how stringently must this be followed?
If I'm using very little power in my system other than the video card (core i3, no optical drive, laptop HD, etc.) can I get away with using a 550W minimum card with my 450W PSU?
I wouldn't try it. You could fry your mobo. 50W is the most extreme I would recommend, I wouldn't try 100W difference. Just too much of a risk.
Although if you calculate the exact usage, you might be able to work it out. Not sure why you'd pair a high powered GPU with an i3, though. It's going to bottleneck you in certain situations.
you'll be able to use it in most cases, but expect your PSU to eventually go out completely.
that's what happened to me, but i thought my PSU was enough several years ago.
it's always good to get a high-quality PSU with a lots of wattage. even if your needs are 550W, if you can grab one that's like 700W, that means it would only run at 78% capacity.
don't cheap out on them either. cheap PSU's will say like 500W and cost like $20, but that's 500W at peak, while high-quality ones will say 500W for $60 and that 500W isn't its peak at all.
I thought CPU's weren't as important in games anymore, will I be running into problems with an i3 for games like Starcraft, Bioshock Infinite, Mass Effect 3, etc?
Problems running them? Not at all. Problems running them on max detail? The i3 might hurt your performance a bit.
I thought all the detail/visual settings were handled by the video card these days, the CPU is just logic, AI, etc.
the CPU still factors into particle effects, lighting, resolution, object detail and whatever else?
most psu only run at 88% capacity what it listed at...
after a bit of research, it looks like the Nvidia Fermi chips (I was planning on buying a 465 just because of price and great reviews at newegg) use a lot more power than any comparable ATI cards, will be going with the super power efficient 6850. some site that calculates the power requirements of your system says I'll only need about 275 watts with the 6850
now if only I had done some research BEFORE I pulled the trigger on other non-refundable equipment
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