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[trapjaw72]

hello a friend of mine is using a 500 watt psu to run his gaming pc has a 4870x2 gpu,his psu has only one pci plug so he bought molex to 8 pin pci an he is running the 4870x2,i have a pc im building now i asked but few people said buy bigger psu like 650 but now im thinking i have corsair 430 watt new laying here it has one pci 6+2 pin but just one can i buy a molex to 6 pin pci an would that work,pc build will be e6300cpu 1.8 dualcore intel 4 gb ram evga 680 nforce pc case is a coolermaster 902 haf 500 gb hdd, nothing will be overclock at this time i want to use the 4870x2 would that work 2 people said no but my friend is on a cheap 500 watt with molex to 6 pin pci,thanks for the info an the help any one,

 

[beenthere]

You can determine the PSU power requirements by inputing your hardware at the link below.

http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

 

[rockyjohn]

Just because your friend has been lucky so far is no guarantee that his luck will hold. I strongly advise even trying with a smaller PSU.

Using the free power calculator listed above is an excelent recommendation, and I would suggest paying a few dollars more to use the Pro model that provides the requirements for the 3.3v, 5v and 12v legs in addition to the total wattage provide by the lite version.

PSUs are one place you DON'T want to go cheap. Remember all the components in your system are dependent on it. Moreover, it goes beyond power as we normally think of it for equipment. In a PC, the power, broken down into very fine, minute amounts, is the lifeblood and neurons of the system, carrying millions of bits of data and driving hundreds of thousands of almost simultaneous calculations. You need good, clean power to make it all work. And a PSU that delivers it constantly, hour after hour, day after day, .... year after year. Billions and billions of calculations dependent on clean power. And a bad power supply can fry other components.

Here is a review of an HD 4870x2 video card by JonnyGuru, one of the most respected names in power supplies. The test system used 437w at peak loads and based on that he recommended a PSU of at least 600w.

http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-4870-x2-review-crossfire/6

For more general information about power supplies for video cards, see the middle of this web page:

http://www.upgradevideocards.com/criteria.html

However, on the bright side, here is an excellent 620w Antec High Current Gamer series PSU for only $50 after rebate:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371048

 

[purple stain]

A 430 watt is not going to power a 4870x2 and your PC.A 4870x2 use's 350watts on it's own.As rockyjohn has said i'm surprised your friend's PSU hasn't blown up yet.You need to get a quality PSU to run the 4870x2.The Antec 620watt rockyjohn as supplied is a very good PSU and decently priced.