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Will the GTX-1060 work with the stock PSU in the Dell-XPS 8900? — dell xps 8900

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nick traianovski

@nickteee

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Posted: Aug 10, 2016

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I am looking to upgrade to the EVGA GTX 1060 (non reference) in my Dell XPS 8900. There seems to be quite controversy over wether or not the PSU can be trusted to suplly the amount of power needed for higher end cards. On Dell’s website it is stated that the PSU supports up to a GTX 980 but I don’t know, based on my research, if I should trust my card with the power supply.

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Eric Viitala

@edesign

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eDesign Electronics

Posted: Aug 10, 2016

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So. ..according to Dell, the XPS 8600 comes with a 460w power supply that will power video up to 225w. The GTX 1060 uses 120w, so you should be fine unless you are running a whole bunch of fans and lights. The PSU supports up to a GTX 980, but the GTX 980 pulls more watts (150w) than the GTX 1060 (120w). I think you will be good.

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Choosing a heavy duty power supply: test results of 12 models

Table of contents

• Introduction
• List of models
• Pre-selection
• List of Blocks Prequalified
• Final selection
• Comparison with 850 W models
• Conclusion

Introduction

We continue to sum up the intermediate results of mass testing of power supplies. Before you is the final material of this cycle, so I propose to start it in an unusual way — with general discussions about the PSU power required for various systems. This is a good opportunity to present the scope of current heavy duty contributors and to systematize previous reviews. nine0023

First, let’s determine the typical load level provided by high-performance video cards — these are the main consumers in a modern gaming system. To do this, you can refer to one of the reviews of my colleague, who uses high-precision equipment to monitor the power supplied through the PCI-e connector on the motherboard and along the 12 V lines of the power supply.

Many mid-range graphics cards that are suitable for a fairly comfortable game in Full HD resolution today consume less than 150 watts. Their power supply requirements are very low. What about more powerful solutions? Under intense gaming load, the popular GeForce GTX 970 / GTX 980 consume 170-190 watts, and the most voracious GeForce GTX Titan (Black / X) — up to 260-270 watts. The range for productive AMD accelerators is approximately the same — from 170 W (Radeon R9 380) to 230-245 W (Radeon Fury X / R9 390). The maximum overclock, suitable for everyday use, increases the power consumption of any of the models by approximately 60-120 watts.

In most cases, it is enough to leave about 100-120 W for the processor and other equipment. Even if we are talking about a serious modern overclocked CPU, 200 watts of power can only be obtained when all cores are fully loaded in a stress test. Applications that create a significant combined load (video card plus processor) are 99% of the games, and they still actively use only one or two CPU cores. The typical level of processor consumption in this mode does not exceed 50-70 W.

Thus, as we have already noted more than once in our reviews, a high-quality 500-watt block is more than enough for almost any system with a single video card. Moreover, for PCs with mid-range accelerators (real consumption up to 200 W), we can recommend a lower power PSU — 400-450 W (especially if the owners are not going to overclock). The only pity is that among them there are many simple office models that are simply not intended for use as part of a gaming system (lack of necessary connectors, a weak 12 V line). And truly high-quality PSUs of this group cost the same as running «five hundred». nine0023

A practical example: a test system with a hot Radeon HD 6970 (and this is another 40 nm process technology, TDP — 250 W, at the level of modern flagships) and a quad-core processor with a typical gaming load very rarely exceeds 250 W. So, a 300-watt unit would be enough for her. And this is actually the case: with certain limitations, the stand successfully worked from a similar power supply when testing low-power solutions (300-350 W).

With two Radeon HD 6970 graphics cards in particularly demanding games, you can get ~450-470 W, but even to reach 500 W you have to use stress tests. A significant overclocking of video cards with an increase in voltage adds about 150-200 watts more. And here we come to the topic of multi-GPU systems. nine0023

recommendations

According to experts, the total number of computers using SLI/CrossFire technologies in 2015 was about 300,000. exceeds 1% of the total number of gaming PCs. Suffice it to recall that there are more than 125 million active accounts in the Steam service alone. Of course, these are very rough approximations, but they are enough to represent the situation on the market. nine0023

