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[Mark]

This thread has now been closed but I will post all future updates in the FAQ.

>>Clicking here will take you to the article in the FAQ<<

Mark
MSI HQ Global Forum Moderator

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi,

As so many people aren't sure how much power a modern graphics card requires MINIMUM, I've decided to write a list of various models with the sort of PSU they require. Obviously it would be better to get something better than what is stated. It is only a rough guide, as it also depends what other hardware you have in your system. I hope it is of some use to people.

The following are the minimum power requirements using a PSU with a single +12V rail. Also these requirements are for a system containing basic components (unless otherwise noted). The more add in cards and hard drives that a system has, the more amperage draw on the 12v rail.

Click images for full size.





Text version:

nVidia

GeForce GTX 590 in SLi - 78A and a 1000W PSU minimum
GeForce GTX 590 - 46A and a 700W PSU minimum
GeForce GTX 580 - 40A and a 600W PSU minimum
GeForce GTX 570 - 35A and a 550W PSU minimum
GeForce GTX 560 Ti in SLi - 42A and a 700W PSU minimum
GeForce GTX 560 Ti - 31A and a 500W PSU minimum
GeForce GTX 550 Ti - 28A and a 450W PSU minimum
GeForce GTX 470 and 480 in SLi - 55-60A and a 850W PSU minimum
GeForce GTX 480 - 42A and a 600W PSU minimum
GeForce GTX 470 - 38A and a 550W PSU minimum
GeForce GTX 465 in SLi - 46A and a 700W PSU minimum
GeForce GTX 465 - 30A and a 500W PSU minimum
GeForce GTX 460 in SLi - 42A and a 650W PSU minimum
GeForce GTX 460 - 26A and a 450W PSU minimum
GeForce GTS 450 in SLi - 35A and a 600W PSU minimum
GeForce GTS 450 - 24A and a 450W PSU minimum
GeForce GT 430 - 22A and a 350W PSU minimum
GeForce GTX 295 in Quad SLi - 70A and a 1000W PSU minimum
GeForce GTX 295 - 50A and a 700W PSU minimum
GeForce GTX 285 - 46A and a 550W PSU minimum
GeForce GTX 280 in SLi - 55A and a 800W PSU minimum
GeForce GTX 280 - 40A and a 550W PSU minimum
GeForce GTX 275 in SLi - 50A and a 800W PSU minimum
GeForce GTX 275 - 40A and a 550-600W PSU minimum
GeForce GTX 260 OC in SLi - 50A and a 700W PSU minimum
GeForce GTX 260 OC - 40A and a 550W PSU minimum
GeForce GTX 260 in SLi - 50A and a 700W PSU minimum
GeForce GTX 260 - 38A and a 500W PSU minimum
GeForce GTS 250 - 32A and a 500W PSU minimum
GeForce GT 240 - 35A and a 400W PSU minimum
GeForce GT 220 - 30A and a 350W PSU minimum
GeForce 9800 GX2 - 35A and a 550W PSU minimum
GeForce 9800 GTX+ - 32A and a 500W PSU minimum
GeForce 9800 GTX - 25-30A and a 450W PSU minimum
GeForce 9600 GT - 26A and a 450W PSU minimum
GeForce 9600 GSO - 26A and a 450W PSU minimum
GeForce 8800 Ultra - 35A and a 500W PSU minimum
GeForce 8800 GTX – 30A and a 450W PSU minimum
GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB - 28A and a 500W PSU minimum
GeForce 8800 GTS 320/640MB – 26A and a 400W PSU minimum
GeForce 8800 GT in SLi - 36A and a 500W PSU minimum
GeForce 8800 GT - 26A and a 450W PSU minimum
GeForce 8600 GT/GTS - 24A and a 350W PSU minimum
GeForce 8500 GT - 22A and a 350W PSU minimum
GeForce 7950 GX2 – 27A and a 400W PSU minimum
GeForce 7950 GT – 22A and a 350W PSU minimum
GeForce 7900 GTX – 22-26A and a 350-400W PSU minimum
GeForce 7900 GTO – 22-26A and a 350-400W PSU minimum
GeForce 7900 GT – 22-26A and a 350-400W PSU minimum
GeForce 7900 GS – 22-23A and a 350W PSU minimum
GeForce 7800 All - 26A and a 400W PSU minimum
GeForce 7800 GS AGP - 20A and a 400W PSU minimum
GeForce 7600 GT – 22-26A and a 350W PSU minimum
GeForce 7600 GS – 15-17A and a 350W PSU minimum
GeForce 7300 GT – 15A and a 300W PSU minimum
GeForce 7300 GS – 15A and a 300W PSU minimum

