Upgrade advice

[Coffee Crisp]

Never listen to the wattage, always check the amps. The GTX 260 requires about 27a on the 12v rail. The reason wattage requirements are so overblown is because almost all of the power supplies out there not from a very select few brands are literally just last year's psu with a higher number sticker pasted over the old one.

 

I can Zero001 that post too easily.

[Shadowex3]

I don't really want to change my whole power supply. What can I provide you with so you can tell me which one I should get? I don't know anything about my power supply or anything like that.

 

Thanks for the help!

 

The name and model number and I can look its specs up.

 

 

I can Zero001 that post too easily.

 

Well it's true, wattage doesn't really mean much compared to being able to deliver the amps. I used to run a GTX 260 core 216 on a corsair 520hx.

[Coffee Crisp]

The name and model number and I can look its specs up.

 

 

 

 

Well it's true, wattage doesn't really mean much compared to being able to deliver the amps. I used to run a GTX 260 core 216 on a corsair 520hx.

 

I wasn't looking at a random box or company statistics. I've always said how overblown power need requirements are put out (you can find many threads with me saying that) I was talking about self experience and experiences of friends. I'm pretty sure a GTX 280 won't be merciful. He could probably run a GTX 280 at rest with a cheap PSU, but under load in games like Crysis or CSS (Source Engine = Resource hog) he won't last that much. I guess I exaggerated about the power needs though. Maybe it should be good with a 400-450W PSU. But that means he would need a 37 ampere with a 12v rail.

 

A 280 requires about 30+ (guessing 35-40) amperes. A 260 probably needs a little less.

 

If you look at the technical conversions then you're looking at [W (550) / V ( 12) = 45 (A)]. Even with the recommended you would have [W (500) / V (12) = 41 (A)]. If you're looking at 450W then you're looking at [W (450) / V (12) = A (37)]. Then to a 400 that woudl be [W (400) / V (12) = 33 (A)]. If you're saying that a GTX 260 can run with 27a and a 12V rail I'm thinking that's not a very high end computer. [27 (A) x V(12) = 324 (W)]. I don't know anybody running a GTX 260 with a 350 W PSU. That's overkill. A 8800 GTS only needs about 25 amperes on a 12v Rail. That's a 2 ampere difference from a GTX 260 power need according to you. I'm pretty confused here. The performance difference between the two series is unmeasured.

 

[Shadowex3]

Greater performance does not necessitate greater power requirements, just look at ANY Core2 compared to the pentium4 series. Especially the Prescott's.

 

I see a LOT of recommendations that people get 35-40a and 500-550 watts for 260s and 280s but the thing is their peak power consumption is pretty pathetic all things considered. But lets take it a step further and look at real numbers. Here's anandtechs from-the-wall reading of total system power draw under load. This was read with a QX9770 @ 3.20GHz, nForce 790i SLI, 4x1gb DDR3 1333, all being fed by a PC Power & Cooling Turbo Cool 1200W.

 

 

ALL of that with a GTX 260 draws a staggering ~262watts from the wall. For the whole computer. I ran a Prescott core hyperthreading 3.4ghz P4 with 4x512mb DDR1-333, three 5200rpm hdds, two dvd burners, and an 8800gts 640 and later an 8800gt all on a generic ~400w power supply that came with that computer.

 

P.s. Your calculation method of 27a*12v for a 324watt PSU doesn't make sense since by that logic a corsair 400cx would be a 360w, a 550vx would be a 492w, and a 520hx would be... a 628w. You can find more inconsistences in total wattage vs 12v amps by your calculation method all over the place, especially when you work with low-watt high-amp power supplies. Math, advertising, and the real world very rarely line up and building computers is far more art than science.

 

[Coffee Crisp]

I'm pretty sure you contradicted yourself at your first paragraph. Look at the wattage usage of the 8800 vs the GTX 280. With your logic you're saying that a GTX 280 needs only a couple more Amperes to run. But look at the wattage usage under load. That chart doesn't prove anything. It's just proving my point that a GTX 260 needs more than a 27a. I can find many charts with different numbers with this for example.

 

 

Also, it's not my conversion. It's a mathematical conversion of amperes to volts to watts vice versa. I was using it to find the PSU recommendations through amperes and volts. Not PSU sizes. I don't think finding the Watts for already marked PSUs is very useful.