What kind of PSU does this conditional one percent of users need? Let’s go back to the values ​​above. A pair of powerful accelerators without serious overclocking consumes no more than 400 W (we are talking about models of the GeForce GTX 980 level), but if you take the most extreme option (something like a pair of GeForce GTX Titan X with overclocking), you can really get to 700 W. Moreover, it should be taken into account that due to the imperfection of the work of Multi-GPU technologies and (in some cases) excessive performance, the load on cards working in pairs is usually slightly lower than on single ones. This leads to a reduction in energy consumption. nine0023

Dual-processor accelerators (probably the most common use of SLI/CrossFire technologies today) consume slightly less bundles of a similar class. The main reasons are the limited capabilities of the cooling and power systems of a single video card. For example, here are the results of Nvidia GTX Titan Z (~400W) and AMD Radeon R9 295X2 (~500W). Here it is necessary to take into account the very limited overclocking potential of such solutions.

Thus, for mid-level SLI/Crossfire bundles and dual-processor accelerators, power supplies up to 700 W can be considered the best choice. With proper system planning and the use of «cold» video cards (for example, GeForce GTX 970) can be limited even to 600-650 watts. The most voracious bundles may require the use of an 850 W PSU, but the “kilowatt” remains unclaimed in this case too.

Finally, let’s look at rare cases in which the potential of a super-powerful PSU can be fully unlocked. The maximum consumption of video cards, which I managed to find in recent laboratory materials, is 1050 watts. The exotic configuration of two dual-processor AMD Radeon R9 295X2 managed to «eat» so much. Nvidia accelerators working in 3-SLI can also come close to this result. Finally, the last option that we can’t ignore is extreme overclocking using low temperatures (component consumption often increases in such modes). Needless to say, all these scenarios are exceptionally rare, even taking into account the fact that we have already gone deep into the wilds of the “1%”. nine0023

Thus, sales of «kilowatt» (and even more powerful) units should be extremely low. However, in reality, a lot of such solutions are being implemented — just look at dozens of offers on Yandex Market: such models are sold even by small stores that count every penny and will not be associated with a product that is difficult to find a buyer.

Consequently, psychological moments again come to the fore: a distorted idea of ​​the required power and the desire to purchase a power source “with a margin”. If for a mediocre gaming system that even a 350-watt unit will pull out, it is “accepted” to buy a 600-watt one, why not get a 1200-watt one for a bunch of a pair of GeForce GTX 980 or Radeon R9 390X?

With our mass methodology, which is oriented towards practical tests (using a real system instead of a «refined» load bench), it is not possible to achieve a load level of 1000 watts. And such data will be of interest to very few readers — how often does someone seriously plan to build a system with several GPUs (in any configuration)? The maximum bench with two flagship-level accelerators is ~800 W. At the same time, to obtain such modes, you have to use very serious overclocking with an increase in voltage and simultaneously load both video cards and all processor cores with stress tests. nine0023

Given these limitations, the task of the new review is reduced to two points.

• Finding out the real capabilities of the blocks and comparing them with each other at available load levels (up to 800 W). Taking into account the most frequent scenarios for the use of such power supplies, it is these data that are of the greatest interest;
• Comparison of heavy-duty units with the best participants of the previous review — 850-watt models, which are the most powerful devices, and their purchase is justified for most users. Here we can finally clarify the issue of purchasing a PSU with a margin. nine0006

The rest of the selection is made according to already familiar rules.

1. At the first stage (large section «Preliminary selection») the main task is to eliminate the most «weak» (uncompetitive) devices. Consistently from the general list will be excluded:

• Models that do not meet our actual power requirements;
• Models that do not provide the proper (defined by the ATX standard) quality of voltage stabilization; nine0006
• Noise non-compliant models (really noisy units not suitable for everyday use).

It should be noted that in the material below there are a lot of references to our methodology for mass testing power supplies. Before reading, we strongly recommend that you familiarize yourself with it. The general scheme remained unchanged, although testing of heavy-duty PSUs made some adjustments to the process, which will be discussed below. So let’s get started. nine0023

List of models

Here is the complete list of tested models in alphabetical order. In all cases, links to detailed reviews are provided.