ATI/AMD

Radeon HD 6990 - 45A and a 750W PSU minimum
Radeon HD 6970 - 34A and a 550W PSU minimum
Radeon HD 6950 - 30A and a 500W PSU minimum
Radeon HD 6870 X2 - 40A and a 600W PSU minimum
Radeon HD 6870 CrossfireX - 38A and a 650W PSU minimum
Radeon HD 6870 - 28A and a 500W PSU minimum
Radeon HD 6850 CrossfireX - 35A and a 600W PSU minimum
Radeon HD 6850 - 25A and a 450W PSU minimum
Radeon HD 6790 - 25A and a 450W PSU minimum
Radeon HD 6770 CrossfireX - 33A and a 600W PSU minimum
Radeon HD 6770 - 25A and a 450W PSU minimum
Radeon HD 5970 CrossfireX - 70A and a 900W PSU minimum
Radeon HD 5970 - 50A and a 600W PSU minimum
Radeon HD 5870 CrossfireX - 55-60A and a 700W PSU minimum
Radeon HD 5870 - 40A and a 500W PSU minimum
Radeon HD 5850 CrossfireX - 55-60A and a 650W PSU minimum
Radeon HD 5850 - 35-40A and a 500W PSU minimum
Radeon HD 5830 - 35-40A and a 500W PSU minimum
Radeon HD 5770 - 34A and a 500W PSU minimum
Radeon HD 5750 - 30A and a 450W PSU minimum
Radeon HD 5670 - 26A and a 400W PSU minimum
Radeon HD 5570 - 24A and a 350W PSU minimum
Radeon HD 5450 - 22A and a 300W PSU minimum
Radeon 4890 - 32A and a 550W PSU minimum
Radeon 4870 X2 CrossfireX - 67A and a 1000W PSU minimum
Radeon 4870 X2 - 43A and a 600W PSU minimum
Radeon 4870 - 32A and a 500W PSU minimum
Radeon 4850 - 30A and a 450W PSU minimum
Radeon 4830 - 26A and a 400W PSU minimum
Radeon 4770 Crossfire - 34A and a 750W PSU minimum
Radeon 4770 - 26A and a 400-500W PSU minimum
Radeon 4670 - 26A and a 400W PSU minimum
Radeon 4650 - 24A and a 350-400W PSU minimum
Radeon 4550 - 20A and a 300W PSU minimum
Radeon X3870 X2 - 30A and a 550W PSU minimum
Radeon X38xx series - 28A and a 450W PSU minimum
Radeon X2900 XT Crossfire - 45A and a 800W PSU is recommended for high-end rigs
Radeon X2900 XT - 35A and a 500W PSU is recommended for high-end rigs
Radeon X2900 Pro - 35A and a 500W PSU minimum
Radeon X2600 XT - 25A and a 400W PSU minimum
Radeon X2400 XT - 20A and a 350-400W PSU minimum
Radeon X1950 XTX – 20A and a 420W PSU minimum
Radeon X1950 Pro – 20A and a 420W PSU minimum
Radeon X1900 XTX – 25A and a 520W PSU minimum
Radeon X1900 XT – 22-25A and a 520W PSU minimum
Radeon X1900 GT – 22A and a 400W PSU minimum
Radeon X1650 Pro – 18A and a 350W PSU minimum

I’ve missed out some in the range, as I couldn’t find the minimum +12V amp ratings. I don’t know why the X1950 range requires less power than the X1900 range; it’s just what was suggested in the Guru3D reviews.

Please feel free to add to the list in future posts.

