Gateway Parts

Over power protection in computer power supplies?

if a computer power supply has over power protection,short circuit protection and over voltage protection would any computer part be damaged if the computer uses more power than the power supplie`s maximum wattage. e.g a gtx 480 fermi on a 400watts power supply if it boots up but during maximum load like gaming it needs more power than the power supply can give would the power supply shut off the computer preventing damage to other components thanks guys

Public Comments

1. If a computer needs more power than it is getting, it will just shut down. You shouldn't do any damage to your computer. But is there any need for all of that power protection? I just use a surge protector, and its done me well for over 10 years.
2. >e.g a gtx 480 fermi on a 400watts power supply if it boots up but during maximum load like gaming it needs more power than the power supply can give would the power supply shut off If you exceed the power supply's maximum load, 1 of 2 things will happen: > the overload protection kicks in and the power supply gives out silently. In this case your components are safe and you only need to replace the power supply. This is what good power supplies should do. In some cases the PSU should also be unharmed, but it really depends on the quality of the components used in the PSU. > if the power supply is dodgy and has no protection whatsover, it fails dramatically and consequently some parts of your computer will fry. This usually happens to poorly built power supplies.
3. When a system powers up it is turning on and verifying each device as it starts it, once everything is runnig and your OS boots the PSU is running at nominal power. When you engage the Graphics processor on your GPU, ie: play games, the Graphics CPU starts drawing power to accomodate the GPU's requirements. This is when there is a request for more power from the PSU. In yor scenario, the GTX 480 fermi will most definitely shutdown your system because the PSU cannot accomodate the power requirements of your GPU. Here are the spec's for your GPU... Minimum Recommended System Power (W) 600 W - This means that when you are engaging the GPU for playing games, this PSU will be running at 100% load. This is not a good situation for any PSU. By running at 100% load you are increasing the chances of causing the PSU to fail. My rule of thumb is, Factory PSU rating (typ. 250watts) + GPU min. rating, ie. 600watts = 850 watt PSU. This will operate at a 60-80% load for a long time without failing and your GPU will be able to perform at its max. capability. http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_geforce_gtx_480_us.html