• Chieftec GPM-1000C;
• Chieftec GPM-1250C;
• Corsair RM1000;
• Corsair RM1000i;
• Cougar GX 1050W;
• Enhance EPS-1710GA4;
• EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 G1;
• EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 G2;
• EVGA SuperNOVA 1200 P2; nine0006
• Fractal Design Newton R3 1000W;
• Lepa B1000-MB;
• OCZ FTY1000W.

Nine of the fourteen units are in the 1000 W category. The Cougar GX 1050W has slightly more power (1050 W), but for the price and the actual load capacity of the 12 V line, it can be ranked in the same group. Two solutions represent a class of ultra-powerful devices — these are EVGA SuperNOVA 1200 P2 (1200 W) and Chieftec GPM-1250C (1250 W).

Most of the comparators are 80 Plus Gold certified: Chieftec GPM-1000C, Chieftec GPM-1250C, Corsair RM1000, Corsair RM1000i, Cougar GX 1050W, EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 G1, EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 G2 and OCZ FTY1000W. Two more blocks — EVGA SuperNOVA 1200 P2 and Fractal Design Newton R3 1000W — «platinum» flagships. But only one model belongs to the middle class — Lepa B1000-MB (80 Plus Bronze). This is not surprising: if you quickly “scroll” the market, it is obvious that among ultra-high-power models there are noticeably more “gold” and “platinum” solutions than middle-class devices. nine0023

At first glance, there is a paradox, but in reality everything is logical. Even in the previous summary testing of 700-850 W units, it was noted that only relatively expensive devices show high results. And all models that can be classified as middle class suffer from a sharp drop in performance when switching to high-load modes. This is a very noticeable difference between the older power groups (over 700 W) and the younger ones (300-600 W), where there are many worthy PSUs with the 80 Plus/80 Plus Bronze certificate. nine0023

In case of insufficient efficiency, the heat dissipation in severe modes of powerful models is very high, which leads to a regular deterioration in performance and a significant increase in noise level. There is only one “salvation” here — the 80 Plus Gold certificate, and even better — Platinum. And even more important is the efficiency level for “kilowatts”: a ten percent difference between “bronze” and “gold” for such blocks can result in an extra 100 W of heat dissipation.

Pre-selection

This time the pre-selection will be short, without division into separate stages. The reason is simple — the class of all participants is very high, and the load of 800 W is not the limit for them. As a result, almost all models meet the mandatory requirements of the methodology; there are no data that need detailed analysis. However, there are some interesting points worth noting.

So, not a single unit was excluded from the list due to insufficient power characteristics. Let me remind you that we usually filter out PSUs that cannot cope with a load that is 100 W less than the declared rating (for example, any high-quality «six hundred», in our opinion, should easily cope with a real load of 500 W). This approach allows not to reduce the list too much, but at the same time cut off the weakest blocks that do not correspond well to the declared power category. nine0023

In this case, all models coped with the maximum load for our stand of 800 W. The expected result, because there are simply no «weak» PSUs in the list — just look at the table showing the ratio of the load capacity of the 12 V line and the declared power.

nine0135

99.6

Name	Declared load capacity lines 12 V, W	nine0128 The ratio of the power of the 12 V line and the declared rating of the unit,%
Chieftec GPM-1250C	1248	99. 8
EVGA SuperNOVA 1200 P2	1198	99.9
Cougar GX 1050W	1020	97.1
Corsair RM1000	1000	one hundred
Corsair RM1000i	1000	one hundred
Chieftec GPM-1000C	999.6	~100
EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 G2	999. 6	~100
Enhance EPS-1710GA4	996	nine9.6
EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 G1	996	99.6
Lepa B1000-MB	996	99.6
OCZ FTY1000W	996
Fractal Design Newton R3 1000W	960	96

In all cases the figure is very close to 100%. Only the Fractal Design Newton R3 1000W stands out from the general list of “kilowatt” power supplies, lagging behind other models by about 40 watts.