Power supply recommendations:





Text version:

700W - 1000W

Enermax Revolution 85+ ERV1250EGT 1250W - 104A from 6 +12v rails
Enermax Revolution 85+ ERV1050EWT 1050W - 87A from 6 +12v rails
OCZ Z Series 1000W - 83A on a single +12V rail
Corsair TX 950W - 78A on a single +12V rail
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 910W - 74A on a single +12V rail
Corsair HX 850W - 70A on a single +12V rail
Corsair TX 850W - 70A on a single +12V rail
OCZ Z Series 850W - 71A on a single +12V rail
XFX 850W Black Edition - 62A on a single +12V rail
Corsair TX 750W - 60A on a single +12V rail
XFX 750W Black Edition - 62A on a single +12V rail
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750W Quad - 60A on a single +12V rail

300W - 650W

Corsair TX 650W - 52A on a single +12V rail
Seasonic X-Series 650W - 54A on a single +12V rail
XFX 650W XXX Edition - 52A on a single +12V rail
Rosewill Green Series 630W - 50A on a single +12V rail
Corsair CX 600W - 40A on a single +12V rail
Corsair VX 550W - 41A on a single +12V rail
Corsair CX 500W - 34A on a single +12V rail
Corsair VX 450W - 33A on a single +12V rail
Corsair CX 430W - 28A on a single +12V rail
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 420W ATX - 30A on a single +12V rail
Corsair CX 400W - 30A on a single +12V rail
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 370W ATX - 27A on a single +12V rail

[Fredrik]

That is absolutely excellent, blazing storm! Many thanks!
What does "minimum" mean? Is it mainly for starting up the rig, or for starting up 3D-functions?

[BG84]

probably to be able to post your machine

[Tiresmoke]

That typically reffers to a non overclocked minimal system hardware setup. Usually one HDD/Optical, No sound card or other addin cards, simple case fan and CPU cooler, Minimal RAM, basically no add on based machine. The reason they show it this way is so that you have an idea where to start. Any add on's will have to be determined by what they use and add that to the base figure. Most of us do not have a minimal system setup so those figures above should be counted as a very low end estimate of what you will need to get started with.

[Mark]

That typically reffers to a non overclocked minimal system hardware setup. Usually one HDD/Optical, No sound card or other addin cards, simple case fan and CPU cooler, Minimal RAM, basically no add on based machine. The reason they show it this way is so that you have an idea where to start. Any add on's will have to be determined by what they use and add that to the base figure. Most of us do not have a minimal system setup so those figures above should be counted as a very low end estimate of what you will need to get started with.

Nicely put. That answers Fredrik Åsenius's question well.

[Mike]

BFGs site state for a single PCI-e 7800 series of cards(all), a 400W PSU and 26A+ on the +12V rail.

For their AGP flavor of 7800, the 7800GS, 400W with 20A+.

[Mark]

Cheers Frankenputer! I just added them to the list.

[Fredrik]

BG84's answer adresses my question the best.

[BG84]

 

[vernonion]

Why the amperage spread on the 7900 cards? Is the minimum not really known?

[Mark]

It's the figures I got from Guru3D, but it really depends what other hardware you have in your system.

EDIT:

Take the Geforce 7900 GT for example. It states on Guru3D it needs between 22-26A and a 350-400W PSU minimum. 22A should be fine for a lower end system like mine, but a Core 2 Duo system would need closer to 26A.

Some manufacturers say you need at least 20A on the +12V rail to run the 7900 GT, but I think 22A is more likely for most gaming systems.

[Briim]

Very good and usefull list. Thanks blazing storm.
To upgrade from 7600GT to 8800GTS I don't need another PSU (430W).
What are amps related to, +12V?

regards

[Mark]

Yes, the amps apply to the +12v rail.

Your PSU looks fine for the 8800 GTS.

[Mark]

Please note for ATI's X1800/X1900/X1950 series AMD/ATI recommend a 450W PSU with 30A on the +12V rail for a single card and a 550W PSU with 38A on the +12V rail for dual cards.

http://support.ati.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=894&task=knowledge&questionID=22472

Thanks for the heads up Fredrik Åsenius.

[Stick]

I’ve missed out some in the range, as I couldn’t find the minimum +12V amp ratings. I don’t know why the X1950 range requires less power than the X1900 range; it’s just what was suggested in the Guru3D reviews.

the X1950 is a better design, and if i remember correctly it might even use lower nm manufacturing process than the X1900 series. that's why the reduction in power requirements.
the x2900 requires at least 500W power supply in single mode and at least 750W in crossfire. i couldn't find any min amps on the 12V line, but my guess would be 25A for single card and 40A for crossfire (over multiple rails this might be higher, probably around 50A).

[Mark]

Thanks Stick.

Guru3d recommend a 500W PSU with 35A on the +12V rails for a single card. They suggest this for a high end rig, so lower spec machines could require more like 28 - 30A. For a crossfire setup they're suggesting an 800W PSU with 45A on the +12V rails.

