Do I have to get a new powersupply for a graphics card?

[yoda313]

I think I have a 200watt powersupply on my emachine tower. I recently bought a replacement NVIDIA fx5500 after my radeon 9250 bit the dust. The Nvidia says it requires at least 250watts power.

Am I risking another meltdown on the card??? Or is it ok to have it slightly underpowered?? I haven't had any strange problems and I've had it installed for a couple of weeks now.

Also, how can I tell how high a motherboard can handle in terms of power supplies??? How high to go?? Is it hard to swap them out yourself???

[Soopafresh]

Calculate how powerful of a power supply you need:

http://journeysystems.com/power_supply_calculator.php


Installing a replacement is pretty easy, but it also depends on how much physical room you have inside the case.

I doubt an Nvidia 5500 is going to place a lot of pull on your system...

[yoda313]

Thanks for the link soopafresh.



Looks like I should think about more power after all. I'm not sure what my celeron 2.66 actually is called but i chose a close power range and it's suggesting 320 watts.

I'll have to look this weekend to see what type of motherboard and case I have. Is 400 watts commonly available? Do they go for less than $40?? Also, what about adding an additional fan? Its the summer months now and I'm leaving my pc on in the afternoons to record DS9 now that I have cable in the same room with my desktop. Would the extra internal ventilation be a good thing? Fans aren't more than $10 for basics right? Or are they pricier??[/img]

[redwudz]

400W is probably a good choice, especially if you want to get a $40US PS. Look for a name brand though.

Case fans should easily run less than $10US each. Check to see if the case mounts are there. Most cases use a 80MM case fan, either with a 3 pin MB connector or a 4 pin Molex that can use a PS connector. A front intake fan and a rear exhaust would be a good combination. If you don't like noise, both in the PS and the case fans, check for a lower RPM fan, ~2000 RPM. A 4500-5000 RPM fan can be irritating.

[Prot]

I fried a power supply and a hard drive because the video card I installed overtasked the PS. Looking back I was lucky I didn't fry anything else.
Make sure you do not overload yours, or headaches and misery will follow.
I would get at least a 400. Better to have more power than you need, than not enough.

[winifreid]

If you are in the US, NewEgg.com is a good place to get PSUs. I just ordered one (430 w) for $40 - $10 rebate. My old 350 popped a capacitor - nasty. You might see if the fan in your old PSU can be used as a case fan. Both of my case fans came from my old PSUs.

[mujahid7ia]

If you are in the US, NewEgg.com is a good place to get PSUs. I just ordered one (430 w) for $40 - $10 rebate. My old 350 popped a capacitor - nasty. You might see if the fan in your old PSU can be used as a case fan. Both of my case fans came from my old PSUs.

Is that that Thermaltake one??

Yoda313, I would recommend an Antec or PC Power and Cooling PSU (or maybe Enermax) because when those brands say "x watts", they mean it, unlike all the cheap generic PSUs.

[MJA]

pc power and cooling $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Brand=9830&N=2000320058+50009830&Submit=...nufactory=9830

I been using a 450 rosewill PS since last year not bad at all .cheap and quite

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Order=PRICE&Page=1&N=50002177+2000320058...nufactory=2177

[winifreid]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817153023

[dwill123]

I've heard good things about both Rosewill and Thermaltake. But that said spend the extra twenty dollars and get you a good Antec TRUEPOWER PSU. Nothing beats piece of mind.

[winifreid]

It looks like the reviews for the antec and themmaltake are similair except the thermaltake has 1500 vs about 24 for the Antec. Really just indicates the Thermaltake has been around longer or is more popular. The differeence is actually $35 after the rebate and free shipping, plus the thermaltake is little more powerfull. I have only had mine for a day. But is has nice cables and is quiet.

[budz]

It looks like the reviews for the antec and themmaltake are similair except the thermaltake has 1500 vs about 24 for the Antec. Really just indicates the Thermaltake has been around longer or is more popular.

Are you talking about reviews for the antec and thermaltake? I'd also agree on getting a ANTEC POWER SUPPLY. Get a ANTEC TRUE POWER 430 watt or 480 watt. You won't be disappointed!

[Faustus]

Either get an Antec or Enermax or something that is nice and heavy.