An interesting result, because in other power groups the spread is much larger (figures start from 80%, for example, for a 500-watt PSU, the power of the 12 V line is often 420-460 W). nine0023

Let’s move on to the next stage of selection. Here we consider the quality of stabilization, «catching» blocks that do not meet the requirements of the ATX standard in this parameter. Let me remind you that the voltage deviation at maximum load should not exceed 5% (there are some nuances here, but in this case they are not important). Thus, the allowable voltage spread on the main line of 12 V (it is subject to the greatest drawdowns) is from 11.4 to 12.6 V. Let’s see how the contestants performed at a load of 800 W. nine0023

None of the blocks even came close to the thresholds. However, the voltage on the 12 V line for the OCZ FTY1000W and Cougar GX 1050W models sank below 11.8 V (deviation ~ 2%), which, by the standards of our methodology, is interpreted as a sufficient, but no longer “ideal” result. The Enhance EPS-1710GA4 and Corsair RM1000 performed slightly better. There is no crime here, but you need to take into account that drawdowns can become larger at maximum load. For such high-quality «gold» blocks of high power, these are not the best indicators. nine0023

Now let’s see how things are with the noise level at the same load — 800 watts.

Everything is more interesting here — two blocks did not meet the mandatory standard of 50 dB. The «bronze» Lepa B1000-MB, as expected, does not cope well with a significant load. Increased heat dissipation (the downside of low efficiency) requires a significant increase in fan speed. nine0023

Quite unexpectedly, another unit dropped out of the race — the «platinum» flagship EVGA SuperNOVA 1200 P2 (one of the most expensive models on our list). Of course, the result is «on the verge» — only 51 dB. But from a device of such a high class, operating at partial load, we can expect more. Evidently, EVGA’s designers were too careful when setting the fan speed. Also, if you look at the graph in the SuperNOVA review, you can see a steady upward trend in rotational speed. And this means that with a greater load, the noise level will continue to rise. nine0023

Considering the high level of competition (proximity of results) and the fact that all devices operate at partial load, the selection conditions can be tightened. Once again I will give a standard description of the subjective perception of various noise levels.

• Up to 42 dB — the block is almost inaudible, such a PSU is suitable even for a very quiet system;
• 43-46 dB — quiet operation, although the PSU will be slightly noticeable against the background of the system unit with the most “strangled” fans; nine0006
• 46-49 dB — generally acceptable noise level, the block is clearly audible, but the vast majority of users will be satisfied with this indicator;
• 50-55 dB — unsatisfactory values, the noise of the PSU is clearly visible and will annoy many users.

Let’s not go too far and leave only completely «silent» models in the list. Let’s take a compromise value of 46 dB — it is after this mark that the block becomes clearly audible. This selection excludes the EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 G2, Cougar GX 1050W and OCZ FTY1000W from our list. Separately, I note that the OCZ FTY1000W and Cougar GX 1050W simultaneously showed the weakest results in the test for the quality of stabilization. Thus, these BPs definitely could not compete for high places in the overall standings. nine0023

So, the Cougar GX 1050W, EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 G2, EVGA SuperNOVA 1200 P2, Lepa B1000-MB and OCZ FTY1000W drop out of the comparison.

Subscribe to our channel in Yandex.Zen or telegram channel @overclockers_news — these are convenient ways to follow new materials on the site. With pictures, extended descriptions and no ads.

How to choose a power supply

Characteristics of power supplies (quality, connectors), best manufacturers, how to calculate the power of a power supply depending on the rest of the computer components. nine0023

The power supply is designed to supply electrical current to all computer components. It must be powerful enough and have a small margin for the computer to work stably. In addition, the power supply must be of high quality, since the life of all computer components greatly depends on it. If you save $10-20 on buying a high-quality power supply, you risk losing a system unit worth $200-1000.

Contents

Contents

• 1. Recommended models
• 2. Power supply or chassis with power supply?
• 3. What distinguishes a good power supply from a bad one
• 4. Power supply manufacturers
• 5. Power supply capacity
  • 5.1. Power supply calculation
  • 5.2. PSU Wattage Calculation Software
• 6. ATX Standard
• 7. Wattage Correction
• 8. 80 PLUS Certificate
• 9. Fan Size
• 10. Power supply connectors
• 11. Modular power supplies
• 12. Setting up filters in the online store
• 13. Links

1. Recommended models

For those who do not have time to read the entire article I immediately give the recommended power supply models with a brief explanation.

