SPCR

rpsgc wrote:Hello,

Can anyone tell me if a HD3870 will work with a 420W PSU? (14A+15A)

A64 X2 3800+
HD3870
1 HDD
1 DVDRW


Thanks.

If it is a real 420W PSU, absolutely no problem, your system won't even draw 150W.

MikeC wrote:

rpsgc wrote:Hello,

Can anyone tell me if a HD3870 will work with a 420W PSU? (14A+15A)

A64 X2 3800+
HD3870
1 HDD
1 DVDRW


Thanks.

If it is a real 420W PSU, absolutely no problem, your system won't even draw 150W.

Thanks for the answer!
It's a LC-Power PSU, not the best thing but hardly OEM crap (I think :S)

I've just reread this article. If the HD3870 really is 21dB at 30% fan speed, then it just goes to show how important noise character is - I own a stock cooled HD3870 and a Corsair HX520, rated one higher at 22dB, and the PSU is almost inaudible beneath the GPU at more than 2 feet away.

I'm wondering about powerplay. It doesn't seem to be activated on my card (Powercolor HD3870 SCS3), as GPU-Z still reports full clocks on an idle desktop. Do I need to activate a driver setting? Thanks to the huge heatsink, the card stays very cool at 36°C and in general it doesn't bother me too much, but I paid for the function, so I want to use it.

Any advice?

Cistron wrote:I'm wondering about powerplay. It doesn't seem to be activated on my card (Powercolor HD3870 SCS3), as GPU-Z still reports full clocks on an idle desktop.

CPU-Z doesn't seem to report the current clock speed or at least not for this type of card. I have a vague memory of the program reporting the active clock in an early version but for some reason that had to be "fixed" as if a problem. Check the ATI Overdrive tab instead, in the Catalyst Control Center.

Thanks!

mkk wrote:

Cistron wrote:I'm wondering about powerplay. It doesn't seem to be activated on my card (Powercolor HD3870 SCS3), as GPU-Z still reports full clocks on an idle desktop.

CPU-Z doesn't seem to report the current clock speed or at least not for this type of card. I have a vague memory of the program reporting the active clock in an early version but for some reason that had to be "fixed" as if a problem. Check the ATI Overdrive tab instead, in the Catalyst Control Center.

Ok, it seems to clock down to 300Mhz, but the memory frequency doesn't change. Also, the whole overdrive section is grayed out - is that normal?