is 500watts enough?
 

Hi guys

I'm just creating this thread to ask..

Is my Novatech PowerStation 500watt Power Supply packing enough of a punch when it comes to my hardware?

I've had mixed opinions on this Power Supply, some say its not strong enough, some say it will do fine.

I've taken a look inside the power supply and it looks fairly decent, not no cheaped out Bestec hardware lol

So yeah,

If 500watts isn't enough, I'm thinking about upgrading to a 750watt.. but of course, i dont want to blow £100+ if I don't have to

Many thanks,
OC-Guru

I wouldn't go any less or add another GPU but 500W is fine for what you have. I think Novatechs are rebranded OCZs, so there shouldn't be any concerns with reliability.

I also say that it's enough.

Many of the Nova's are (IIRC and dont quote me on this) made by the ChiCom mfg'er "Sirfa" (think "High Power" an actual sub of Sirfa, Sirtech, some Geil, some OCZ, some kingwin, some low end Enermax...and a crapton of others). Not exactly what I would classify as tier 1 but some of their kit is decent. Wouldnt be my first...or 5th choice but probably not crap either.

500 should be enough, but it is on the edge. Id do it IF it was Seasonic or other Tier 1 PSU...but it is on the edge of what I would personally be comfortable with. As the caps age they dont handle the same juice as they used to be OK with. So in 3-4 years what is on the edge may cause the magic smoke to escape. :P

Thanks for all the feedback guys, can you recommend me something from novatech.co.uk I should consider upgrading to?

I've been told by a few people that the Novatech PSU is fine, but yeah, I will take any suggestions for an upgrade

Thanks again,
OC-Guru

Its enough, but as noted above only just. If you want some longevity from your power supply with room to grow, then grab a 650w seasonic, antec, corsair, or xfx.

I guess it is there housebrand from that website? (like newegg does with Rosewill).
Not too much information I can dig, though if it is Sirfia , something else would always be welcome.

From looking at the site, I would say if you wanted to keep within a budget the XFX Core edition or Corsair Builder Series 600+ variety.

-ST

yup right on the edge i wouldn't even oc with tat psu to be on the safe side i always try and go 100 to 250 watts over to allow for any upgrades i may want

I will consider replacing my power supply, something like a Seasonic X-650 should do nicely, I've always been a big fan on Seasonic PSU's.. my GFs rig has a seasonic ss-600ht 600watt, I was considering switching the PSUs, but I don't think her PSU has a CPU 8pin connector.. i think the 8pin is for GPU's or something? (yellow and black cables coming from connector) also her PSU isn't modular at all. :/ all cables and no management


It's been stable at 4.4Ghz for a while now?

Antec-Seasonic-XFX-Corsair are good choices

Antec makes the Neo Eco lineup which are made by Seasonic, they are not super expensive but are overall great power supplies for thier price points.

A good 550w power supply can handle any current single card config out there, 650/750 def up the headroom to most dual card configs.