Power Supply Amps Help

[Trunks]

So I was looking over my GPU that I'm getting and I noticed that my Power Supply doesn't give enough amps. The GPU says it requires at least 30 amps on the 12v rail. Mine only supplies 28 amps, so I'm just going to buy a new power supply.

I'm just confused what I'm looking at, I'm on newegg looking at the specifications on power supplies. Is it the output that current that says +12V1@16A +12V2@16A +12V3@16A +12V4@16A does that determines the amps?

If so
Newegg.com - COOLMAX CL-700B 700W ATX 12V v2.2 Compatible with Core i3i7 Power Supply (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817159107)
This card has 4, 12v rails at 16 amps each. Do I need 30 amps on a single rail or what?

Also, Just curious to know how many watts/amps I should go over the minimum so I don't stress the power supply. The Card requires at least 500 watts with 30 amps on a 12v rail. So should I go up to 700 watt Power supply with like 35 amps?

[Trunks]

Well after doing some research and talking to a few people I found it out.

To anyone who is interested, whatever the recommend watts for the card is, you divide that by 12, because of the 12v rail. So my card requires 500 watts, which means 500/12 is about 40. So for the Power Supply to run fine without any stress, it's best to have about 40 amps for the power supply.

The different 12v rails can be added up to find the total amps, so the one I posted above has 4 12v rails at 16 amps which totals to 64 amps. Though it's better to have all the amps on a single rail, it gives the PSU a lot more power.

Also I was told by a lot of people that cool master sucks, don't buy it. So instead I'm dishing out extra cash for a better brand.

Well doubt anyone cared, but there ya go.

[LiNuX]

I saw the thread from work but didn't have any time to write out a response :(

And did they say coolmax sucked or coolermaster? Because Cooler master is awesome.

I have an OCZ Fatil1ty which is awesome too, I like OCZ Products.

[Trunks]

Oh yeah, it was cool max, sorry about that. I'm going to get a corsair though. Read the reviews they were all postive. The negatives all had replies from custmer service, so looks like a good company.

[LiNuX]

Corsair is awesome too, currently using their RAM (will be adding G.Skill soon).

Thermaltake is another good brand, they make good cases and PSUs, and Antec also makes great cases, not sure how their Power Sources are, I've never used them but it's another great company imo.

[Trunks]

Yeah I like G skill for memory as well that's what I currently have. I was looking at Antec cases, but I don't want to pay 100 dollars for a case. Starting to run low on cash and I still need to buy windows 7 and like 4 more gigs of ram. Might wait on the case till later.

[LiNuX]

Yeah I like G skill for memory as well that's what I currently have. I was looking at Antec cases, but I don't want to pay 100 dollars for a case. Starting to run low on cash and I still need to buy windows 7 and like 4 more gigs of ram. Might wait on the case till later.

Newegg had a black friday sale for g.skill memory. 8 gb for $25 which was extremely cheap. Price is back up though, but I think if you buy it around Christmas, you should be able to get a similar deal.

[Trunks]

Ended up going with a roswell, was only 60 dollars with 600 watts. 46 amps. Reading the comments, seems like a good company, they replied to all the negative feed back.

Have another question thought I'd just ask here instead of making a thread. I have an quad core i5 750, it's basically the worst quad core i5 you can get lol. Is my professor going to hold me back a lot? Because I bought a GTX 670, would I still be able to run games with decent fps with and i5 750. Friends that I play with online that are pretty tech savy laughed and said they never heard of an i5 750 lol.

When I bought it last year, I did some research on it, it's supposed to be one of the better CPU's for gaming, but I wonder if it's too out dated for today's newer games. Plus it's discontinued I believe, another sign that it's outdated lol.

[LiNuX]

Rosewill is a good company, if I'm not mistaken, I believe it's a house label of newegg so their customer service is very good imo.

And it's highly unlikely that the i5 will cause any issues with gaming unless you let it overheat. And being the worst Quad Core i5 still makes it so much better than so many other CPUs out there.



Is my professor going to hold me back a lot?

That I don't know about, you're gonna have to talk to your professor about that :P

[Trunks]

Rosewill is a good company, if I'm not mistaken, I believe it's a house label of newegg so their customer service is very good imo.

And it's highly unlikely that the i5 will cause any issues with gaming unless you let it overheat. And being the worst Quad Core i5 still makes it so much better than so many other CPUs out there.




That I don't know about, you're gonna have to talk to your professor about that :P

lol, yeah I guess I'll talk to him....

But yeah, I got enough case cans to keep my cpu cool, plus the i5 is capble of over clocking from 2.67 to 4.32. So I should be good considering I'm not even over clocking it yet.

Thanks for the help though, I appreciate it.

[Trunks]

Just going to post in here again lol, So I'm looking at some more Memory, how big of a deal is it to get the same brand / RAM speed? I currently have some off brand RAM named Geil, 2 gig sticks. It's DDR 3 1600MHz (PC3 12800), so should I just stick with the 1600.

Also, how important are heat sinks/ heat spreaders on RAM?

