GTX260 PSU and Hear Concerns

[lallous]

Hello Everyone,

I've been a long time lurker on these forums and today I decided to register and write my first post .

I just received my Asus GTX260 video card. I am so amazed by its performance. I tried Company of Heroes and GRID so far. (I will be trying other games very soon ofcourse)

I am concerned with a couple of issues to start with:

1)I bought a Thermaltake PSU which I suddenly realised that it only offers around 33A on its 12v rails. Will this cause problems or stability issues or is it enough.
My hardware specs are as follows:
Q6600 @ 2.4Ghz ( No overclock)
4GB Kingston DDR2-800Mhz
Asus P5Q Motherboard
500GB Seagate HDD
+ the vga.

2)What are the maximum temperatures the GTX260 should reach. While I was in COH, I realised that it was somehow very hot. I couldn't get exact temps.

3)What software/tool do you recommend for monitoring the VGA temps. Does Nvidia have some tool? I am already using SpeedFan.


Thank you all for any help,

[LitHiuM]

1: I will let someone more knowledgable answer more expertly - It may be OK.
2: 80-90c under load is acceptable. Much higher and there is a problem.
3: Riva Tuner is what I use. But HWMonitor shows GPU temps also.

Get Riva Tuner here and HWMonitor here.

Hope this helps

[Revs]

1. Not sure what the amp draw of the 260 is. What model is your PSU?
2. My cards crash when temps get over 80*C, but that's with them overclocked. I would say up to 70*C is as high as you'd want them to be getting. With the fans set at 55%, mine don't go passed 60*C and idle at 40*C ish.
3. I use Everest for monitoring all temps.

[lallous]

PSU: http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Produc...2&ID=1536#Tab1
VGA: http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?mo...=6&l3=720&l4=0

I just need to know if I have to replace my PSU or not.

Thank You

[hemmy]

I see 2 12v rails, 14A and 15A, not sure where you got 33A

Combinded amperage is in the 20s it looks like to me

Originally Posted by Revs

1. Not sure what the amp draw of the 260 is. What model is your PSU?
2. My cards crash when temps get over 80*C, but that's with them overclocked. I would say up to 70*C is as high as you'd want them to be getting. With the fans set at 55%, mine don't go passed 60*C and idle at 40*C ish.
3. I use Everest for monitoring all temps.

No, yours are the exception, they should NOT crash at 80C, and that is probably the overclock not being stable, not the heat.

80-90C is fine under load as lithium said

[john19055]

You are pushing it if you have not had any lock-ups or game frezzes then you are lucky ,because the new desighn og the GTX260 needs a lot of power to be stable ,plus the more you overclock your Q6600 the better frame rate you will get .You should be able to get 3gigs out of that Q6600 with little problems and you will notice a increase in games .Make it easy on your self and just get a Thermaltake ToughPower 450watt express .It will silde in a unused DVD slot and it is just used for the cards power ,it adds 37amps to your system and you want have any problems.You can overclock without any worries.Some say it will blow hot air in your case ,but it does'nt even get warm.The best thing about it ,is that it is just $69.99 and it adds 37 amps to the 12 rail.It actually has enough power to run two GTX260's in SLI.I have seen people use it with two GTX280's in SLI and it worked fine.

[lallous]

I will be replacing my PSU with one of those:

http://www.thermaltake.com/product/P...0163/w0163.asp

http://www.thermaltake.com/product/P...0117/w0117.asp

[MUFC4EVER]

lallous go with the 750w psu. I've got the thermaltake toughpower 700w and it runs everything on my system with no problem.

IMHO I think 550w is a little low tbh and you might encounter problems. I also have good airflow in the case and additional fans and it all runs very cool. My GTX260 gets into the 70's under load and that includes an overclocked Q6600.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

[john19055]

These vga power supplies work great,The 450watt put out 37amps ,but if you need a new power supply then Thermaltake makes some goods ones.
http://www.thermaltake.com/product/P...0157/w0157.asp

[rage10]

Extream psu calculator pro seems to say your in the green. 371 max wattage, 24.3 amps on the 12v rail, 11.4 on the 5v rail and 7amps on the 3v rail.

[lallous]

Originally Posted by MUFC4EVER

lallous go with the 750w psu. I've got the thermaltake toughpower 700w and it runs everything on my system with no problem.

IMHO I think 550w is a little low tbh and you might encounter problems. I also have good airflow in the case and additional fans and it all runs very cool. My GTX260 gets into the 70's under load and that includes an overclocked Q6600.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

Yeah I ordered the 750W , I'll be doing some slight CPU OCing.
Can you link me to some guide that can provide me with some info on OCing my Q6600. I'm sure google can give me many but I prefer one that you trust. I don't want to push it too much. I'm looking for something around 2.8Ghz or so.

My CPU is idling at around 38-40 degrees on my Thermaltake Cooler.

Thanks for your help.

Originally Posted by rage10

Extream psu calculator pro seems to say your in the green. 371 max wattage, 24.3 amps on the 12v rail, 11.4 on the 5v rail and 7amps on the 3v rail.

I am not sure how valid those can be because Nvidia recommends at least 36A on the 12V rails.

Originally Posted by john19055

These vga power supplies work great,The 450watt put out 37amps ,but if you need a new power supply then Thermaltake makes some goods ones.
http://www.thermaltake.com/product/P...0157/w0157.asp

Unfortunately those are not found here

[LitHiuM]

Originally Posted by lallous

Can you link me to some guide that can provide me with some info on OCing my Q6600. I'm sure google can give me many but I prefer one that you trust. I don't want to push it too much. I'm looking for something around 2.8Ghz or so.

Try this link for overclocking the 6600.

Good luck, and enjoy!