Would my system bottleneck my GPU?

[Poster7]

Hi, my current specs are:
Motherboard:GA-A55M-DS2.
CPU: AMD A6-3670 APU.
RAM: 8GB DDR3.
PCI-E 2.0 empty slot
Power supply:300W
SATA 2 connectors to HDD
4TB Seagate Hybrid Drive

The current system causes lagging during playing games. So, I have bought ASUS GEFORCE GTX 680 4GB GDDR5 PCI-E 3.0 and a bigger case as my old case is too small and a 600W Power Supply Unit. Do I have have to change my motherboard, CPU and SATA cables? Would my current system bottleneck my new GPU? Please advise. Thank you ever so much.

 

[_Epix_]

Hi, my current specs are:
Motherboard:GA-A55M-DS2.
CPU: AMD A6-3670 APU.
RAM: 8GB DDR3.
PCI-E 2.0 empty slot
Power supply:300W
SATA 2 connectors to HDD
4TB Seagate Hybrid Drive

The current system causes lagging during playing games. So, I have bought ASUS GEFORCE GTX 680 4GB GDDR5 PCI-E 3.0 and a bigger case as my old case is too small and a 600W Power Supply Unit. Do I have have to change my motherboard, CPU and SATA cables? Would my current system bottleneck my new GPU? Please advise. Thank you ever so much.

Not sure if the 300w could power the 680, but pretty sure that the 600w will. Theres no need to change your motherboard/cpu.

 

[Poster7]

Thank you very much Epix for your reassurance. Would my PCI-E 2.0 slot bottleneck the PCI-E 3.0 graphics card?

 

[badboyrog2]

''Would my PCI-E 2.0 slot bottleneck the PCI-E 3.0 graphics card?''
NO! at all

 

[Poster7]

''Would my PCI-E 2.0 slot bottleneck the PCI-E 3.0 graphics card?''
NO! at all

That's good to know. Thank you.

 

[Poster7]

My new case, PSU and graphics card have arrived. I have transferred the old motherboard, etc. into the new case but I need to get some molex Y splitter cables and power cables for the graphics card before I can install it. I have ordered the cables but they haven't arrived yet. Once they arrive, I will install the new graphics card and see how things are running. I will monitor frame rates and the performance of the graphics card, CPU, RAM, etc. and see if I need to replace the motherboard and CPU.

 

[Mattib 050]

What make and model is your psu?

If it's supposedly a 600w power supply but doesn't even have two pcie 6+2 pin connectors, I wouldn't even trust it with a lower end card.
Don't use molex adapters for a high end card.

 

[Poster7]

The PSU came with the case: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00C9DWDDS/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 What should I do? Buy another PSU? Which one? The graphics card came with one Dual Molex to 6 Pin PCI-E Graphics Card power cable when it needs two to work. What's wrong with using Molex adapters? Please explain as I don't understand. Thank you very much.

 

[Mattib 050]

Molex connectors can't handle very high currents, which the pcie connectors are designed to do. Molex connectors are also only rated for 60w compared to 75w for 6 pins and 150w for an 8 pin. So if you're going to do it, at least use 3 or more molex connectors.

As for the psu, most units which are £45 on their own generally aren't very good for high end systems.
I couldn't manage to find any info on the psu AT ALL, which makes me think you'll need to replace it. Take a look inside your case and check the sides of the psu for a table which should show the supported amps on each rail (12v, 5v, 3.3v....). The most important thing here is that you have enough amperage on the 12v rail, at least 38A.
I suspect that your so called '600w' power supply will have a load of amps on the 5v and 3.3v rails (most of the amperage here will be completely useless), and hardly anything available on the 12v rail, which is used by your cpu, gpu and motherboard.

 

[badboyrog2]

''The PSU came with the case: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00C9DWDDS/ref=oh_de... What should I do? Buy another PSU?''

the psu came with the pc case is a generic one made under the name of ''alpine'' so i do not know this brand ....
usualy a generic psu is not built for last , i suggest you to buy an other one like seasonic/xfx/corsair/antec hcg

 

[Poster7]

Molex connectors can't handle very high currents, which the pcie connectors are designed to do. Molex connectors are also only rated for 60w compared to 75w for 6 pins and 150w for an 8 pin. So if you're going to do it, at least use 3 or more molex connectors.

As for the psu, most units which are £45 on their own generally aren't very good for high end systems.
I couldn't manage to find any info on the psu AT ALL, which makes me think you'll need to replace it. Take a look inside your case and check the sides of the psu for a table which should show the supported amps on each rail (12v, 5v, 3.3v....). The most important thing here is that you have enough amperage on the 12v rail, at least 38A.
I suspect that your so called '600w' power supply will have a load of amps on the 5v and 3.3v rails (most of the amperage here will be completely useless), and hardly anything available on the 12v rail, which is used by your cpu, gpu and motherboard.

