Smallest 1kw PSU?

[HarryStottle]

Bought a GTX 480 without realising it required a power station to run it. Have the required PCI-e (x16) slot but the existing power supply is a crummy 250W in mini atx size (150x140x80mm).

All the 1 Kw psu's seem to be 230 mm long, which won't fit. Max we could cram in would be about 180.

Are there any 1kw psus with dimensions 150x80x180 or smaller?

 

[ko888]

For a system using a single GeForce GTX 480 graphics card NVIDIA specifies a minimum of a 600 Watt or greater power supply that has a maximum combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of 42 Amps or greater and that has at least one 6-pin and one 8-pin PCI Express supplementary power connectors.

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) rated at 45°C - 50°C ambient temperature, is the most critical factor.

You may find power supplies on the market that supply more than enough Wattage to run the system. However, some of them lack Sufficient Amperage capacity on the critical +12 Volt rail, which is necessary to properly power the critical components in the system (i.e. CPU and GPUs). This is the reason why graphics card manufacturers overstate the power supply wattage, usually by at least 50 Watts, in an attempt to take into account some of those power supplies that have the weaker +12 Volt rail(s).

A standard ATX12V power supply has the following dimensions:

150mm W x 86mm H x 140mm D ( 5.9"W x 3.4"H x 5.5"D )

The depth is the only dimension that is allowed to vary. Higher capacity PSUs will extend deeper into the computer case.

What is your budget range?

What is the size or model of your computer case? Specify the brand and model number of the system if you have a consumer desktop unit like an Acer, Compaq, Dell, Gateway, HP, ..., etc.

 

[Sakkura]

I don't see why you'd need that much power. The GTX 480 is power-hungry, but not THAT power-hungry. Depending on the rest of the system, a 600W PSU would probably be plenty.

Anyway, the Corsair TX950 is 150mm x 86mm x 160mm.
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-CMPSU-950TX-950-Watt-Certified-Compatible/dp/B002O3W3TW

 

[HarryStottle]

thanks both

although I'm a reasonably experienced (programmer/consultant) and I've built a few of my own machines, I'm certainly not a hardware expert. So I just assumed that, given the existing psu was 250W and I was about to add a 600 W graphics card, it would make sense to allow plenty of "overhead". However, I'm happy to take your advice that a 600W psu would be adequate and I'll now go looking for one of those that fits.

Push comes to shove, budget isn't too constrained so we could go for that TX950.

Cheers

Harry

 

[ko888]

thanks both

although I'm a reasonably experienced (programmer/consultant) and I've built a few of my own machines, I'm certainly not a hardware expert. So I just assumed that, given the existing psu was 250W and I was about to add a 600 W graphics card, it would make sense to allow plenty of "overhead". However, I'm happy to take your advice that a 600W psu would be adequate and I'll now go looking for one of those that fits.

Push comes to shove, budget isn't too constrained so we could go for that TX950.

Cheers

Harry

The GeForce GTX 480 is not a "600 W" graphics card.

The actual measured power consumption of a Reference Design GeForce GTX 480 graphics card itself:

FurMark: 320 Watts

Gaming: 257 Watts

 

[HarryStottle]

"The GeForce GTX 480 is not a "600 W" graphics card. "

Aha. Think I misinterpreted their "Quick Start" leaflet which says:

"GeForce GTX 480: Minimum 600W (42A on 12V rail) power supply..."

Think I read the 600W as referring to the card, not the psu. However, I still needed to upgrade the psu so my effort wasn't entirely wasted.

Thanks

 

[Sakkura]

If you need suggestions for a good, affordable power supply in the 600W range, I'd point to the XFX Core Edition 550W and the Corsair GS600.

http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=59615&vpn=P1550SXXB9&manufacture=XFX

http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=59908&vpn=CMPSU-600G&manufacture=Corsair&promoid=1366

 

[ko888]

Or if you're looking for the best:

SeaSonic SS-660XP 660W ATX12V / EPS12V 80 PLUS PLATINUM Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151121