How much wattage do I need for my new rig?

Lippy

Baseband Member
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Hey guys, I was planning to build a new gaming rig this summer and was wondering what kind of power supply I would need.

Here are the specs:

Intel Core i7-950 Processor
EVGA GeForce GTX 460 1024MB Video Card
Corsair XMS3 Dominator 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 1866MHz RAM
Western Digital Caviar Blue (WD10EALS) 1000GB (1TB) SATAII 7200RPM 32MB (OEM) Hard Drive
EVGA 141-BL-E757-TR EVGA X58 SLI LE Mothboard
Asus PCE-N13 PCI-Express Wireless Adapter 300MPS 802.11B/G/N Wireless Adapter
Antec 900 Gaming Case

Would a thermaltake 500W power supply be able to support this?

Also If I plan to SLI 2 EVGA GeForce GTX 460 1024MB Video Cards how many watts would I need?

Any help would be appreciated and thanks in advance! :)
 
You should be more concerned about Amps than watts. Sure, watts are pretty important, but not having enough amps can cause some problems.

You're going to need at least 450w to run the single card alone, plus 24 amps on the +12V rail you hook up to it. (http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=152946) (http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=153983)

For your setup, I'd recommend at least 700w, and maybe 30 to 40 amps on the +12V rails. If you get a new PSU with a single 12V rail, anything between 40 and 50 amps will suffice.. I'm giving a high estimate on the single +12V to allow room for the SLI..

Some recommendations
Newegg.com - CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply - Corsair Enthusiast Series TX750. 750W, 60A on a single rail. $119.99. This would be perfect, and Corsair is a very reliable brand PSU.

Newegg.com - XFX Core Edition PRO750W (P1-750S-CAB9) 750W ATX12V v2.2 & ESP12V v2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - XFX CoreEdition Pro750W. 750W, 62A on a single rail. $109.99. Personally, I'd go with this one, it has even more amps than the Corsair, but is $10 dollars cheaper. Plus it also has SLI certification, unlike the Corsair.

Some of the other guys on here may call me crazy for my suggestions, some may agree with me. All I can truly recommend is that you do a lot of research before you go into building a hardcore gaming rig.

I personally try to leave as much room as possible with the PSU, to allow for more upgrades in the future. PSU's are generally cheap compared to other parts, so I feel it's best to get a really good one from the start, that way you aren't switching it out every few months.
 
If I decide to switch into a single gtx 480 how much wattage would I need? How much wattage would I need If I decide to overclock the 480? Or does that not make a difference?

Intel Core i7-950 Processor
Zotac GeForce GTX 480 Video Card
Corsair XMS3 Dominator 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 1866MHz RAM
Western Digital Caviar Blue (WD10EALS) 1000GB (1TB) SATAII 7200RPM 32MB (OEM) Hard Drive
EVGA 141-BL-E757-TR EVGA X58 SLI LE Mothboard
Asus PCE-N13 PCI-Express Wireless Adapter 300MPS 802.11B/G/N Wireless Adapter
Antec 900 Gaming Case

Cheers!
 
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