[Stick]

the 500W and 750W recomandations are direct from the ATI/AMD web-page. the only info missing is the 12V min amps. should be quite easy to find out by looking at the approved power supplies. the X2900 uses up to 250W at full load, which means about 21A on the 12V line for 1 graphic card alone.

[Mark]

Radeon X2600 XT and Radeon X2400 XT now added.

[pseudemys]

Hi guys!

Blazing Storm, when you say:

Radeon X1950 Pro – 20A and a 420W PSU minimum

Do you mean 20A total or 20A/rail?
Well... maybe my Antec true power 480 (single 12V rail, 22A) can still deal with this card. This would be the very last upgrade on my "vintage" system and don't feel like buying a new PSU right now.

Thanks and bye

[Grayone]

The 20A is for a single rail power supply used in a basic system.  The more add in cards and hard drives that a system has, the more amperage draw on the 12v rail. 

For a dual rail power supply, I use this as a guide.  Add the total advertised amperage of the 12 volt rails and then multiply that total by 60% to come up with a realistic figure on what the power supply can furnish in the way of amperage on the 12 volt rail.  In some cases the 60% multiplier is too low but I would rather have more than enough power than not have enough.

[Mike]

Blazing,
Maybe you should add a caveat to the text in your first post.  Something along the lines of "The following are the minimum power requirements using a PSU with a single +12V rail. Also these requirements are for a system containing basic components(unless otherwise noted). The more add in cards and hard drives that a system has, the more amperage draw on the 12v rail."

[pseudemys]

Ok, these are good and pretty useful remarks. Now, as you can see in my sig. I've 2 hard drives and 1 pci card (the Leadtek tv-radio tuner). One of the hard drives is used as a stockage unit (pictures, mp3, divx) and I'm planning to extract it from the case and use it (when needed) as an external unit. Moreover, my Athlon64 3500 is far from being a high end CPU and it isn't oveclocked. That's all. So, in these conditions, do you think that 22A on the 12V rail will be able to "feed" the 1950Pro without exploding???
Thanks and bye

[Grayone]

 A lot depends on the condition of the power supply and how cool it runs as heat lowers the output of the power supply when you try to run one at its max output.  I would feel better if the power supply had a max 12v amperage rating of 26 amps instead of 22.  (extra or more powerful case fans may be needed to get rid of the heat that the video card will produce)

    You can try it but if you start having video problem, the first thing to try to cure the problem is a more powerful power supply.     

[Mark]

Thanks for the suggestion Frankenputer; I've added the line you wrote.

Pseudemys, I think Grayone has pretty much answered your question. One thing I'd say is to go for the HIS X1950Pro IceQ 3 Turbo as it extracts the hot air and is quieter than the stock coolers.

[pseudemys]

Thanks a lot for your hints Grayone and blazing storm!
The His card is exactly the one I was willing to buy. I hope it will provide enough juice till the next major upgrade to a brand new PC (by the end of 2008, I guess). Concerning the PSU, what do you think about this http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=1072 ?
It seems a nice alternative to a new PSU, and the price is darn good!

Have a nice day (and a nice weekend too)

[Mark]

The reviewer seems to like it. I've never tested one, so don't know how well it would perform in your system. For $45 it seems a nice idea though, so I'd suggest trying it.

If you decide to buy it can you report back what you think of it?

[Grayone]

It should do the job for you according to some of the reviews that I read about it.     Like blazing storm asked, we would like to know what you think of it if you get one.

[pseudemys]

Hi guys,

I've just ordered the card and the Purepower Express, and (I hope) I'll receive them in a few days. I'm looking forward to testing my new gadgets  ! Well, they'll make a nice self-birthday present 
I'll let you know my impressions asap!!!
Ciao

[pseudemys]

Hi there,

At last I got my new card plus the Purepower Express.
Well, all I can say is that Thermaltake guys made a great job. Instructions are truly clear and, in any case, the power supply is very easy to install. All the cables are provided and their length is absolutely comfortable. The unit works with both nvidia and ATI solutions and is supposed to work with SLI/crossfire systems, but single card systems like mine are equally supported. I tested the X1950 pro with quite resource-consuming games, such as Oblivion and STALKER. It goes without saying that the card works very fine with both of them, even at high resolution and with some of the filters activated (AA... I had almost forgotten this name!). More important, Purepower Express feeds the card in an excellent way! The unit is almost" silent, which is another good point, and doesn't produce too much heat. Also, my Antec Truepower 480 runs now so much cooler  . Actually, the temperature of the main power supply (the Antec unit) considerably dropped after the installation of the Thermaltake backup unit. As I previously said, the price is very nice too, less than 50 $. Probably a more powerful power supply should be better for a new rig, but if you have an older system (like mine) and don't feel like investing too much money on it, well... Purepower Express is the answer!! Ah, I forgot to mention that ain't get paid by Thermaltake for saying that!

