As many clients often question the capabilities of 'low' power 400~500W PSU to run their systems, we have put together a configuration to demonstrate the new PSU model's capabilities. The test system is based on Intel Core 2 Duo processor overclocked to 3Ghz with a pair of Inno3D 8800GTS in SLI mode.

Important Note: Although all the following PSU demonstrate their capability to run such a configuration at full load for at least 30 minutes, we cannot officially recommend such usage. This is because nVidia's official recommendation for single 8800GTX is at least a 450W PSU. In addition, constant loading of any electrical or electronic component at close to full capacity will quickly shorten the reliable lifespan of the components. Hence for 8800GTS/GTX SLI configuration, our official recommendation is at least a 550W PSU such as the Seasonic S12-550, S12-600 or S12-650/M12-700 if overclocking is intended.

Due to limited time available for testing and tweaking, the processor could only be clocked to 3Ghz stably at default BIOS settings. Checking with a 700W PSU confirmed that it was not due to any PSU limitations.

Actual digital multimeter readings are included in the screenshots in the Notepad application because the onboard readings are highly misleading for +12V readings.

Verudium Power VortexHE V-500VA-HE at Idle

Verudium Power VortexHE V-500VA-HE after 30 minutes at full load

Verudium Power-XT V-480XT at Idle

Verudium Power-XT V-480XT after 30 minutes at full load

Seasonic S12-430 at Idle

Seasonic S12-430 after 30 minutes at full load