Upgrading to i7, gonna OC, is my current PSU enough?

[Darkwhisperer]

Hi,

My new setup is as follows:

i7 920
Gigabyte EX58-UD3R
Corsair XMS3 TR3X6G1600C8
Noctua NH-U12P SE1366
Gigabyte HD4870 512Mb.

My PSU is a Gigabyte 550W PSU. I intend to overclock my i7 to a comfortable 3.6GHz. Will my PSU be up to the task?

Thanks!

 

[jeanluclariviere]

I'd say it would depend on the video card you plan on getting. Otherwise, 550W should be sufficient enough to OC the i7.

You may want to consider getting the Corsair HX620W PSU.
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/2562-corsair-hx620-620w-power-supply-review.html

 

[theAnimal]

How many amps do you have on the 12V rails?

 

[jay2tall]

^ I would ask the same. do you have a link to that PSU? Your mobo and cpu will suck a bit of juice, and your video to. If your have a power on your PSU you should be ok.

 

[Darkwhisperer]

Hi,

Heres a link to the PSU - link

As mentioned above, I have a Gigabyte HD4870 512Mb Graphics Card.

Thanks!

 

[htoonthura]

Hi,

Heres a link to the PSU - link

As mentioned above, I have a Gigabyte HD4870 512Mb Graphics Card.

Thanks!

I would get another psu. yours is week.

 

[theAnimal]

Your PSU is actually a 450W rated at 550W peak, and the 12V power is weak even for a 450W. You should get a good quality 500W+. Antec Earthwatts or Truepower New, Corsair and Seasonic are all good choices.

 

[gkay09]

Like others have said the PSU would be fine for just a normal i7 setup...but wont handle overclock or any other upgrade...

 

[jay2tall]

It has (2) 18A rails for 36A total. To be honest, it will probably work fine. I would just keep your OC to a minimum. Look at this article below, once you hit 4Ghz power usage goes sky high. Keeping it stock or a moderate OC would probably be fine. I would also run the GPU at stock. If you intend to max OC your setup, you will want to invest in a better PSU.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/overclock-core-i7,2268-10.html

PS this chart uses a GTX260, so the 4870 would draw a little more.

 

[theAnimal]

It has (2) 18A rails for 36A total.

Only 30A total.

 

[Darkwhisperer]

Hi,

If you dont mind my asking, what would you consider a moderate OC? I was thinking in the 3.6GHz region. According to the chart, that gives me 122W at idle, and 265W under load. Will my PSU handle that? What will my PSU be able to give me? So maybe I can get an idea where I should aim for in terms of my OC.

Thanks!

 

[jay2tall]

^ how does that work? 30A?

 

[theAnimal]

^ how does that work? 30A?

With multi-rail PSUs the total available 12V amps is almost always less than the sum total of the individual rail limits (this is often greater than the total power rating of the PSU). The total should be listed on the PSU label (which it is in this case).

 

[jay2tall]

was it? man im slippin'

 

[theAnimal]

was it? man im slippin'

Well, it did require dividing 360 by 12...