Concerning the X1950 pro, it's a great card (and I'm not just talking about the size), but I found Ati drivers not as "user friendly" as nvidia ones. The installation procedure was a real pain (of course I used driver cleaner). I had to install net framework 2.0 plus all the updates in order to make the Ati control panel to work. Although everything is working fine now, there's still a little glitch: when I open Windows device manager, I see this:



Two cards??? Unknown????? What does it mean???

Thanks and bye

[Mike]

Create a new thread for your question. Please do not hijack this one.

[Stu]

that is normal for Radeon cards with two VGA/DVI outputs

[superkev6969]

mm
If this carries on thour PC's will be glowing a dull red.
Kev

[BG84]

mm
If this carries on thour PC's will be glowing a dull red.
Kev

now thats great writing! what?

[Aaron]

now thats great writing! what?

 

[pseudemys]

that is normal for Radeon cards with two VGA/DVI outputs

Thanks Stu, feel much better now!

mm
If this carries on thour PC's will be glowing a dull red.
Kev

 ??? ??? ???

Create a new thread for your question. Please do not hijack this one.

Sorry, the main subjects were the power supply AND the graphic card... mabbe I've gone a little too far  . So to summarize: purepower express is an effective and not expensive alternative to a new power supply (if you have an old and "dying" system, for newer ones a proper psu is probably a better choice).

Have a nice weekend 

[Stick]

now thats great writing! what?

i think he means that if power reqs keep increasing like this, the PCs will be glowing red because of the generated heat.

bablefish ftw 

[Mark]

List updated.

[Grayone]

Thanks for the update. 

[Mark]

No problem. I'll update if I pop on the forum again, if it helps people.

[Kafkacell]

AMD offers a list of PSU compatible with several Crossfire system configurations:

http://ati.amd.com/technology/crossfire/buildyourown2.html

regards

[Froggy Gremlin]

Here's some update info for the NVIDIA column.

GTX 285 Max. GPU Temp. 105c, Min. Sys. Power 550W, 2X6 Pin, Length 10.5" 2 Slot.
GTX 295 Max. GPU Temp. 105c, Min. Sys. Power 680W, 6 & 8 Pin, Length 10.5" 2 Slot.

Edit: Sorry FP, the NVIDIA WebSite didn't list any Amps in the specs, or I would have included them. The ATI 4870 X2 CrossfireX - 1000W & 4870 X2 - 600W listed in this thread doesn't show amps either.

[Mike]

Doesn't mean a ton without the suggested Amps on the +12V rail.

[flobelix]

GTX 285: Minimum 550W or greater system power supply (with a +12V current rating of 46A)

[vernonion]

GTX 285: Minimum 550W or greater system power supply (with a +12V current rating of 46A)

You can see the dangerous territory. How many 550w power supplies are capable of producing 46 amps to a single video card?

[flobelix]

None, as far as I know But I guess Nvidia doesn't care..

[Wonkanoby]

dont believe my self you need 46a

[Mike]

GTX 285: Minimum 550W or greater system power supply (with a +12V current rating of 46A)

Where did you find this information?

For the GTX295 I found the following for PSU requirements

680W PCI Express®-compliant system power supply with a combined 12V current rating of 46A or more (Minimum system power requirement based on a PC configured with an Intel Core™i7 965 Extreme Edition processor)

[flobelix]

Where did you find this information?

http://www.xfxforce.com/en-us/products/graphiccards/200series/285GTX.aspx#4

under NVIDIA MINIMUM POWER SUPPLY REQUIREMENTS

on the same site it says what you found for the GTX295 (680W/46A) so one info must be false. On the other hand 46A sounds a bit short for GTX295.

[Mike]

I found my information on a different site. NVIDIA should put this information on their own site for default clocked chipsets. ATI is notorious for not providing power requirements.

[flobelix]

Yeah, it's a shame they don't have this info on their own site. Maybe it's easier for them to let the vga manufacturers deal with the customers having trouble with an insufficient power supply.