The best GPU for 500Watt PSU

AMDhardcore

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I'm looking for the best GPU that can run with a 500 WATT Power supply. AMD Radeon chip preferred. strictly for gaming. Best mean, good value and performance and not the most expensive one. Any recommendations?
 
If it's only powering the graphics card then it's not a factor. Even the most power hundred cards don't get within 100W of that.

If it's powering the entire system then it's impossible to say as it'll depend on how much power that needs.

Generally the best value GPUs at the moment are the R7 260X 2GB (~£80), R9 285 (~£130) and the GTX 970/R9 290X (~£250).
 
Thanks for your feedback. I only have a Motherboard, CPU, DVD drive, 3.5" HDD SATA and a GPU which connects to a 500W PSU. I'm thinking a R9 270x. But it's big and long. Also I'm afraid my PSU won't be powerful enough for that GPU.

I just measured the space inside my PC casing (mid tower). I can only get a GPU with 8" of length. So it limits the type of GPU I can install inside my PC.
 
I wouldn't bother with the 270X if you're in the UK. They're overpriced at the moment, there's quite a big drop in performance from the not much more expensive 285.

A CPU can consume anything from 10W (low power focused model) up to 300W (heavily overvolted FX series) so it'll depend on what components you have. GPUs also vary widely so if you're keeping your current one instead of replacing it then that could have a big impact.

500W is a lot of power though and the typical mid-range system these days only uses about 75-150W so assuming your CPU isn't heavily overclocked and you're replacing your existing card you should be good for any card within the length limit.

203mm isn't that long, but there is a fashion for mini/compact editions (sometimes advertised as ITX editions, but they're not single slot coolers) that are 170-180mm long. You can definitely get GTX 970s and R9 285s that fit, although I'm not sure if any 290/290X cards come in under that length.
 
if you're rocking an intel cpu, and NOT overclocking, they're gonna draw max 100w (95, ok..). cd, hdd, mobo, etc dont draw much at all..

video card, most of the power hungry ones are in the 250-300 watt range. You CAN power most single card systems with a 500, but I tend to prefer a bit of overhead. In general, you should be able to power any card you can cram in there.. "should".

depending on how much performance you need.. it might be worth looking at last years cards or even a few years old cards. If you take the r270 vs. say a hd6970 (came out in 2012), there isnt much performance difference but the hd6970 would be 1/2 the cost. In crysis at 2560x1600 4xAA, the 6970 is a full 4.3 fps slower... so you do lose some performance, but not much. The HD7970 actually out performs the r270x, and can be found for approximately the same price new.
 
Order a r9 380 from amazon. That should be your best bet now when the 300 series are up for pre-order.
 

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