take around 30A, future cards may take 40A, 45A, so and so forth, double/trible power are needed for cross-fire or SLi GPUs.

So again i want to emphasise "do not judge a card on its wattage alone", you have to do some research, i once bought a cheap 700W PSU but it does not even power a single ATi 4870. What u need is the enough AMP from its +12V rail, not others. 800W or even 1000W is merely a marketing gimmick that doesn't mean much, at least not for serious gamers.

Yeah, I got your point.... with regards to the 700W PSU that cannot didn't power up your GPU what's the brand? I will add that you also need to research on the Power supply brand reputation for example, Enermax and Seasonic are good brands because I have used it and it didn't fail me.

I trust that the ratings (with the brands I mentioned) it registered is not entirely gimmick at all.