What graphic cards can the Seasonic 430 handle?

[Isy]

I want to know what graphic cards the Seasonic 430 can handle. I intend to use the 7600gt which I know should be OK. I then want to replace this card in the future. I was wondering what cards above the 7600 could run safely using this PSU.

[kalniel]

Any.

[Steve B]

expertly descriptive there kalniel

yeah, i think the seasonics are quite efficient so i'd say any of the current generation graphics cards would be able to handle it too (obviously not dual 7950 GX2's though) but i dont think thats an option any time soon

[kalniel]

Well you could just squeeze dual GX2s in depending on other components. A Core 2 Duo extreme with quad sli only peaked at 420W consumption.

[Isy]

I read in the spcr review for the seasonic 430 that it doesn't have a 6pin connector for power hungry graphic cards. I assumed this would limit the graphic card selection. From what I read, there was a certain amount of power given to the graphic card from the psu (likewise, a certain amount given to the cpu & other components).
Is there any more info anyone can provide to help me understand how all this works.

[Steve B]

every component in your system eats up watts of power. the rating of 430W on that seasonic means that it can dish out 430 watts of power, theoretically. Realistically, the supplies are not 100% efficient, therefore, some wattage will be lost. if all your system components add up to draw less than this, your system will run fine, otherwise it just wont start.

if you have a really good graphics card, these generally tend to draw more power than a crap graphics card, due to the increased computation

[dave87]

every component in your system eats up watts of power. the rating of 430W on that seasonic means that it can dish out 430 watts of power, theoretically. Realistically, the supplies are not 100% efficient, therefore, some wattage will be lost. if all your system components add up to draw less than this, your system will run fine, otherwise it just wont start.

if you have a really good graphics card, these generally tend to draw more power than a crap graphics card, due to the increased computation

Nearly right, the inefficiency means though it will produce 430w, it will draw more than 430w from the mains. This means you will get the full 430W, just have an increased electricity bill. Therefore if you have a energy efficient cpu that takes, say 80W, you'll have 350w for other things. This includes motherboard, fans, hard disks, DVD drives and the like, but crucially, also graphics cards

[mallett]

as far as im aware the s12 430 now does have a PEG connector, i think they added one on a revision or something, but i could be yapping out of my arse...

*EDIT* just checked the site and all the s12 series have PCI-E 6pin connections with the 500 and 600 having 2, so the gfx is very upgradable........

[kalniel]

If it's an older PSU you can still get a molex->PCIE connector anyway.

[Isy]

Thanks to all that have participated.

You have really made my day.