I've recently upgraded many parts of my PC and I'm thinking about sticking with some old components. Here's what I have: a Ryzen 7 5700X3D CPU, a Radeon RX 6700 XT GPU, a Pro B650S motherboard, an Arctic III 360mm cooler, G.Skill Flare 6000 RAM, and a Mushkin RAW 2TB SSD. I initially planned to use my Corsair CX450 Bronze power supply, but when I checked on PCPartPicker, it estimates I need around 520 watts. I'm worried that running underpowered may cause my system to crash or blue screen. Should I buy a new power supply now, or can I get away with using the old one for a little while? Has anyone had experience running with a weaker PSU and not faced major issues?
5 Answers
For your rig, a good rule of thumb is to take your maximum power draw, multiply by 125%, and then round up to the nearest standard PSU size. If your system draws about 450W, you should be looking at at least a 600W PSU. It provides headroom for future upgrades and longevity, plus staying within the efficiency ratings is key!
Yeah, it's best not to play around with PSUs. A lot can go wrong if they fail, and you don't want to risk frying your system over this. I'd ditch the Arctic III cooler, too. That cash is better spent on the right motherboard and PSU!
Honestly, just buy a new PSU. I'd suggest getting an RM850x or something with extra headroom for future upgrades. That way, you won't be stuck worrying about power limits—I've had great luck with mine!
Dude, 450W is definitely not enough! Also, you need to be careful because the CPU and motherboard are incompatible; the 5700X3D is AM4 and you're using an AM5 board. Better swap out that board and get a PSU that's rated higher to avoid potential issues.
I had a feeling something was off with that combo!
You're definitely running too low on wattage. For the setup you've got, AMD recommends at least a 650W PSU to play it safe. Although a 600W might work fine, I'd recommend not risking it and just grab a decent PSU now. If you undervolt or try to limit performance, sure, it might handle it, but that’s a lot of hassle!
That sounds like a solid plan!