I am "fighting" with potential vendors over what size power
supply is required for our new systems.
Here is the current spec:
- Intel Xeon W3570 (3.2 GHz)
- 12Gb DDR3 1333 MHz ram ECC (6 DIMMS)
- nVidia FX1800 Video Card
- 300 GB, 10,000 RPM HD
Xi says I need minimum 750W (850W would be preferred)
Dell says 525W is enough
How big of a power supply is required?
We work on large assemblies and do a lot Simulation as well.
Any thoughts?
Here is the current spec:
- Intel Xeon W3570 (3.2 GHz)
- 12Gb DDR3 1333 MHz ram ECC (6 DIMMS)
- nVidia FX1800 Video Card
- 300 GB, 10,000 RPM HD
Xi says I need minimum 750W (850W would be preferred)
Dell says 525W is enough
How big of a power supply is required?
We work on large assemblies and do a lot Simulation as well.
Any thoughts?
I would trust XI more than Dell. Also have you looked at the price difference from a 525W to 750W or 850W? I be the difference is going to be $50-$100. I would way rather have to much power available than loosing hours of work from a computer crash because I saved $50 on the hardware.
Lorne
From your post it would appear that you have a one socket mainboard and will only have one quad core processor. The main power consumption is:
W3570 130 watts
FX1800 59 watts
WD 300 GB 6 watts
subtotal 195 watts
I would tend to agree with Dell if you have a one socket MB. If you have a two socket board, I would want 750 watts minimum.
I build a home computer that estimated to something around 525w. I bought 750...
Vista Home Prem - 64bit
C2Q Q8200 - Quad core Wolfdale
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX
GIGABYTE GV-R485OC-1GH Radeon HD 4850 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 :-)
8GB - Patriot DDR2-800
Extra Hi Flow Case fans
3 - SATA2 7200rpm HDD's (80, 250, 500)
Corsair 750W PSU
Zalman 9700 CPU cooler
750GB - External HDD (USB)
Memory Card Reader
Cooler Master Centurian 534+ Case (incl fans in case, and connection ports)
I may also have extra USB's on an add-on card. I don't remember.
Brother 2070n Laser printer
Don't forget many UPS units have USB connectors for system monitoring, that gets powered too.
PSU tests: Here
Routinely test PSU's for the "enthusiast" market. They literally pull the cases open and inspect the circuit layout, the manufacturer (quite often not the same as the brand name on the enclosure), and verify the "80 Plus" claims that you see today.
They conduct a measured load test, at 25, 50, 75, and 100% of rated capacity levels at 120v and 100v to simulate brownout conditions, at room temp, and in torture test 8 hours at 45c running at 80% rated capacity. They measure voltage noise, quality, and exhaust temps.
They are really quite thorough.
Thanks for the great link to hardocp.com. When I built my computer about 12 months ago I could have used it. I was more concerned about "quiet" than everything else, except for mainboard compatibility. I ended up with a Power PC and Cooling Silencer 750, which after reading the review, turns out that it isn't considered to be particularily quiet. But it was at least quieter than my old unit.
Russ, if you do a lot of simulation you should consider a dual socket mainboard. Maybe with one processor now and upgrade to second processor in future. Then I would definitely recommend the larger power supply. Personally, I think Xi's justification based upon efficiency is weak because the power supply efficiency pales in comparison to a processor that draws 130 watts. I downgraded mine to an E5440 which is only 80 watts.
A good PSU can and will maintain 80+% efficiency even at 100% capacity no problem. Many can maintain 80+% capacity for 8 hours @45c (113F).