The power of the power supply is selected based on the power of the computer, which mainly depends on the power consumption of the processor and video card. You also need the power supply to be at least 80 Plus Standard certified. Optimal in terms of price / quality ratio are Chieftec, Zalman and Thermaltake power supplies. nine0023

For an office computer (documents, internet), a 400 W power supply is enough, take the cheapest Chieftec or Zalman, you can’t go wrong.
Power supply Zalman LE II-ZM400

For a multimedia computer (movies, simple games) and an entry-level gaming computer (Core i3 or Ryzen 3 + GTX 1050 Ti), the most inexpensive 500-550 W power supply from the same Chieftec is suitable or Zalman, it will have a margin in case a more powerful video card is installed.
Chieftec GPE-500S 9 Power Supply0067

For a mid-range gaming PC (Core i5 or Ryzen 5 + GTX 1060/1070 or RTX 2060), a 600-650 W power supply from Chieftec is suitable, if there is an 80 Plus Bronze certificate, then good.
Power Supply Chieftec GPE-600S

Gold.
Chieftec CPS-650S 9 power supply0067

If you want to understand why I recommend these particular models, to understand all the parameters of power supplies, then read the article further.

You can download the program for calculating the required power of the power supply in the «Links» section.

2. Power supply or chassis with power supply?

If you are building a professional or powerful gaming computer, it is recommended to choose the power supply separately. If we are talking about an office or regular home computer, then you can save money and buy a good case complete with a power supply, which will be discussed in the next article. nine0023

3.

What is the difference between a good power supply and a bad one? Such power supplies have bad heatsinks and a lot of unsoldered elements and jumpers on the board.

Capacitors and chokes should be placed in these places to smooth out voltage ripples. It is because of these ripples that the premature failure of the motherboard, video card, hard drive and other computer components occurs. In addition, such power supplies often have small heatsinks, which cause overheating and failure of the power supply itself. nine0023

A high-quality power supply has a minimum of unsoldered elements and larger radiators, which can be seen from the mounting density.

4. Manufacturers of power supplies

Some of the best power supplies are manufactured by SeaSonic, but their really worthwhile models are too expensive, and cheaper ones are inferior to analogues from other brands in terms of price / power ratio.

The same applies to the Corsair brand — expensive PSUs are of high quality and quiet, while cheap PSUs are exactly the opposite (the filling is rather weak, the fans are not of the best quality). nine0023

The power supplies of the German brand be queit! proved to be of rather high quality, now the price for them is relatively affordable. They are excellent in every way, if possible — take it without hesitation.

Such a once popular manufacturer as Cooler Master is no longer in demand, there are few standing models left in the assortment. Its place was taken by the Zalman enthusiast brand, where you can find interesting solutions in both the middle and lower price ranges. But their most budgetary models have a rather weak filling. nine0023

Thermaltake and Chieftec power supplies are among the best in terms of price / quality ratio. Yes, there is a marriage among them, but in general, PSUs are good for their price, especially Chieftec, which have earned high popularity with good reliability. This is the number one recommendation of our site for budget users.

FSP has been known on the market for a long time, producing power supplies under various brands under an OEM license, as well as under its own brands FSP and Qdion. But cheap FSPs often have short wires and few connectors, and good ones are too expensive. This is perhaps the most overrated brand on the market, now not representing anything interesting. As for the budget Qdions, we recommend avoiding them — these are very weak and unreliable PSUs, more for cheap office PCs. It’s better to take the most budgetary HIPER. nine0023

Approximately on the same level with the latter and in the opinion of many the worst are AeroCool power supplies of the budget VX series, they most often burn, taking other components with them. The exception is the unfairly underestimated KCAS series, the quality of which is perhaps the best for its price.

A well-established manufacturer of coolers DeepCool is getting close to them. If you do not want to overpay for an expensive brand, but still get a quality power supply, pay attention to this brand. They are simple on the outside but well made on the inside. nine0023

Of those brands that are known in narrower circles, one can note very high-quality and expensive Enermax, Fractal Design, Lepa, but there are not so many of them in retail, and there are few who want to overpay so much. But we cannot recommend the PSU of the famous German brand Cougar, there are too many complaints about them in terms of reliability and noise.

