Question What is the best GPU I could potentially run on a 450w PSU?

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mxb321

mxb321

Jun 26, 2022
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My current build has an RX580 4GB, and it does struggle running my 1440p monitor, even though I mostly play both Minecrafts and e-sports games, so I might consider upgrading it in the future. It would be considerably cheaper to keep my current PSU because secondhand PSUs don't sell for much in my country (I could get what exchanges to 20 eur / usd for it likely). I know that my current PSU is cutting it fine, (I bought it after some ""advice"" from a friend) but I have never had any problems with it or my PC in general.
specs: Ryzen 5 2600x, 16gb ram, 500gb sata SSD, only 2 fans (good airflow case and only room for 2 fans)

PSU: Cooler Master MWE Bronze v2 450w (bought new from reputable retailer)

I would also prefer to stick with an AMD card since my monitor has freesync but not g-sync. That doesn't matter much though since its easier to get Nvidia than AMD cards here.

thanks for your help
 
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Yeah that is hardly much better than my current GPU, not worth the upgrade as I would be losing money due to graphics card prices going down 40 percent since I built the PC.
Although would a 1660 ti or 1660S use much more power than the 1660?
 
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That sounds a bit dodgy on a 450w, as AMD says the recommended minimum is 500 watts. I know that they overestimate, but they do overestimate for a reason.
 
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Is this the full-range version or the 230V-only version of this PSU? The latter is a more cheaply made one. If the latter, I'd barely be comfortable with your current setup, let alone wanting to upgrade the GPU on the same PSU.

Unfortunately, you don't actually know how a PSU is performing unless you have a load tester and oscilloscope. Which is why quality has to always be considered, even if the PSU isn't shutting down or anything dramatic. Damage can be done to components long before anything visible actually happens.
 
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DSzymborski said:
Is this the full-range version or the 230V-only version of this PSU? The latter is a more cheaply made one. If the latter, I'd barely be comfortable with your current setup, let alone wanting to upgrade the GPU on the same PSU.

Unfortunately, you don't actually know how a PSU is performing unless you have a load tester and oscilloscope. Which is why quality has to always be considered, even if the PSU isn't shutting down or anything dramatic. Damage can be done to components long before anything visible actually happens.
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230v
 
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mxb321 said:
230v
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I would definitely not start upgrading GPU without a better quality PSU in place. Dirt-cheap 85 degree capacitors, pathetic ripple mitigation at low loads, and saving a couple bucks by letting the PSU crash if power fluctuates below 200V. The friend who recommended this did not do you a favor; there are almost always far better budget PSUs available.
 
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yes absolutely I only got this because of the price. I was more wondering hypothetically, in reality I would start from scratch with new PSU, mobo and case as I don't have much room to upgrade because of all of those three.
 
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mxb321 said:
yes absolutely I only got this because of the price. I was more wondering hypothetically, in reality I would start from scratch with new PSU, mobo and case as I don't have much room to upgrade because of all of those three.
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What motherboard and case do you have? The majority of motherboards that run a Zen Refresh will run a Zen 3 CPU, which would buy you a lot of time if you upgrade the GPU too. And a lot of cases are workable. The need may not be as crucial as the PSU upgrade.
 
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DSzymborski said:
What motherboard and case do you have? The majority of motherboards that run a Zen Refresh will run a Zen 3 CPU, which would buy you a lot of time if you upgrade the GPU too. And a lot of cases are workable. The need may not be as crucial as the PSU upgrade.
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a320m-e mobo. the case is workable in terms of dimensions, but it is scuffed. No front i/o, multiple screws missing, dents and scratches , no PSU shroud and very limited room for cable management. First priority is psu upgrade though... even with my current gpu
 
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mxb321 said:
a320m-e mobo. the case is workable in terms of dimensions, but it is scuffed. No front i/o, multiple screws missing, dents and scratches , no PSU shroud and very limited room for cable management. First priority is psu upgrade though... even with my current gpu
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Good man. Safety first. I'm at something like 40 personal PCs and laptops over the course of my life and except for ones in the 80s, they all got at least quality budget PSUs. I've never had a dramatic explosion with magic smoke on any of my equipment and I still have a lot of older equipment functioning somewhere like the Pentium 4 that delivers music to the stereo. Having a PC you really like and still being able to use it for something 20 years later is super-cool, in my book.
 
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DSzymborski said:
Good man. Safety first. I'm at something like 40 personal PCs and laptops over the course of my life and except for ones in the 80s, they all got at least quality budget PSUs. I've never had a dramatic explosion with magic smoke on any of my equipment and I still have a lot of older equipment functioning somewhere like the Pentium 4 that delivers music to the stereo. Having a PC you really like and still being able to use it for something 20 years later is super-cool, in my book.
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with a new psu will that mobo be workable for upgrades?
 
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The mobo will be fine. My PC has one very similar, an Asus A320m-k. It's currently running a 3600x and a 2070 super. I've also tested a more recent card, my son's rx 6600xt and it was completely fine.
 
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Buuateyuu said:
The mobo will be fine. My PC has one very similar, an Asus A320m-k. It's currently running a 3600x and a 2070 super. I've also tested a more recent card, my son's rx 6600xt and it was completely fine.
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not so worried abt the video card, ofc I can upgrade that. its more about the cpu and slots - your 3600x is effectively just a later version of my 2600x, and I only have 2 ram slots, 1 pcie and 1 m.2.
 
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