Best graphics card for a 400W, +12V 18 amp PSU

[veedubfreak]

get a 4850, and before you say anything. read this
SYSTEM DRAW, not the card.
Power Consumption - Tom's Hardware : ATI Radeon HD 4850: Smarter by Design?

Also, edit posts if no one else has posted. Don't bump.

 

[NightSurge]

I would say for your PSU, the 4670 is about the best you'll find.

 

[Hussein19891]

The only reason the 4670 is recommended more then the 3850 would have to be because like 90% of the time its able to run on your current PSU. Unlike the 3850, 9600 GSO's, and other more powerful cards. Which usually require a PSU upgrade to use.

 

[jmoussa87]

The 4670 is about the same performance as the 3850 but has lower power consumption.

Really, are you positively sure? Check out this power consumption table i found from here. The Truth About Graphics Power Requirements V2 - Graphic Hardware - Forums - www.atomicmpc.com.au I'm pretty sure it is accurate as everything is cross referenced from articles.

HD4870 X2____________##########¦)#####################}| 88W-262W !
HD4870 ______________########¦)¦]######| 65W-80W-130W ²
HD4850 X2____________############################}| 230W %
HD4850 OC____________#######¦)########}' 64W-133W § (800/1250)
HD4850 ______________#####¦)#¦]#####}| 41W-61W-110W ²
HD4670 ______________#¦)######}| 10W-70W %
HD4650 ______________#¦)######## 10W-80W %
HD4470 ______________#¦)####| 10W-50W %
HD4450 ______________#¦)#}| 10W-30W %

HD3870 X2____________#######¦)¦]#############|' 58W-66W-171W ²
HD3870 ______________##¦)¦]######' 19W-25W-81W ²
HD3850 X3____________###################} 156W §
HD3850 X2____________######¦)###########' 54W-145W §
HD3850 ______________#¦)¦]####}|' 14W-20W-63W ²
HD3690 ______________##¦)###}' 21W-51W §
HD3650 ______________#¦)###| 12W-42W ² (512MB)
HD3650 ______________##¦)###}' 19W-53W § (256MB)
HD3470 ______________#### 32W
HD3450 ______________##¦)#} 18W-36W §

The 4670 actually uses more power than the older 3850 according to this power consumption chart. Note, i am also replying to a similar thread i created about a new GPU which you recommended the 4670 over the 3850.
jmoussa87 is online now Report Post Edit/Delete Message

 

[jmoussa87]

get a 4850, and before you say anything. read this
SYSTEM DRAW, not the card.
Power Consumption - Tom's Hardware : ATI Radeon HD 4850: Smarter by Design?

Also, edit posts if no one else has posted. Don't bump.

Ok, so total system draw of the card was relatively lower with the hd4850 but I don't think that is a good measurement as it still consumes up to 110W on peak load, more than the preceding Ati cards, including the Nvidia ones i mentioned.
Although it is very power efficient it is still a hefty latest-gen cards and eats up the wattage/amps. I don't think it would be wise to put a 4850 in my system with the current PSU.


ATI Radeon HD 4850 System Requirements

* PCI Express® based PC is required with one X16 lane graphics slot available on the motherboard
* 450 Watt or greater power supply with 75 Watt 6-pin PCI Express® power connector recommended (550 Watt and two 6-pin connectors for ATI CrossFireX™ technology in dual mode)
* Certified power supplies are recommended. Refer to Certified Power Supplies for a list of Certified products
* Minimum 1GB of system memory
* Installation software requires CD-ROM drive
* DVD playback requires DVD drive
* Blu-rayâ„¢ playback requires Blu-ray drive
* For a complete ATI CrossFireXâ„¢ system, a second ATI Radeonâ„¢ HD 4850 graphics card, an ATI CrossFireX Ready motherboard and one ATI CrossFireX Bridge Interconnect cable per graphics card (included) are required