First, my PC specs:
- Intel Core i5-2400
- Intel motherboard
- 4 GB DDR3 RAM
- 2 SATA-2 7200 RPM HDD
- 1 DVD Writer
- Thermaltake 500W PSU (70% efficiency)
I'm planning to buy a graphics card soon. My preference highly goes to GeForce 560/Radeon HD 6870. Their minimum recommended power supply is 450W and 500 W respectively.
As soon as I buy the new card, I'm planning to run a stress test. I haven't decided which software to run, but Furmark comes to my mind.
I'm as curious as afraid to run stress test. I've heard both good and bad against stress testing hardware. Specifically, I don't want to damage my hardware, yet I want to test if the PSU can serve up the PC good enough as I will be gaming ~10 hours every holiday.
What's the possibility of damaging hardware from stress test? How long should I run stress test? What software should I use?