[LiNuX]

It's generally a good idea to stick with ram with the same Voltage and speed. Personally never tried using anything different because I never had enough money to just spend on different RAM to test but it shouldn't be much of a problem. You might notice something only when you're utilizing a lot of the RAM.

And heatsinks are as important if you're planning on doing heavy work. RAM runs all the software/programs so they are always under stress and if you're planning on using the RAM for gaming then I'd recommend you get something with head spreaders to keep them from slowly dying.

But if you aren't going to do anything intensive then it doesn't really matter. I manage a server in my office which uses ram without any heat sinks, but we only use it for storage and sharing stuff with other people so the RAM isn't a big deal.

[Trunks]

Well poo, the RAM I have now is discontinued. I guess I'll just buy two 4 gig sticks and just take my other two out. Again thanks for the help :)

[LiNuX]

Well they don't have to be the same brand. I have Corsair and G.Skill, but they are the same voltage and speed. So if you can find the proper RAM, you could just add on, rather than replace.

[Trunks]

Does the timing have to be the same as well?

Also I seem to be lucky enough that the Voltage isn't listed anywhere under the description or the box it came in.

Newegg.com - GeIL Value PLUS 4GB Desktop Memory Model GVP34GB1600C9DC (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820144461) That's what I bought a couple years ago. Am I able to check the voltage from my bios?

[LiNuX]

Yeah timing should be the same as well, you basically want their mechanical specs to be the same. Again you can use different settings, but I am not sure how that might affect the usage. I have never used two different kinds of RAM with different specs so I don't have any personal experience to what the difference may be, only going by what I've heard.

And yeah if you go into bios you should be able to check what voltage they are since you are able to adjust it.

edit: read one of the reviews for the Geil RAM, guy posted this: MemTests stable at 1.5v at 1600 with suggested timings.

That should help with the Voltage :) mine also run at 1.5 volts. My old OCZ Ram ran at 2.1 iirc. But OCZ doesn't make RAM anymore, they were awesome.

[Trunks]

Yeah, I checked bios mine runs at 1.5v as well.

I use to have OCZ ram too lol, it was just normally DDR RAM, I just had two 1 gig sticks. They had gold painted heat spreaders, it was actually the first I saw a heat spreader on memory, it looked pretty awesome.

So I decided I'm going to get a new case, becasue mine currently runs at 40 to 50 degrees Celsius during idle and I have no rooms for fans in my case. Think I'm going to go with a full, wish they weren't so expensive. Probably going to go with this one Newegg.com - APEVIA X-TELSTAR-BK Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer CaseNo Power Supply (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144184) cheapest and good reviews. Can't wait to buy all this stuff and have my CPU or something finally die.

[LiNuX]

I have 2x2gb Gold plated OCZ Ram on my old pc, they are awesome. Don't know why they stopped.

And look at some Antec Mid Towers, they make some good ones. I have an Antec 300 with 4 base case fans (plus an extra one that I added). My System is 25-27 degrees Idle and about 40 when gaming. It gets lower every time I clean it.

[Trunks]

Are mid towers big enough size to hold everything? My power supply is on the big side, and the cables are really bulky. Plus I'm going to be getting a giant graphics cad and upgrade the heat sink on my CPU which I assume will make it stick out more. Do you think I will I have any space issues with all the fans from the tower with an ATX mid?

[LiNuX]

That I can't say. I have a pretty big PSU too but it's modular, so I removed all he cables I don't use which saves a lot of space. I also have 5 fans in there and recently bought a huge zalman CPU cooler which will fit just fine based on the measurements I took (just need to find time to open it up and install). I also have a huge GPU.

I've never built a full tower but I can assume that it will have a lot of space. Mid Towers can get tight but I've personally never had any issues with space. And I don't think I would have run out of space even if my PSU wasn't modular, I usually find a way to neatly tuck away the unused cables.

That Apevia you linked to is pretty cheap for a full tower, so it might be worth the price plus decrease worry of running out of space.

[Trunks]

Just took a look at the Antecs. The only one I saw that I would is only an inch taller than my current tower, same height and width. It's pretty tight in there now without my new graphics card. I kind of wish I would have bought a modular PSU now. Also worried about how I'm going to be able to power all the fans, I didn't check how many ports I have on my motherboard, and I only have 4 pin connecters on my power supply. I'm sure I have a few converters laying around though.

Building a new PC is so stressful lol.

From what I checked, I'm thinking either the full tower above

Or this cooler master case. Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER RC-692-KKN2 CM690 II Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119216)

From reading the reviews, people say their is enough room for plenty of room. From reading the reviews, people said you can fit two 280 radiators if you wanted along with a 14 inch graphics card. So it should be big enough considering I have neither of those.

I'm not a huge fan of the design though. I want a case with some type of LED's. Might have to start checking places other than new egg.

[LiNuX]

It can get stressful, but it's so much fun isn't it?

That cooler master looks awesome, and they make cases with great ventilation.

[Trunks]

It would be fun if all the cases I wanted weren't 150 dollars, I wanted to stay under 100 for my case since I still have to buy windows 7 and some more memory.

