how many watts?

[Fenix-Dark]

I've realized that psu's are being rated for more and more watts, just exactly how many watts does a psu need to be rated for to run you're average high end single gpu computer? Just as a guess, I'm gonna say 400 watts. (Lets say a c2d e6600, 7900GTX, 2 hdds, 2 optical drives and the 975x intel chipset to keep things in perspective)

The power requirements (in watts) on certain items seem way too high, dfi requires a 480+ watt power supply for their nf4 model motherboards. Is that because they need at least 480 watts? Or is it because they are indirectly requiring you to get a higher quality psu?

I'm just tired of hearing those zealots saying "I'm maxing out my 600 watt psu" and having a somewhat high end computer (x2 4400+, nf4-sli chipset, 2hdds, 2 cd drives, 7950GT gfx card)

[jonnyGURU]

Well, first off... I wouldn't look at the watts. PC's today have most of their load on the 12V rail. If a PSU makes up a good bulk of it's total wattage on the 5V rail, that's not going to do you much good.

A decent 500W or 600W (at least 40A or so on the 12V rail) can power most systems with virtually any GPU. But with GPU's needing more juice than anything else, it's when you have two GPU's in tandem you start really sucking up a lot of juice.

[Fenix-Dark]

Yea, I understand that amps on the +12v rail(s) are just as important, if not more important than the wattage that the psu is rated for.

[JEDIYoda]

Does wattage even matter at all?

You would think that as long as the PSU can actually produce the amps stated (be it 12v or 5v) thats all that would matter...

I could be wrong though...

[DvBoard]

Watts = volts * amps

What you need to look at is the watts on your 12 volt line for most modern CPU/GPU. So in that way wattage rating IS important.

[JEDIYoda]

Watts = volts * amps

What you need to look at is the watts on your 12 volt line for most modern CPU/GPU. So in that way wattage rating IS important.

not necessarily....way to simplistic of an answer,,,IMO

[jonnyGURU]

Watts = volts * amps

What you need to look at is the watts on your 12 volt line for most modern CPU/GPU. So in that way wattage rating IS important.

Yeah, A * V = W, what are you trying to prove? You're smarter than every one else? ;) You're giving the same answer but wording it differently. :)

Just trying to not confuse the issue. You look at the label, you look for the 12V rail and under it is what it can do in Amps. Sure, under that it'll have it calculated into Watts. Take your pick. My only point was not to look at the bottom most line.

[DvBoard]

Yeah, A * V = W, what are you trying to prove? You're smarter than every one else? ;) You're giving the same answer but wording it differently. :)

Just trying to not confuse the issue. You look at the label, you look for the 12V rail and under it is what it can do in Amps. Sure, under that it'll have it calculated into Watts. Take your pick. My only point was not to look at the bottom most line.

Just trying to prove watts do matter ;) .

[jonnyGURU]

Ok... I'll rephrase.... "TOTAL Watts don't matter." :D

[DvBoard]

Ok... I'll rephrase.... "TOTAL Watts don't matter." :D

It's a good starting point though. say if your looking for at least 35amps on the 12 volt rail you can rule out any power supply with 420Watts or less before you start even reading the label.

I do agree though that you gotta see where those watts are before you pick your supply.

[Mantralord]

The power requirements (in watts) on certain items seem way too high, dfi requires a 480+ watt power supply for their nf4 model motherboards. Is that because they need at least 480 watts? Or is it because they are indirectly requiring you to get a higher quality psu?

I'm just tired of hearing those zealots saying "I'm maxing out my 600 watt psu" and having a somewhat high end computer (x2 4400+, nf4-sli chipset, 2hdds, 2 cd drives, 7950GT gfx card)

Here is my very SomethingAwful-esque (of which I am a forum member) opinion:

The vast majority of people in the overclocking/gaming community are idiots of the highest caliber. Not only are they the most wasteful, moronic, FUD-peddling scumbags out there, but, unsurprisingly, most of them are probably still in high school. The community is based on egocentric masculinity, e-penis, and a "mine is biggar than urs lol" mentality, driven by a false-minded ivory-tower community who convinces itself that their uneducated "experiences" are the Bible of technical surgery.

Simply put, most of them are the "script kiddies" of hardware, who believe that changing a few jumpers and BIOS settings and running benchmarks until it doesn't crash makes them engineering geniuses overnight. The vague and masculate nature of the anecdotal "research" done among them is the reason why the idea that a system draws more power than a wall-mounted air conditioner continues to perpetuate. To them, the easiest thing to comprehend are how one number is bigger than another. Nevermind things like PSU build quality, possible ripple issues, the general circuitry layout, and MBTF ratings, "u NEED that 700W power supply cuz that 500W power supply will catch on fire!! because I had a Antec once that exploded so all 500W power supplies are not enough for my shitty consumer hardware hurrrr lol plus 700 is biggar LOL QFT FTW CHUCK NORRIS CORSAIR."

Here is an example of a surprisingly common dialog between two overclockers that I just made up to prove the point:

Overclocker 1: i need a quiet psu for my c2d lol and my 7600GT lol!

Overclocker 2: Just check out silentpcreview.com! They have a list of quiet PSUs there. Be sure to read their articles on silencing your system and choosing a quiet PSU, but be sure to selectively ignore any and all of their evidence that you don't need a 600W PSU. Also get the corsair hx620 lol

Overclocker 1: sure thing lol! global warming ftw chuck norris myspace qft

[jonnyGURU]

LOL! Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar! LOL FTW!

