HD4870 1GB + CorsairCX400W

[crenshaw]

I was wondering if my powersupply could handle a HD4870-1GB..

My specs:
- AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition
- Asrock A780GXH/128M
- Antec Three Hundred Zwart
- Kingston ValueRAM KVR800D2N5K2/4G
- Samsung SH-S223Q
- Samsung Spinpoint F1 DT HD322HJ, 320GB
- CorsairCX400W

The plan was to buy a HD4770 but it's sold-out everywhere, and I got some cash to spend so I'm going to buy a new 24" monitor and a videocard.

I know the HD4890 will be a bit too much for the CorsairCX400W.. so I'm going with the next best option (I think?).

So my questions:
- Is it the best option?
- And will my PSU handle it?

 

[Kari]

actually the 4890 uses slightly less watts than the 4870:
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_275_N275GTX_Lightning/28.html

i think the corsair should be able to power either one

 

[coozie7]

I think this is a borderline situation.
Yes, it is a high quality unit and gives good amps on the 12v rail (30 claimed) but it has only one PCI-E connector meaning the PSU may have to supply over 60W at maximum GPU load through a molex/PCI-E adaptor, which I do not like.
Others may disagree but I would opt for a PSU with dual connectors and more Wattage, but then I'm paranoid about powersupplies.

This is sweet, especially if you get the rebate😉
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016

 

[cjl]

The Corsair should be more than enough, as long as the rest of your system isn't too power hungry (and looking at your specs, I'd say you're fine). Oh, and coozie, I wouldn't be all that surprised if the Corsair was just as powerful as that 500W OCZ - OCZ PSUs tend to be significantly worse than a comparable wattage Corsair.

 

[crenshaw]

Just for the record; what does happen when the PSU can't handle it?
Does the PC just shut down or does it damage any hardware?

 

[crenshaw]

btw the card I'm looking at is the Sapphire VAPOR-X HD 4870 1GB

 

[cjl]

With a good PSU (and the Corsair definitely counts as a good one), the computer will just shut down when the PSU can't handle it - the voltages and ripple will never go out of spec, and nothing should be damaged (though in a worst case scenario, some data on your hard drive could be corrupted due to the unexpected shutdown).

 

[crenshaw]

Ok thanks very much!