Just ran a stress test for some shiz and giggles, after 10 minutes my CPU temperature got close to 100 degrees Celsius. Oddly enough though, as I'm typing this my temperature just went down to 15 degrees after I shut it off for 5 minutes. I guess having all my fans on full power cooled it off pretty good. Unless if it's from setting my TJMAX to a lower temperature. I'm starting to wonder if my heat sensors are correct.

[LiNuX]

100 Degrees is a bit much for a CPU, and heat sensors are never a 100% accurate, but I have no idea what the margin of error would be. A few years ago I had a GPU that almost hit 150 degrees when the fan failed in the middle of a game of L4D. It almost melted because even after the game, I was setting effects on my screen for the next 2-3 days before I decided to send it in for a replacement.

So I don't really know if it actually hit 150 or the sensors just got overwhelmed when the fan failed.

[Trunks]

wow lol, that's crazy, I'm surprised that it'll run properly in that heat.

I have a couple more question and I think I'll be set. I decided to just lay down some extra money for a new case. I'm siding with the Antec 900 V3: Newegg.com - Antec Nine Hundred Two V3 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Gaming Case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129097)

It says it has two USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0 but reading recent reviews, they upgraded it and made it three USB 3.0's. My motherboard being all old and stuff is only compatible with USB 2.0. So will I still be able to use the USB devices on the case or will I need some type of converter, I've never seen any USB 3.0 to know if they sit the fame on the motherboard. I know USB was compatible with USB 2.0, because my current case has two USB 1 plugs, and they're currently working in USB 2 slots.


My last question is about the fans again. I have two 3 pin fan connecters on my motherboard ( from the picture, it seems that the fans don't use the 3 pin connecter) And two IDE power cords on my PSU which are on the same wire. Am I going to have a lot of trouble wiring all my fans neatly? Should I buy some type of Sata to IDE converter or some extensions, so I can wire all the fans properly. From one of the picutres, I see I'll be able to hook up two of them quite easily, but the exhaust fan and the top fan are too far away and I'd have stretch the wires clear across the case.

Actually by looking at the pictures, it looks like I would be able to route the wireds, around the motherboard so it doesn't look too messy. Might just have to get creative with it, but the cords look long enough. So nvm lol, I think I answered my own question on this one haha.

[LiNuX]

That I'm not sure, you may have to google that bit. I know that USB 2.0 runs on 3.0 but I don't know if it works the other way around.

It's probably because I've been writing papers all weekend but I have no idea what you asked about the fans lol, sorry. Are you talking about the long IDE connections or the 4-pin peripheral connections?

I actually have spare converters for my fan, 3-pin to 4-pin peripheral because my mobo doesn't have the room for them. So you could look into getting that so you can connect directly to the PSU rather than Motherboard, allowing more mobility, they're pretty inexpensive, I bought a set of 5 from eBay earlier this year and they run fine.

If I was completely off, I'll have to get back to you after I've gotten all my papers out of the way.

[Trunks]

Yeah, google isn't telling me crap, going to have to do some more searching about the USB thing.

I mean this : http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1e/Molex_male_connector.jpg/320px-Molex_male_connector.jpg which google is telling me that it's a molex?

Yeah I kind of rambled on about that lol. I didn't know what they were called, I just knew the ribbon cable was an IDE so I always called them the same thing basically lol. From the looks, the case has four fans with a 3 pin connecter for each that goes into the motherboard. So I'll need some adapters to change them into the 4 pin plug. It also looks like I'll need some SATA adapters as well considering I only have two of the 4 pin plugs on my power supply.


My life right now lol, I use to think I knew a lot about computers until I decided to build my own PC lol.

Again thanks for all the help, really makes things a lot simpler, I'll donate 20 or 30 dollars to the forum or something as payment after Christmas and everything.


EDIT:

Reading more reviews, I found the answer to the USB issue, once you get some free time if you could explain exactly what he means, that would be very helpful lol. He said:

First off, the case I got was different than another reviewer described less than 2 weeks ago in the USB port aspect. My case came shipped with 3 USB 3.0 ports on the front and no USB 2.0 ports. While this is a good surprise, it was also bad for me because my motherboard does not support the 20 pin headers. Also, based on that review and Newegg's description, not only did I expect to have 2 USB 2.0 ports, but I expected a pass through USB 3.0 port on the front and not the 20 pin header. My case came with 3 USB 3.0 ports which are fed into two different 20 pin motherboard headers. Antec does not include a 20 pin to 9 pin USB 2.0 adapter so keep that in mind when considering this case and make sure your motherboard supports 20 pin (2 of them) or you get adapters to convert to either USB 2.0 or 20 pin male to USB 3.0 Male and run it to the back ports on your case if you want to ensure you retain 3.0 speeds.


So if I'm understanding this correctly, the case comes with three USB 3.0 slots that have two 20 pin headers. So if I buy two 20 pin female header to a 9 pin male adapter I should be good and I can plug it directly into my motherboard without having to run anything to the back of my case correct? So something like this Corsair Carbide accessory box - Case Parts - Parts (http://www.corsair.com/parts/case-parts/corsair-carbide-granite-accessory-box.html)

Probably just going to buy the case first, figure out what it comes with, then buy what is needed.