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How many watts would I need for this system?

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Processor AMD Phenom II X4 840 @ 3.2GHz x 4 cores Motherboard Asus M5A78L LE AMD 760G AM3+ Motherboard RAM 4GB (1x4GB) Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1600MHz RAM Graphics ATi Radeon ...show more
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  • Matt answered 3 years ago
500 watts would be good because it allows for some headroom for upgrades in the future, like the video card and CPU, but please see my first link in the source and fill in your system specs to confirm. I only recommend buying Seasonic, Corsair, and Antec power supplies; they're consistently reliable.

I have a couple things to mention first though.

Processor: The Phenom II x4 840 is really only an Athlon II x4. If you look at the specs, there is no L3 cache that all Phenoms have -- whoops! AMD's marketing division would love you for buying one though. The Phenom II x4 925 is a faster CPU and a "true" Phenom.

Motherboard: This board only supports up to 95 Watt processors. If you want to upgrade the processor in the future to a 125 Watt CPU (Phenom II x4 965 or x6 1090T for example) you won't be able to. Also, overclocking will be very limited due to the very low VRM transistor count: 8 as opposed to up to 16 and more in other systems.

RAM: You need to install RAM in matched pairs, or else it will run in a slower mode called Single Channel. Make sure that if you get 4GB RAM, you install two 2GB sticks for maximum Dual Channel performance. It's very noticeable and desktop computers all run in pairs of two.

Graphics card: The Radeon 6450 is very slow and designed only for watching movies and playing old games, see link 2 in my source. "AMD's new HD 6450 can not offer enough performance beyond the most basic gaming at 1024x768. Whether you play DX8 or DX11 at 10 FPS makes no difference, it simply is unplayable." For games, you'll need something more along the lines of a Radeon 6670 or GeForce GTS 450. Other cards: Radeon HD 5770, HD 6790, GeForce GTX 460, GTX 550.

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Asker's rating & comment

5 out of 5
Thanks!
I'll go with a 550watts, and thanks for the extra info!
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  • Rhyled answered 3 years ago
    A modern 400W power supply is more than enough for that system. You're combining a 95W processor with a 19W video card, so your system will pull at most 200W maxed out. More power never hurt, more than 100% spare capacity is a waste.

    The Radeon HD 6450 is a very weak graphics card which can only handle the least demanding games. If you're not a gamer, the built in Radeon HD 3000 is probably enough to handle YouTube level playback. If you are a gamer, you'll want a better graphics card and that 500+W power supply.

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  • C-Man answered 3 years ago
    The biggest power draw item is the graphics card, and the Radoen HD 6450 is a very low-end card designed for everyday work and watching movies, not for gaming. You could easily run that system on a 300 watt power supply.

    With a 400 watt power supply you'd have enough for $100ish cards like the Raden HD 6670 and GeForce GTS 450. With a good 500 watt power supply you could run a Radeon HD 5770, 6770, 6790 or 6850.

    The quality of your power supply is important- a 430W power supply from a good brand like Antec or Corsair is better than a 500W power supply from a cheap brand like Logisys, Diablotek, Coolmax or Broadway Com.
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  • Matt answered 3 years ago
    Here is a good power supply calculator to help out. It's always good to have a +100-200 watt overhead for expansion and to put less stress on the power supply.

    http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psuca...

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  • Shahab answered 3 years ago
    450 W or 500 W should be Ok.
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  • Saurabh answered 3 years ago
    a 400W psu willl be more than enough for that configuration....if u plan to upgrade ur conf. in the future having more powerful graphics card , processor then go for 500W psu...peace

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  • Binary_Finary answered 3 years ago
    350w psu.


    Power supply Guide ...


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  • peter answered 3 years ago
    500 watt would do:
    http://www.amd.com/UK/PRODUCTS/DESKTOP/G...

    The radeon hd 6450 is small performance for the money, a hd 5670 would be better.

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  • Nicholas DiGiorgio answered 3 years ago
    700 watts to compensate for any fluctuations in performance.
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  • How many watts would I need for this system?
    Processor
    AMD Phenom II X4 840 @ 3.2GHz x 4 cores

    Motherboard
    Asus M5A78L LE AMD 760G AM3+ Motherboard

    RAM
    4GB (1x4GB) Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1600MHz RAM

    Graphics
    ATi Radeon HD 6450 1GB

    Hard drive
    1TB sata II 7200RPM hard drive

    500watt?
    600watt to safe?

    Thanks
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