PSU, Watts, Amps, and Graphics card question!

[Scooby-Dooby-Doo]

Hello everybody!

Today I bought a new Gigabyte gtx 970 mini-ITX card. This card requires a
400 Watts & 30 Amps PSU.

I have a 500 Watts PSU.
My PSU is: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817815022

My question is: Does my PSU have enough "Amps" for the card?
I'm concerned because it has two 12V outputs at only 20Amps each (+12V1@20A,+12V2@20A).


I will very much appreciate your help!

 

[Robert Cook]

It could run, but that would be unsafe. I highly recommend a better power supply. lack of amperage never leads to good things...

 

[Scooby-Dooby-Doo]

It could run, but that would be unsafe. I highly recommend a better power supply. lack of amperage never leads to good things...

Thank you for the reply, but I have a question:

The max power consumption of the card is 150Watts, and P = V * I (Watts = volts x amperes),
so 150 = 12 * I --> I(max) = 12.5 Amps.

Where does the 30 Amps fit in?

 

[ko888]

The maximum combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of 30 Amps comes from the minimum system power requirement based on a PC configured with an Intel Core i7 3.2GHz 130 Watt TDP processor.

15 Amps for the graphics card and 15 Amps for the rest of the components in the Intel Core i7 3.2GHz 130 Watt TDP processor system.

The Reference Design GeForce GTX 970 draws more than 150 Watts. During gaming the graphics card's average power draw is 163 Watts and the peak power draw is 181 Watts.

That Xigmatek X-Calibre 500W (XCP-A500) has a high probability of dying with a spark/pop if the power draw exceeds 450 Watts or maybe even less than that.

 

[Scooby-Dooby-Doo]

The maximum combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of 30 Amps comes from the minimum system power requirement based on a PC configured with an Intel Core i7 3.2GHz 130 Watt TDP processor.

15 Amps for the graphics card and 15 Amps for the rest of the components in the Intel Core i7 3.2GHz 130 Watt TDP processor system.

The Reference Design GeForce GTX 970 draws more than 150 Watts. During gaming the graphics card's average power draw is 163 Watts and the peak power draw is 181 Watts.

That Xigmatek X-Calibre 500W (XCP-A500) has a high probability of dying with a spark/pop if the power draw exceeds 450 Watts or maybe even less than that.

I've an i7-3770 (77 Watts TDP). So do you think I need to upgrade my PSU, or is my PSU good enough?

 

[ko888]

GIGABYTE suggests 400W. It would have to be an extremely good 400W PSU though. NVIDIA suggests 500W.

Total Power Supply Wattage is NOT the crucial factor in power supply selection!!! Sufficient Total Combined Continuous Power/Current Available on the +12V Rail(s) is the most critical factor. Also a sufficient number and type of PCI Express supplementary power connectors should be considered.

 

[Scooby-Dooby-Doo]

Thank you for your reply!

 

[ko888]

Your Xigmatek X-Calibre 500W (XCP-A500) is not a 500W PSU. It is left up to you to decide whether or not you want to replace it. If it were me I would definitely think about replacing it with one of much better quality.