This reminds me of the article that I saw quite a while back where "hardwaregeeks/some similar site" went and tested how much power a high end system actually needed. I think the recommended PSU for the system needed to be something like at least a 550W but after thoroughly testing the system ended up using a maximum of 350-390W under load. If someone can actually find the article and linky me to it because I would love to read it again.
My point here being that a GOOD PSU even with a low-ish power rating can suffice for a system more often than we like to think.
Found it.
First Page
Conclusion
High-End Gaming PC 1
Next goes a top-end and expensive gaming system based on Intel’s newest processor Core i7.
* Processor: Intel Core i7-920 (2.66GHz)
* Mainboard: Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD3R (iX58 chipset)
* System memory: 3x1GB Samsung (PC3-10666, 1333MHz, CL9)
* Hard disk drive: 1000GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000333AS
* Graphics card: PCI-E 896MB Leadtek WinFast GTX 260 Extreme+ W02G0686
* Optical drive: DVD±RW Optiarc AD-7201S
* System case: IN-WIN IW-J614TA F430 (550W)
If you ask at a hardware forum about the power consumption requirements of this configuration, you will most likely be advised to get a 750W power supply at the very least. Will the 500W PSU cope? Let’s see.
High-End Gaming PC 2
The most serious gaming station is the same as in the previous section but the graphics card is replaced with a dual-chip ASUS ENGTX295 (i.e. GeForce GTX 295). Here is the full configuration:
* Processor: Intel Core i7-920 (2.66GHz)
* Mainboard: Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD3R (iX58 chipset)
* System memory: 3x1GB Samsung (PC3-10666, 1333MHz, CL9)
* Hard disk drive: 1000GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000333AS
* Graphics card: PCI-E 1792MB ASUS ENGTX295/2DI
* Optical drive: DVD±RW Optiarc AD-7201S
* System case: IN-WIN IW-J614TA F430 (550W)
I installed Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (32-bit) and necessary drivers on the PC.
Interesting