5. Power supply capacity

Power is the main characteristic of the power supply. The power of the power supply is calculated as the sum of the power of all computer components + 30% (for peak loads). nine0023

For an office computer, a minimum power supply of 400 watts is sufficient. For a multimedia computer (movies, simple games), it is better to take a 500-550 watt power supply, in case you later want to install a video card. For a gaming computer with one video card, it is desirable to install a power supply with a capacity of 600-650 watts. A powerful gaming PC with multiple graphics cards may require a power supply of 750 watts or more.

5.1. Power supply calculation

You can independently calculate the power of the power supply you need based on how much each element of your computer consumes.

• Processor 25-220 Watts (check the website of the seller or manufacturer)
• Video card 50-300 watts (check the website of the seller or manufacturer)
• Mainboard entry-end 50 watts, mid-range 75 watts, high-end 100 watts
• Hard Drive 12 Watt
• SSD 5W
• DVD drive 35 Watt
• Memory module 3 W
• Fan 6 Watt

Do not forget to add 30% to the sum of the capacities of all components, this will protect you from unpleasant situations.

5.2. Program for calculating the power of the power supply

For a more convenient calculation of the power of the power supply, there is an excellent program «Power Supply Calculator». It also allows you to calculate the required capacity of an uninterruptible power supply (UPS or UPS). nine0023

The program works on all versions of Windows with «Microsoft .NET Framework» version 3.5 or higher installed, which is usually already installed by most users. Download the program «Power Supply Calculator» and if you need «Microsoft .NET Framework» you can at the end of the article in the «Links» section.

6. ATX standard

Modern power supplies are standard ATX12V. This standard may have several versions. Modern power supplies are manufactured according to the ATX12V 2.3, 2.31, 2.4 standards, which are recommended for purchase. nine0023

7. Power Correction

Modern power supplies have a power correction function (PFC), which allows them to consume less energy and cool less. There is a passive (PPFC) and an active (APFC) power correction scheme. The efficiency of power supplies with passive power correction reaches 70-75%, with active — 80-95%. I recommend purchasing power supplies with active power correction (APFC).

8. 80 PLUS certified

A quality power supply must be 80 PLUS certified. These certificates come in different levels. nine0023

• Certified, Standard — entry-level power supplies
• Bronze, Silver —

mid-range power supplies

• Gold — high class power supplies
• Platinum, Titanium — top power supplies

The higher the certificate level, the higher the quality of voltage stabilization and other parameters of the power supply. For a mid-range office, multimedia or gaming computer, a regular certificate is sufficient. For a powerful gaming or professional computer, it is advisable to take a power supply with a bronze or silver certificate. For a computer with several powerful video cards — gold or platinum. nine0023

9. Fan size

Some power supplies still have an 80mm fan.

A modern power supply should have a 120mm or 140mm fan.

I recommend purchasing a power supply unit with a 120 mm fan, as it makes less noise, cools better and is easy to find a replacement in case of failure.

10. Power supply connectors

	ATX (24-pin) — motherboard power connector. All power supplies have 1 such connector. nine0134
	CPU (4-pin) — CPU power connector. All power supplies have 1 or 2 of these connectors. Some motherboards have 2 processor power connectors, but can work from one.
	SATA (15-pin) — power connector for hard drives and optical drives. It is desirable that the power supply has several separate cables with such connectors, since it will be problematic to connect a hard drive and an optical drive with one cable. Since there can be 2-3 connectors on one cable, the power supply must have 4-6 such connectors. nine0134
	PCI-E (6 + 2-pin) — video card power connector. Powerful graphics cards require 2 of these connectors. To install two video cards, you need 4 of these connectors.
	Molex (4-pin) — power connector for obsolete hard drives, optical drives and some other devices. In principle, it is not required if you do not have such devices, but it is still present in many power supplies. Sometimes this connector can supply voltage to the backlight of the case, fans, expansion cards. nine0134
	Floppy (4-pin) — drive power connector. Very outdated, but it can still be found in power supplies. Sometimes some controllers (adapters) are powered by it.

Specify the configuration of power supply connectors on the website of the seller or manufacturer.

11. Modular PSUs

Modular PSUs can be detached to keep cables out of the way. This is convenient, but such power supplies are somewhat more expensive.