MSI GTX 970 on Power Supply Cooler master 500W

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Hawkranger

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Jan 18, 2016
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I Have a Cooler Master 500W model (RS-500-PCAR-i3)
It comes with only one 6pin cable ...
And i just but MSI GTX 970 4G gaming ... and it needs 1 6pin power and one 8pin power

i asked around and someone told me that i could use a converter to convert 2 molex power connectors to one 8pin cable and power the VGA with it...

Is that okay? Wouldn't it affect the VGA in anyway? Can the power supply power it ?

My Full Spec
Mother : Gigabyte G1.Sniperz97
CPU : Intel i7 4790K
Ram : 8gb
HDD: 3 Sata HDD 1T, 2*500Gb
 
Solution
bignastyid


The 80plus rating is not a good guide to base a PSU decision on, build quality is much more important. There are 80 plus bronze rated system killers and even a few silver and gold rated units that are poor quality.
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You technically can use molex-to-PCIe adapters, but I would not recommend them. Molex power has different voltage and wattage requirements than PCIe cables from the PSU. Just like with carpentry, use the right tool for the right job. You can better get away with this option on lower powered low-end cards.

You need to upgrade. Right now EVGA has an outstanding 650W variant for $70US on sale, gold rated, and it has a $20 rebate making it only $50 (only for North America customers though). Best deal out there right now for a high quality 500+ watt PSU, especially a gold efficiency rated one and a 5-year warranty. You also will have extra power headroom if you want to upgrade to a high end Nvidia Pascal down the road (like whatever the 980Ti replacement will be).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438059

 
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The 80plus rating is not a good guide to base a PSU decision on, build quality is much more important. There are 80 plus bronze rated system killers and even a few silver and gold rated units that are poor quality.
 
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Solution


The 80+ bronze rating is the minimum standard anyone should look for when buying a psu . The reason is not the 80+ efficiency . It is Active PFC which is a part of the 80+ standard .
Its definitely true that quality of 80+ rated psu's can vary , but its not true that everyone needs a highly rated "tier1 or 2 " power supply .
Most people would never load a decent quality psu enough to threaten its operation . If we use cars as analogy then suggesting everyone buy a Ferrari is just hopeless when a Ford is going to get you there
 
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if I may quote Hardwaresecrets' Gabriel Torres on the matter of PFC:

The power correction is not related to efficiency. This is the most common mistake we see on the market; the PFC circuit doesn’t make your computer consume less electricity. As we have already explained, the PFC’s function is to prevent the power supply from consuming more reactive power from the electrical system, resulting in electrical network optimization (allowing the utility to provide more active power). The insertion of this type of circuit was created in order to fulfill legislation demands regarding electricity consumption, particularly European legislation. Because adopting the same legislation is the tendency in other countries, manufacturers are preparing themselves by producing power supplies with this type of circuit.

Honestly, there is no advantage for the end user having or not a power factor correction circuit (PFC). Saying that a power supply with this type of circuit is better is a marketing move of power supply manufacturers to persuade customer to by a more expensive power supply. In fact, this type of power supply is better for the electrical power utility, which will need to provide less reactive power, which overloads the system. But for end-user, there is no difference, because, at least for now we are not being overcharged in case of our reactive power consumption exceeds a fixed level, as it happens with industrial customers. Neither non-industrial user is charged by the electric power utilities for using this type of power.

In practical terms, a power supply with PFC basically means that the manufacturer can sell it in Europe.
Click to expand...

I just don't see how active PFC either is a determining factor in quality just like efficiency. It's primary purpose is to lower reactive power.
 
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http://www.silverstonetek.com/techtalk_cont.php?area=en&tid=wh_pfc


https://cooltechpc.com/articles/power-factor-correction-pfc

"Active PFC

The preferable type of PFC is Active Power Factor Correction (Active PFC) since it provides more efficient power frequency. Because Active PFC uses a circuit to correct power factor, Active PFC is able to generate a theoretical power factor of over 95%. Active Power Factor Correction also markedly diminishes total harmonics, automatically corrects for AC input voltage, and is capable of a full range of input voltage. Since Active PFC is the more complex method of Power Factor Correction, it is more expensive to produce an Active PFC power supply."

