by CharlesBronson on Tue Feb 02, 2010 5:59 pm
Actualy, it is not advised to base your Wattage requirement on the overall wattage of a PSU. Graphics cards mostly use the +12v lines so you can disregard everything else in the process of choosing a apropriate PSU. For example, a HD4850 usualy consumes 245W (80W from the PCIex slot and the rest from the PCIex connector) and all of it comes from the +12v line so if you get a 500W PSU that comes with two 16A +12v lines, and if the combined amperage of these lines is around 30A, you should be fine because you'll have a combined wattage of +12v lines of 360Watts (30A x 12v) which you'll leave 115W for the processor, HDD, Ram, etc (unless you are NADES and have like 8 HDDs poping out from your case). However, you should always buy something that supports at least 20% more than you already have to leave some room for improvements.