We can't explain the universe, just describe it; and we don't know whether our theories are true, we just know they're not wrong. >Harald Lesch
I'm considering buying a GTX 980Ti, now that prices dropped that much. However I'm using a 5 year old
Antec HCG-520 and the PSU calculator tells me I need 560W (40W short):
Do I risk overloading / prematurely burning it? Or is that particular model sturdy enough to endure even longer gaming sessions?
IMO, the 1070 should be bought over the 980ti, especially since power draw is an issue here. Given the age and rating of the PSU, I wouldn't overdraw from it either. I could be wrong, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.
None.
It does seem like you're cutting it kinda close. Let me know your current GPU so I can give a proper recommendation.
We can't explain the universe, just describe it; and we don't know whether our theories are true, we just know they're not wrong. >Harald Lesch
ATI 6870 the first 2 years, AMD 7870 XT since then.
IMO, the 1070 should be bought over the 980ti, especially since power draw is an issue here. Given the age and rating of the PSU, I wouldn't overdraw from it either. I could be wrong, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.
Performance wise, definitely, but it's more expensive. And the whole point of the thread is finding our whether it's safe. If it's not, I won't do it.
I'd be more concerned about the age of the PSU. They should be built to a standard where 20% overage is fine, but for an older unit I wouldn't expect such headroom as a matter of course.
Also consider that it would only be a problem while the card is actually under load - depending on how often and for how long you play games, and how hot the room is, that may be a fairly large mitigating factor.
None.
We can't explain the universe, just describe it; and we don't know whether our theories are true, we just know they're not wrong. >Harald Lesch
I'd be more concerned about the age of the PSU. They should be built to a standard where 20% overage is fine, but for an older unit I wouldn't expect such headroom as a matter of course.
My thoughts exactly.
Also consider that it would only be a problem while the card is actually under load
Yeah, but not much sense in doing a GPU upgrade when I can't fire up games afterwards.
for how long you play games, and how hot the room is, that may be a fairly large mitigating factor.
Gotta consider worst case of course. I would estimate that to be 40°C and 12 hours straight with breaks only a couple of minutes long.
All of the responses seem to confirm my suspicions that using the old PSU would not be a safe thing to do.
Thanks for the input everyone.
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You may not care, but I always try to wait for bundle deals before I buy a new graphics card:
http://www.geforce.com/whats-new/tag/bundlesThat way you get a free game as well.
Nothing will ever beat this deal though:
http://www.geforce.com/whats-new/articles/batman-arkham-knight-the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-nvidia-geforce-gtx-bundleHonestly anyone who bought those GPUs at that time got an absolute bargain with that bundle.