How many amps will come from a 500 watt power suppier

[NicoleBoyd]

I just found out that the video card I recently purchased keeps crashing my games because my power supply requirements don't meet the requirements for the video card. The video card requires me to have 250 watts and 18 amps. I only have 300 watts and 7 amps. I've been told that I'll only be able to use it for the small office stuff only. Can I use upgrade the power supply to 500 watts? Will that give me enough amps?

 

[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.

Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, and Seasonic are some of the 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. An example would be the Antec Earthwatts series which is an improvement over Antec’s older Basiq psu's.

The Corsair VX550 would be a good choice. It has a single large +12 volt rail rated at 41 amps. It can easily handle an overclocked system with any single video card made.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004

 

[jsc]

Corsair 400CX (30 amp 12 volt rail) will work:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008

I also like the VX550 (I own one. ) for a general purpose build.

 

[will_chellam]

The current is the square root of (power / resistance) now you just need to measure the resistance of all your components.....