= more stable voltage and frequency
For a modern processor that is essential
and since the power wastage of psu is reduced with Active PFC it does cost you less to run your pc
 
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Hawkranger you are going to want a new PSU to power that System. If you'd like a recommendation please lets us know about how much you'd want to spend, where you are at and or what stores you have access too, what feature you want(modular, quiet, super efficient, etc) and if you are interested in upgrades, overclocking or SLI. And we will see what we can find.
 
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Besides that, there is a high probability of not actually getting a truly 80plus certified unit if you buy a cheap one. There are many, well documented cases of off brand and low quality PSU manufacturers and vendors passing off uncertified units as certified. Many of them did not even actually have the protections claimed in the product description or implied by the 80plus certification.

Some were outright fake. Then you also have other well known companies, that will go unmentioned, that are known for using liar labels on their units knowing full well those units cannot even come remotely close to sustaining the rated capacity indicated on the label. Most of these aren't much less expensive than WAY better units, for a few bucks more.

Others are so inexpensive people think it's amazing, and it is. Except that what's amazing is the fact that houses don't burn down right and left due to the number of cheapskates out there who don't mind spending 300+ dollars for a graphics card and two hundred or more dollars for a processor, plus other expensive hardware, but balk at paying more than 40 dollars for a power supply.

If you're going to skimp on something in your build, make it something else. Also keep in mind that the majority of other hardware in your build will not get reused the next time you upgrade. Processor, motherboard, memory, graphics card (Eh, sometimes, often enough, we'll use the GPU card for more than one built revision, but often we do not.) and even cases are all items at least somewhat likely to be replaced when it comes time to upgrade again. The power supply, case, graphics card and storage devices are the items that ARE likely to get reused, so it doesn't really pay to skimp on them.

A good power supply may last through three generations of upgrades if it's high quality and is of sufficient capacity that it doesn't live it's life on the edge of what it can reliably sustain. Buy bigger than you really need, 100w beyond what's actually necessary is a good basic tenet, and buy the best quality you can afford. Some manufacturers are even offering 10 year warranties now. I wouldn't buy any unit that had less than a five year warranty and was well known for honoring it in the unlikely event it was necessary.
 
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Well, First of all Thanx for replying
Second of all i live in Egypt ... so getting anything from an online seller is just pain cause if it is say 70$, i'll have to pay extra Tax, international shipping, Customs, ... which in the end will bring the total cost to double the price ...i paid extra 70$ just to get the GTX 970
I could buy something around the 70~100$ Max ... and ofcourse i would want to buy the best i could get my hands on so it could live on as much as possible with the possibility to upgrade, SLI and everything ...

but real question is ... can i get by for now like for 2 to 3 months with the Molex converter untill i can buy something better?!!
am not gonna Go hard on the Rig or something i might only play Dragon Age inquisition (with no OC)
 
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There's a lot of things you "could" do, including using a Molex adapter with a cheap PSU. However, consider it takes only one second, not weeks or months, for something bad to happen. I'm not saying it WOULD, just that it CAN. Power supplies that are intended to be used with, and are capable of reliably powering, hardware that requires specific connections, will already have it. Those that do not, or can not, don't.

The fact that it already has some miles on it further compounds the probability that it won't hold up. This is what Gabriel Torres from Hardware secrets had to say about that unit, back in 2009, a full seven years ago, when it was released.


Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 500 W is the perfect example to explain why maximum power isn’t everything. This power supply can really deliver 500 W, but with efficiency above 80% only when you pull between 40% and 60% load (between 200 W and 300 W) and electrical noise level above the maximum allowed if you pull 80% load or more (i.e., starting at 400 W).

On the other hand, we have pricing. At USD 40 (or USD 30 if you buy at Newegg.com and don’t forget to fill-out the USD 10 mail-in rebate form), it is probably one of the cheapest “real” 500 W power supplies around.

On the good side, we have a good number of SATA and peripheral power connectors for a low-end product.

We can’t recommend this power supply, however if you are really on a budget this may be an option until you have money to buy a decent power supply for your PC.

Compared to the 460 W model we have already reviewed, the main components are the same, with the switching transistors replaced with more powerful models. The printed circuit board, however, is different.

Read more at http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/cooler-master-extreme-power-plus-500-w-power-supply-review/10/#kLjuQLJxg07YqoF2.99
Click to expand...


