narukun Posted March 16, 2012 Posted March 16, 2012 Hey guys, i know, im new here, but i usually read many post. I'm just wondering how my gtx 280 can work at full load without any freeze or crash, i have an Thermaltake 450W with 29AMP Max out on the12v rails. 12v1 14A 12v2 15A My setup is: i3-2100, stock fan 2x4gb cosair DDR3 (1333mhz) Asus P8H61-M LX eVGA SSC2 GTX 280 (1gb) / stock (648gpu/1161memory) 2 HDD (WD 2TB,320gb) 4 USB on use 8cm FAN x2 (4 in total, the power supply have 2) 1920x1080p led monitor. Suposedly, the gtx280 requires 40A (can't find official sources, just forum posts), and I'm pretty sure my current PSU does not meet the 40A mark. Here's my Aida/Everest report, stating the power comsuption. IDLE FULL USE (100% fan, 99%gpu,890mb) AMPERAGE PEAK 59.27A (sorry about that) I ran a few benchmarks and everything seems fine, Windows experiencie, 3DMark Vantage, 3DMark 06 (benchmark), Cinebench GPU/CPU, Passmark, everything. The PSU does not overheat at all. My question is, how can this be? my PSU shouldn't be able to handle it, where is it getting the required power to run? Hope can you help me here guys! Thanks! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stonerboy779 Posted March 16, 2012 Posted March 16, 2012 (edited) Why did you even plug it in if you knew it was supposed to have a 40amp draw? Edit: the 280 has a closer to 25amp (for around 300watts of power) draw when loaded. If I where you I would leave it stock clocked and be reasonable about any CPU overclocks Edited March 16, 2012 by Stonerboy779 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheyCallMeGunny Posted March 16, 2012 Posted March 16, 2012 (edited) Is it just me.. Or do these numbers sound a bit off? My dryer uses 60amps of electricity, and most 60 amp electrical adapters are bought at hardware stores... My vacuum uses 10 amps, and it's more than the typical wal-mart brand.. I'm sorry, but I can't see how a graphics card would use 25-60 amps... Where are you getting these numbers? Or.. Is there something about the measurement of amperage I don't know. Because to me, 60A is 60A.. And your GPU can't use as much electricity a dryer. Edited March 16, 2012 by dragonsdontfly Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stonerboy779 Posted March 16, 2012 Posted March 16, 2012 Is it just me.. Or do these numbers sound a bit off? My dryer uses 60amps of electricity, and most 60 amp electrical adapters are bought at hardware stores... My vacuum uses 10 amps, and it's more than the typical wal-mart brand.. I'm sorry, but I can't see how a graphics card would use 25-60 amps... Do you know what V=IR and P=IV mean? Do you understand why sound systems in cars can have their power supplied by 2AWG wire while the amps in the house could have 16AWG? Current and power are two very different things. 60amps at 110v is 6600watts 60amps at 12v is 720watts A very large difference wouldn't you say? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheyCallMeGunny Posted March 16, 2012 Posted March 16, 2012 (edited) Ah, that I didn't know. So it's based on another factor, not an independent measurement. that explains it. --Guess I need a refresher course. Been 7 years since high school, 3 since college. And been working more in labor since then anyways. Edited March 16, 2012 by dragonsdontfly Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waco Posted March 16, 2012 Posted March 16, 2012 A GTX 280 might use 300 watts (roughly 25 amps) if you ran Furmark on it. In normal gaming it's probably closer to 10-15 amps (120-180 watts). You're pushing your PSU, but you probably won't blow it up unless you try. I can't see your pictures (they're private to your dropbox) but I'm assuming you're using Furmark or something to read the amperage your GPU is using. That's the amperage delivered to the GPU core itself at whatever voltage it is running, it has nothing to do with the amperage that your PSU can deliver at 12 volts. Honestly I'd replace it before it takes out your whole system. You need something with at least 35 amps on the 12v rail to be safe IMHO. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
d6bmg Posted March 16, 2012 Posted March 16, 2012 Replace your PSU before it blows up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ir_cow Posted March 17, 2012 Posted March 17, 2012 (edited) i'm with waco, as long as you don't try to push your GTX 280 it won't blow the psu. under furmark it will draw 300watts. normal max gaming would be about 250 and probably most usage only 150-200watts. edit: i should add that you might want to really consider replacing that PSU. Edited March 17, 2012 by hornybluecow Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyper Posted March 17, 2012 Posted March 17, 2012 A GTX 280 might use 300 watts (roughly 25 amps) if you ran Furmark on it. In normal gaming it's probably closer to 10-15 amps (120-180 watts). You're pushing your PSU, but you probably won't blow it up unless you try. I can't see your pictures (they're private to your dropbox) but I'm assuming you're using Furmark or something to read the amperage your GPU is using. That's the amperage delivered to the GPU core itself at whatever voltage it is running, it has nothing to do with the amperage that your PSU can deliver at 12 volts. Honestly I'd replace it before it takes out your whole system. You need something with at least 35 amps on the 12v rail to be safe IMHO. I'd second this. Also, if/when replaceing your psu look for a psu with a single 12v rail.. no issues with load balencing so you dont over draw one rail. I'm also a fan of over kill when I comes to psu's (if it calls for 450 I get 650, 500 I get a 750 ect.. I prefer the psu to run in it's middle range) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MandoPatriot Posted March 18, 2012 Posted March 18, 2012 Honestly I'd replace it before it takes out your whole system. You need something with at least 35 amps on the 12v rail to be safe IMHO. I also agree with this. It may seem to run fine, but specs for any GTX 280 show a 550W PSU minimum, and you usually want to go above that. Better safe than sorry when it comes to PSUs. If something does happen with the PSU, it can fry parts or even the whole computer. Just better off getting a higher wattage PSU. Hope that helps. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drdeath Posted March 20, 2012 Posted March 20, 2012 A GPU can take more amps than expected on power up A underpowered GPU can cause it to fail Pushing a PSU over 80% can cause PSU failure. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
narukun Posted May 6, 2014 Posted May 6, 2014 (edited) Hi guys! sorry for writting in this very old post. I just want to say that my PSU never blow up and the gtx 280 was fine all the time, I have a GTX 770 right now, no problems using it with my old PSU Thermaltake 450w with 29amp, but I bought an Antec 750w to upgrade and be safe. How is that possible? my PSU is fine today, we should redefine all the gpu power consumption (?) PS: I tried even with a 3570k + gtx 280. Thank you all! Edited May 6, 2014 by narukun Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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