 

P.S: That facepalm wasn't needed. It was an educational opinion, and my thread hijack picture is true. Look what's happening now? To be honest. We can keep this going, but in the end we're both right on either side and both wrong at the same time.

[FightingRooster]

The name and model number and I can look its specs up.

 

 

 

 

Well it's true, wattage doesn't really mean much compared to being able to deliver the amps. I used to run a GTX 260 core 216 on a corsair 520hx.

 

My computer was somewhat custom built.. we bought it from my dads friend who owns a computer shop around here.

 

What can I provide you with in terms of pictures or copy and paste? Thank you!

 

I wasn't looking at a random box or company statistics. I've always said how overblown power need requirements are put out (you can find many threads with me saying that) I was talking about self experience and experiences of friends. I'm pretty sure a GTX 280 won't be merciful. He could probably run a GTX 280 at rest with a cheap PSU, but under load in games like Crysis or CSS (Source Engine = Resource hog) he won't last that much. I guess I exaggerated about the power needs though. Maybe it should be good with a 400-450W PSU. But that means he would need a 37 ampere with a 12v rail.

 

A 280 requires about 30+ (guessing 35-40) amperes. A 260 probably needs a little less.

 

If you look at the technical conversions then you're looking at [W (550) / V ( 12) = 45 (A)]. Even with the recommended you would have [W (500) / V (12) = 41 (A)]. If you're looking at 450W then you're looking at [W (450) / V (12) = A (37)]. Then to a 400 that woudl be [W (400) / V (12) = 33 (A)]. If you're saying that a GTX 260 can run with 27a and a 12V rail I'm thinking that's not a very high end computer. [27 (A) x V(12) = 324 (W)]. I don't know anybody running a GTX 260 with a 350 W PSU. That's overkill. A 8800 GTS only needs about 25 amperes on a 12v Rail. That's a 2 ampere difference from a GTX 260 power need according to you. I'm pretty confused here. The performance difference between the two series is unmeasured.

 

 

Please don't shoot! You can have my thread!!!

[Shadowex3]

P.S: That facepalm wasn't needed. It was an educational opinion, and my thread hijack picture is true. Look what's happening now? To be honest. We can keep this going, but in the end we're both right on either side and both wrong at the same time.

 

"All computers operate on FM, They're Fucking Magic."

 

As for the facepalm I just really thought that was a great pic.

[stride]

id go with RAM, i used to lag on several maps when i hade 512 but i bought 4 Gigs of sum hyper X gaming ram n now i dont lag one bit!

look at newegg.com

[Shadowex3]

Ram isn't worth it because everything's going DDR3.

[XeNo]

I'm looking for something for my PC. I've got about $100-$200 to spend.

 

At first, I thought of a good set of headphones so I could use 'em on my Mac and my PC. I got some great advice in a thread from some members here but now I'm wondering...

 

I either get:

 

1. Headphones - self explanitory

2. Headset - would be great for vent considering I can now use it on my Mac & PC

3. Graphics Card

4. Ram

 

I'd love all of these but I don't have that much right now. My only problem with getting a headset is that I can't really run vent and CS at the same time on my PC because it lags quite a bit. I have my FPS showing and on maps like foxriver, I'll get 20 fps. Thats where Ram/GFX card comes in..

 

my current specs are:

 

Dual Core 2.6ghz I think

2GB RAM

256MB ATI Radeon I think

250GB HD

21" Monitor

 

I tried running CS in a lower resolution but I hate it and I can't do it.

 

Advice pleeasseee... I can buy two if its in my budget!

I foresee a problem. Your CPU is 2.6ghz and a dual core, chances are your ram is somewhere in the 800 range if not lower, due to you probably having a motherboard that is old if it can run a 2.6ghz dual core.

 

This is just guessing, but I bet your motherboard doesn't have a pci-express 2.0 slot. Thus making all cards above 8800gt's out of the question, due to them requiring that 2.0 slot. So their 'get 9800gt and 260gts' advice is invalid if your motherboard cannot support them.

 

8800 geforce cards are good, but last I checked, newegg doesn't even have any more in stock which could pose a slight problem of trying to find them.

 

 

 

So while they're getting in a pissy fit about voltage or whatever, it could be all for nothing unless you tell us what motherboard you have.

 

 

Edit:

If your motherboard is indeed old 1.0 pci, then if you want to upgrade to 9 series or 200 series graphics cards, you'd have to get a new mobo, which would most likely require a new CPU, and RAM depending on what RAM type you have.