Antec Sonata PSU will be enough?

[Heeter]

Hi Guys,

This is a rig that I am putting together for a friend:

AMD3700+
Asus A8N32SLI Premium Cool-pipe AMD64/64FX/64x2 939 Mobo
2 x 1024 Corsair TwinX
2 x Raptors 36Gig(RAID0)
2 x Maxtors 300Gigs(RAID1)
2 x Optical Drives
2 x eVGA 6800GT in SLI

Wondering if the 450Smartpower 2.0 PSU that comes in an Antec SonataII will be enough to power the whole setup, even under gaming conditions. That is the tower he wants me to use.

Thanks in advance,

Heeter

 

[ming]

You might be pushing it a bit with the SLi set up. I'm pretty sure the PSU would handle 1 GFX card and the HDs fine. But there are different opinions as to how much power the 6800 GFX cards consume. Some say 73W and others say 135W.

 

[Heeter]

Thanks Ming.

I cannot find a good answer to what the 6800's consume. I read varying amounts on differents as well. Wish I locate a good source for this info.

Heeter

 

[kcnychief]

I googled quickly on that card, and found that the minimum power requirements for the card alone was a 300w card. Judging your power requirements for all other devices, I would recommend a quality manufactured 500-550W PSU.

Obiously money is of no object to this person, and that is a place you don't want to go cheap.

 

[American Zombie]

eXtreme PSU Calculator is good to use even if overclocking.

Another one but not as up to date: Power Supply Calculator

 

[ming]

eXtreme PSU Calculator is good to use even if overclocking.

Another one but not as up to date: Power Supply Calculator

There's something strange about the calculations in the first link. Correct me if i'm wrong, but if 1 6800GT consumes 73W (according to the site), how can 2 cards consume 235W?

 

[Heeter]

Yeah, That doesn't make sense,

I talked to the new owner of this machine, we have decided to keep the SonataII tower but remove the 450Watter and I'll be dropping in an Enermax 520Watter.

I told him that maybe I could it somewhere's else.

Heeter

 

[kcnychief]

I think going with a 520W is definitely a good decsion.

Power drives the whole system, and underpowered devices don't perform to their peak

 

[omg its nlm]

Thats going to be one nice setup.

 

[LeeJend]

Too late but. No way on a 450W Smart Power. That PSU doesn't even have SLI connectors let alone SLI certification. Smart Power is the "Quiet, budget" line from Antec. Not for performance machines.

Where did you find a 520W Enermax? There is nothing on their site or in web searches?

The following Enermax are SLI Certified:
http://www.enermaxusa.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=71
http://www.enermaxusa.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=67

Considering the rocking system you are putting together I'd go with the 550W. With 2 6800GT's sound is not going to be an issue, lol.