I just found an old PC setup that includes an i5-11600K processor paired with a Z490 motherboard, 16GB of DDR4 RAM at 3000MHz, and an RTX 2080 Super graphics card. However, it's missing both storage and a CPU cooler. I have the option to grab a 500W power supply from a friend for free, but I'm concerned that with the i5 drawing around 150W and the GPU hitting up to 250W, this might be cutting it too close. Do you think I should look for a higher wattage power supply instead?
6 Answers
I had a similar setup with a 4770K overclocked at 4.5 GHz and an undervolted 2080 Ti on a 450W Superflower. It worked fine, but it might depend on your actual usage.
The 2080 Super does need quite a bit of power, so I would suggest going for a bigger PSU. Good power supplies can last a long time, so maybe consider getting a 750W or 850W for your next few builds. By the way, is that 500W PSU the standard one that comes with the case? If so, it might not be the best choice anyway.
It really depends on the PSU's quality. You can check out a site like PCPartPicker to build your PC with components and see the estimated wattage. Then multiply that by 1.2 to find your minimum required PSU.
I ran a 12700F with a 7800 XT off a 550W PSU for quite a while without any issues, so you could probably make it work too.
A little undervolting can really help reduce the power draw by more than 50W, which could save you in this situation. Just make sure to check the quality of the PSU you're considering.
Your motherboard will draw around 70W, so you could be okay if you're not using RGB components or heavy storage setups like RAID 10. But still, it's pretty close.
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