The noise is a problem. The age of the unit and it's level of quality are all problems. The fact that it only comes with a 6 pin PCI cable is a problem. I wouldn't use it with that expensive graphics card if I had payed for it and I can't recommend that you do so either. But ultimately it's up to you.
 
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Thanx again for the quick reply ... and i can see what you are aiming at ... i guess buying a new one is the best option right now .,.. of course i don't want anything bad to happen to either the rig or the rest of the components ...
What would you recommend? Should i go with anything higher than 500W?? Say 550W? or 600W? 750W?
There are

SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze ($65)
Thermaltake Smart SE 630w PSU ($70)
EVGA 600B 600W Bronze PSU (100-B1-0600-KR) ($80)

here in the market which i find possible to buy with my budget now

Or should i wait and buy something higher like

Cooler Master GM Series G650M 80 Plus Bronze Modular PSU (92$)
Thermaltake SPS-0730M Smart SE 730w PSU Gold ($98)
Cooler Master GM Series G750M 80 Plus Bronze Modular PSU (RS750-AMAAB1-UK) (104$)
Cooler Master GX750 750w PSU (104$)

And the
COUGAR CMX 700 ($100) ----> Contacted a seller i know and it is Available now http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817553003

 
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The Seasonic S is the best value out of all of those, I wouldn't touch the Cooler Master GX or Thermaltake PSUs with a 10 foot pole.
 
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Yeah, even though active PFC allows any AC input voltage, that's not what the purpose of PFC is. And if active PFC makes it any more efficient, are you saying Gabriel Torres was incorrect when saying it's a misconception that PFC makes the PSU more efficient?

What you're saying is that since it's more expensive to produce an active PFC PSU, that means they'll go ahead and make everything else quality inside. Not necessarily true. Active PFC does not directly affect build quality, voltage regulation, ripple suppression. Active PFC doesn't ensure OEMs don't use some crap like Jun Fu capacitors. Are the chances higher that if it has PFC, active or passive, over no PFC, that it's probably better? Yes, but that's not a direct result of PFC. PFC only matters for industrial consumers.

Power factor deals with apparent power, not the efficiency ratio of watts on DC/AC. You could say it's more efficient for industrial consumers, but when speaking of efficiency we're talking specifically about DC/AC ratio.
 
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Yes i removed it because i likely wouldn't find it as i asked around and it is mostly out of stock
 
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It looks like you're pretty limited in that market, which is surprising considering the relatively high level of tech to be found there for an arab nation. Of all those units you listed I'd think the Seasonic would be the only one I'd even consider buying for your needs. It has a 6 pin and 6+2 pin PCI cable so it will work fine. This unit has a higher failure rate than many other Seasonic units, but is far and away miles above any of the other units you've listed as options. The EVGA B2 you took off the list would be a much better option if you can get one.
 
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What country are you from and what store are you buying from? If you post that we can look for PSUs, if you don't know of one this will point you in the right direction: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1643019/guide-international-users-links-part-stores.html
 
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He said earlier he's from Egypt, and there is little to no availability there for quality hardware. Seems anything of quality needs to be either imported or perhaps purchased from a local shop, which is probably also expensive since they will have to pay those same duties in order to bring the hardware in themselves.
 
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Exactly.
Stuff here are much more expensive than they are om amazon or newegg

and those i listed are the ones i find obtainable due to budget as i spent most of what i have on the GTX that i just bought and never thought that my PSU would be a problem ...

there are lots of stuff that goes up to 304$ but this i just can't afford (BTW the prices i give are what i pay here after all the duties)

That's why in the beginning i asked if i could get by with a molex adapter for a couple of months until i can buy something that i can be satisfied with
We have many stuff from higher Seasonic, EVGA, Zalman, Corsair ... but they are just too expensive for me now

If i could get by with an adapter for a couple of months i'll buy a high end PSU later ... if i can't, then i'll just buy what i can right now ... and maybe after a year or two if i plan to do SLI or something .. i would buy a newer PSU (more money to spend ~_~)
 
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Again, highly NOT recommended unless you want to risk damage. I'll just leave some advice taken from a movie called "Smokey And The Bandit."

"You can think about it, but don't do it."



 
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