[Mantralord]

I love you so much.

[dqniel]

I'm an overclocker and a gamer :( Even worse, I'm an admin for a gaming league (CAL) ;). If you think it's bad seeing those types of comments time to time, you should try running the hardware section at CAL where eight of those misinformed threads pop up every hour.

http://forums.caleague.com/forumdisplay.php?f=109

[GilmourD]

Here is my very SomethingAwful-esque (of which I am a forum member) opinion:

The vast majority of people in the overclocking/gaming community are idiots of the highest caliber. Not only are they the most wasteful, moronic, FUD-peddling scumbags out there, but, unsurprisingly, most of them are probably still in high school. The community is based on egocentric masculinity, e-penis, and a "mine is biggar than urs lol" mentality, driven by a false-minded ivory-tower community who convinces itself that their uneducated "experiences" are the Bible of technical surgery.

Simply put, most of them are the "script kiddies" of hardware, who believe that changing a few jumpers and BIOS settings and running benchmarks until it doesn't crash makes them engineering geniuses overnight. The vague and masculate nature of the anecdotal "research" done among them is the reason why the idea that a system draws more power than a wall-mounted air conditioner continues to perpetuate. To them, the easiest thing to comprehend are how one number is bigger than another. Nevermind things like PSU build quality, possible ripple issues, the general circuitry layout, and MBTF ratings, "u NEED that 700W power supply cuz that 500W power supply will catch on fire!! because I had a Antec once that exploded so all 500W power supplies are not enough for my shitty consumer hardware hurrrr lol plus 700 is biggar LOL QFT FTW CHUCK NORRIS CORSAIR."

Here is an example of a surprisingly common dialog between two overclockers that I just made up to prove the point:

Overclocker 1: i need a quiet psu for my c2d lol and my 7600GT lol!

Overclocker 2: Just check out silentpcreview.com! They have a list of quiet PSUs there. Be sure to read their articles on silencing your system and choosing a quiet PSU, but be sure to selectively ignore any and all of their evidence that you don't need a 600W PSU. Also get the corsair hx620 lol

Overclocker 1: sure thing lol! global warming ftw chuck norris myspace qft

While I agree with the basics of what you said here, I oversize my PSUs for the same reason that clean playing jazz guitarists use high wattage tube guitar amps -- headroom! If you're not pushing the limits of either, you get good clean power. If you do push the limits, you can either have problems (voltage drop, restarts, and sometimes no-starts for the PSU, and distortion for the tube amp)... or rock and roll. :)

Sure, a 500 watt Silverstone ST50EF might be a bit overkill for the system I'm in the process of building, but... It wasn't that expensive and the power will be pretty clean at the current draw level I'll be keeping it at. :)

[Mantralord]

Also guys heheh *snort snort* what's the deal with Newegg?

Pros: fast shippin as always newegg QFT LOL WORLD OF WARCRAFT!

Cons: item DOA lol!

Other thoughts: newegg replaced my TXXXXTAKE PSU with an AXXEC!! NEWEGG ROCKS!

[CAD4466HK]

:lol: :D
Oh I did laugh at that one:lol:

[GilmourD]

Also guys heheh *snort snort* what's the deal with Newegg?

Pros: fast shippin as always newegg QFT LOL WORLD OF WARCRAFT!

Cons: item DOA lol!

Other thoughts: newegg replaced my TXXXXTAKE PSU with an AXXEC!! NEWEGG ROCKS!

That's not newegg itself... That's its customers. As somebody who spent 10 years in retail, I can tell you that about 99.99999% of customers will drive you batty and don't know squat. LOL

[Mantralord]

That's not newegg itself... That's its customers. As somebody who spent 10 years in retail, I can tell you that about 99.99999% of customers will drive you batty and don't know squat. LOL

Still, I wish there were more people making fun of Newegg customer reviews. They're just as ridiculous (if not more so) as EBay bidder reviews. LOL!

[GilmourD]

Still, I wish there were more people making fun of Newegg customer reviews. They're just as ridiculous (if not more so) as EBay bidder reviews. LOL!

There are. I'm assuming you're not a member of hardforum.com because you would know that. :)

However newegg reviews are no better or worse than any other reviews directly on a retailer's site. Although the usual joke is that the pros about a product are most commonly "YAY! NEWEGG SHIPS FAST!!!" LOL

Regardless... Newegg still kicks butt all over the place, even if they charge my state sales tax.

[Mantralord]

LOL You don't have much nice to say about anything or anybody, do you?

Newegg rocks! There I said it.

PROS: AHAHAHA

CONS: BOOM LOL!

OTHER THOUGHTS: NEWEGG OVERCLOCKS MAH STOCK BOX NEWEGG ROCKS WITH SWEATY SOCKS BROKEN BLOCKS AND INACCURATE CLOCKS WHICH MOCKS THE KNOCK OF MY HUGE newegg rocks!

[Super Nade]

Gonna bump this up for the most hilarious thread I've witnessed. Mantralord FTW! :D

[theseeker]

Oui Vey!

[SKYMTL]

LOL QFT FTW CHUCK NORRIS CORSAIR.

Oh God, I think I just pissed my pants.

[Super Nade]

Can the mods please make this the official FTW thread? :D

[SKYMTL]

God, I wish Mantralord was around more...

[bEgUnDaL]

forgive my ignorance
but whats chuck norris got to do with anything? :confused:
im not sure im getting that one