I'm buying a new nVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT 512MB video card and i would like some recommendations on what power supply would be suitable yet cheap for this card. Please mention the prices and links if possible.
Thanks in advance.
- Carlos|||Most 9800GT cards have a requirement of a 400 watt power supply with a dedicated 6-pin power connector. That 400W requirement (like all card requirements printed on the box) refers to what your WHOLE SYSTEM should have to run the card safely. It does NOT mean the card alone requires 400W, it doesn't. There's no need to "do the math" for other components. 400 watts is enough for the average system with a dual or quad core CPU running at stock speed, with a single hard drive, 4gb of RAM and single DVD/CD drive, and the 9800GT installed.
Some newer "green" or energy-efficient editions of the 9800GT officially require a 350W power supply, and many of those cards draw all power directly from the PCI-E slot without any need for the dedicated power cable. Some of those 9800GT cards don't even have the 6-pin port on the card because it's not needed any more.
The manufacturer's published requirements are typically a bit higher than what's actually needed for most computers (they allow some leeway for people with multiple hard drives, who overclock their CPUs or have extra case fans or lighting- things which push total system power draw above average).
I have to ask, why are you buying a 9800GT? It's still a decent entry-level gaming card but nowadays it's very outdated. The 9800GT was Nvidia's mainstay for 4 years, but GeForce cards have advanced 3 generations since the 9000 series.
These days the Radeon HD 5670 is the most popular alternative to the 9800GT- it's not quite as fast but it's a newer design that supports DirectX 11. It also runs cooler and costs less. You can get a Radeon HD 5670 for about $70 now.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as…
If you've got about $100 to spend, the GeForce GTS 250 is a better choice- it's a generation newer than the 9800GT, although still old by today's standards. In fact the GTS 250 is simply the 9800GTX+ renamed. Anyway it's faster- approximately equal to the Radeon HD 4850. The main drawback to the GTS 250 is that it requires more power- a 450W psu is the minimum for that card.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as…
The newer GeForce GTS 450 is better still, approximately equivalent to the Radeon HD 5750. The GTS 450 also supports DirectX 11, which the 9800GT and GTS 250 don't. And the GTS 450 only requires a 400W power supply with a single 6-pin connector, just like the original 9800GT.
That's technological advancement for you- better performance and improved energy efficiency.
Here are some GTS 450 cards (look at those rebates):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as…
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as…
500W power supplies only cost a little more, so buying one is recommended- that gives you room for future upgrades. But for the 9800GT or GTS 450, a decent 400-430W power supply is enough.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as…
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as…
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as…
Performance:
http://www.techspot.com/review/240-ati-r…|||530w should do just fine. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as…
500w minimum for the 9800GT, but i recommend a little higher than that. This PSU was as cheap and good as you can find, 40 dollars.
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