Thank you very much for all the details. I opened the case and found out the following:
PSU: Alpine Switching Mode Power Supply. JSP-600P12P.

584W = 22A TO +3.3VDC, 32A TO + 5VDC, 34A TO +12VDC
16W = 0.5A TO -12VDC, 2.0A TO +5VSB

What does all that mean? I know that VDC means Voltage Direct Current and VSB means Voltage Stand By.

This provides 34A to the +12VDC but you said to have at least 38A. Does this mean that I have to buy another PSU? In that case, which one should I buy? Would this one be ok: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-Builder-Series-Modular-Certified/dp/B00ALK3QRS/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1402611349&sr=8-6&keywords=computer+power+supply+unit+800w By the way, my CPU consumes 100W and new graphics card consumes maximum 195W. Thanks again.

 

[Poster7]

''The PSU came with the case: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00C9DWDDS/ref=oh_de... What should I do? Buy another PSU?''

the psu came with the pc case is a generic one made under the name of ''alpine'' so i do not know this brand ....
usualy a generic psu is not built for last , i suggest you to buy an other one like seasonic/xfx/corsair/antec hcg

Thank you for your recommendation. I am thinking of buying http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00ALK3QRS/ref=noref?ie=UTF8&psc=1&s=computers

 

[Mattib 050]

For a gtx 680 I'd say no. You'll be much better off with a lower wattage but higher quality psu.
Here's an xfx power supply (made by seasonic) which will be much better quality and last longer than the corsair cx 750. http://www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-Edition-Bronze-Semi-Modular-Supply/dp/B008O50WKG/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1402612432&sr=1-1&keywords=xfx+650w
It's only 650w, but that's more than enough for your system anyway. Plus, it's cheaper than the cx750m at the moment.

 

[Pondering]

Get this one instead www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-Edition-Bronze-Semi-Modular-Supply/dp/B008O50WKG/ of the CX750M

The CX series isn't really meant for gaming computers.

 

[sora]

Get this one instead www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-Edition-Bronze-Semi-Modular-Supply/dp/B008O50WKG/ of the CX750M

The CX series isn't really meant for gaming computers.

The CX series also has poor capacitors.

 

[Poster7]

Thank you for your recommendation of the XFX PSU. I am concerned that it has low ratings on Amazon. http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00GMIPO46/ref=ox_ya_os_product_refresh_T1 has higher ratings. Is this Gold PSU not better than the XFX Bronze PSU?

 

[Pondering]

The decision is up to you. We can only make recommendations from our experiences and the CX reviews aren't from gamers pushing their power supply so the XFX will have worst reviews since gamers are cranky.

 

[Mattib 050]

The cs series is basically just a more efficient version of the cx series. Higher efficiency doesn't mean it's more reliable or will last longer.
The xfx unit I recommended is by far the better unit, here's a johnny guru review you can take a look at if you don't like the amazon reviews http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=216.
The only negative things mentioned in the review are the price (in the us parts are usually a lot cheaper though, this is very well priced for the uk), the packaging and marketing.


As for the amazon reviews, one was for a dead power supply, which xfx would be obliged to replace if you contacted them about it. The other was a faulty fan, which they would also probably be able to sort out if you rma'd it.

At the end of the day, it's your choice, but if you do go with the cs series I'd recommend going with the 650w model. You don't need 750w.
Just be aware that if you get the cs power supply, it's still a budget supply, as is the xfx unit.
The difference is, xfx focused on making a reliable power supply, with good ripple suppression, voltage regulation, etc., whereas corsair just made a budget supply with higher efficiency and modular cables (the xfx unit has this too though).

If the 80 plus ratings are what's causing you to lean towards the cs series, remember that gold supplies have to be around 7 percentage points more efficient (to be gold rated in the first place), but this won't save you much money on power bills anyway, especially if you're only running a single card anyway.

EDIT: I forgot to add, the rma centre for xfx is in the uk (preston), and corsair's rma centre is in the netherlands. If you do need to send either of the power supplies back within the warranty period (three years for the corsair or five years for the xfx if you register it), you'll have to spend a fair bit of money just to ship it to corsair.

 

[Poster7]

Thank you very much for the detailed posts. I have decided to buy the XFX PSU. Thank you for all your help.

 

[Mattib 050]

Glad I could help, remember to pick a solution.

 

[Poster7]

I bought the XFX PSU on ebay for £64. Thank you ever so much to everyone who posted answers to my questions.

 

[sora]

I would get a Seasonic 620W or XFX 650W PSU.

 

[Poster7]

I have installed my new power supply unit (XFX 650W) and GTX 680 4GB GDDR5 graphics card and the game is playing smoothly at the highest graphics setting. So, I am not going to replace the motherboard and CPU. Thank you again to all who replied.