GTX260 PSU requirements

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sunchaser

n00b
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May 27, 2009
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Hi guys,

I recently did some researching about a new videocard.
My PSU is a 485Watt Enermax EG495AX-VE(W) (24P) with only one 6-pin power connector.
In the end i chose the GTS250 instead of the GTX260 because the 260 needs two 6-pin power connectors and a minimum 500Watts PSU while the 250 needs only 6-pin connector and a 450Watts PSU.
Now i just opened the box of the 250 and in there is an adapter which allows me to connect an extra 6-pin connector by merging two free 4-pin connectors.
Bummer, so i could've bought the 260 after all i'm thinking....or not?
My worries are that my current PSU is not strong enough, here's the rest of my system :

AMD 7850+ Black Edition OC'ed to 3.0Ghz
OCZ 4GB DDR2-800
Asus M2A-VM mainboard
one DVD-reader, one DVD-writer
one 1TB HD, one 200 GB HD
Samsung T220 "22 LCD (so wanna game @ 1680x1050)

- Any1 have a GTX260 running with a sub 500Watt PSU?
- Will the GTX260 be much faster or just marginally, maybe held back by the rest of my system?

Any quick replies appreciated since i can change the card within 7 days of purchase (bough today).

Thanks & Greets,
SC
 
Agreed.
Get a decent ~620W PSU to go with it like the Corsair HX620.
That will last you years.
 
Your Enermax PSU has 32A on the +12V rail, it should power a GTX 260. The GTX 260 at max would draw 180 watts. However though, you need to make sure if your computer case can accomodate a longer video card. The GTX 260 measure 10.5" vs 9" on the GTS 250.
 
My GTX260 worked just fine with my corsair 450w power supply. Even with the gtx overclocked and with an e8400 at 4.4 it was no problem running prime 95 alongside furmark. 450 watts of decent brand power supply will pull along very well. You would have been / will be fine.

I must add though, I did upgrade to a 550hx just today, as the single pcie plug and an adapter wasn't cutting it fo rme looks wise.

Just beware the restocking fee if you return it. It can be a bear...
 
HardwareGuru said:
Your Enermax PSU has 32A on the +12V rail, it should power a GTX 260. The GTX 260 at max would draw 180 watts. However though, you need to make sure if your computer case can accomodate a longer video card. The GTX 260 measure 10.5" vs 9" on the GTS 250.
Click to expand...

You need to take into account the age of the PSU and how close it will be run to the rails max.
For example, being conservative:

A 3 year old PSU will age 5% a year (possibly more) so will be down around 15% after 3 years.
This brings its max current on 12V down to about 27A.
My PC with a clocked GTX260 consumes about 270W under full load (with E8400 clocked to 4GHz), which is around 22A so you will be somewhere close.
With your PSU, you will be running your PSU up to 78% of its maximum.
This is a bit high, especially if the PSU isnt kept cool as that also reduces max current too.
Better to run around 60% max to prolong the PSUs life and this is more efficient too (ie uses less power from the wall and produces less heat)
 
HardwareGuru said:
Your Enermax PSU has 32A on the +12V rail, it should power a GTX 260. The GTX 260 at max would draw 180 watts. However though, you need to make sure if your computer case can accomodate a longer video card. The GTX 260 measure 10.5" vs 9" on the GTS 250.
Click to expand...

erm, not to be critical, but specs on gtx 260 call for 36 amps on 12v rail
 
Your PS is quality. Just pop on that Molex-to-PCI-e adapter and you should be fine. (overclocking might be ruled out; I'm in the same situation with a hd3850 and I can't up the clocks at all)
 
meh, i have an HD4870X2 and an i7 at 3.8 ghz right now... during the cryostasis tech demo, i pulled ~430 watts.

Your power supply is more than ample for now.
 
Thanks for all the info people.

My PSU now is 4 years and 5 months so i guess it might become a matter of trial and error.
How does one measure how much Watts a PSU is pulling at any given moment, is there some kind of program?
I'll be glad as it is if the PSU will pull the GTX260, never mind overclocking in that case :)

As for the case itself (Antec P160), at first i thought this would become more of a problem than the PSU. I measured how much room there is left behind the card.
There is just enough room to fit the 260 but not to connect the 6-pin connecters behind it.
A quick look at some 260 cards fortunately revealed the connectors are top-side, phew ;)

Greetz,
SC
 
Its not wise to push a PSU hard as if it fails it can kill anything attached.
It may die silently, but then again...

Use a mains meter to see how much power the PC is using.
That wont help you determine how much the PSU is capable of though.
Watch the 12V rail and if you see a large dip under load (ie 0.5V drop), its looking like curtains.
 
sunchaser said:
Hi guys,

I recently did some researching about a new videocard.
My PSU is a 485Watt Enermax EG495AX-VE(W) (24P) with only one 6-pin power connector.
In the end i chose the GTS250 instead of the GTX260 because the 260 needs two 6-pin power connectors and a minimum 500Watts PSU while the 250 needs only 6-pin connector and a 450Watts PSU.
Click to expand...
The power requirements on the back of the box is because they understand people have a bunch of fans, drives, lights, etc. If you don't have any of that bullshit then the power requirements are much less. Toms recently did a write up. They had a Core i7 920 OCed to 3.6ghz, and GTX260 in SLI and it only used a little over 600 watts under full GPU/CPU load. For games that are not CPU/GPU intensive, the power draw was much less.
 
FWIW, I had a 600W psu running a GTX 260, Q6600 @ 3.7, 4 drives and some lighted fans. When I switched to a 4870X2, the power supply ASPLODED!!!1!!

Just kidding. It's fine, and I'm sure your 485W Enermax will be fine as well. The lack of a 2nd 6 pin connector just means that cards that required that weren't common when the psu was built. And remember that min. psu ratings have to take into account that fact that most systems come with ultrashitty generic units. Your 485W Enermax > 500W noname.
 
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