Question How much PSU wattage do i need for an R9 290 and an i3 540?

[nbdbstp]

Hey, I've got an R9 290 and 2 HDDs, 12 gb ddr3 RAM and and i3 540, I'm just wondering how much wattage to i need on the minimum? thanks

 

[4745454b]

Going from memory, 300W for the GPU, CPU and everything else should be ~100W. So something that can output 400W. 550? A good 500W can do it but you are better off with a 550W. A real one. Avoid the 550-750W units that you can pick up for $20-$40 on ebay.

 

[nbdbstp]

whats bad about the cheaper ones with good wattage though? i know it looks sketchy, but i always wondered why they sell them for such a cheap price.. thanks for the help!

 

[4745454b]

They can't really output the power you think it does. When they get tested most cheap ones can output about half the power they claim. So a cheap 500w can really only do 250-300W. We've seen this over and over with cheap units. You think you are getting a deal on a 550W. But it can rally only do 300W.

https://m.hardocp.com/article/2010/12/17/diablotek_phd650_650w_power_supply_review/4

Here is a review of a junk unit. Was able to do about half. Anything more than that and it fails.

 

[mangaman]

whats bad about the cheaper ones with good wattage though? i know it looks sketchy, but i always wondered why they sell them for such a cheap price.. thanks for the help!

Cheap =/= good. Every heard of the saying "You get what you pay for"? There's a reason some sellers on Ebay are pricing those PSU at a very cheap price. It's because they don't have quality components, and can fry your system at any moment. Not to mention, they have no sort of circuit protection what so ever.

If you are on a budget, I highly recommend the Corsair CX gray labeled units. They are affordable, and have a 5 year warranty.