Graphics Cards and PSU

markaz

Power User
Have a 250W PSU and CANNOT put in anything larger....it's an HP Slimline. Most graphics cards have a 300W requirement or greater. If I stick in a card with a 300W requirement what would the logical result be? Crummy performance? Not work at all? Not looking for answers that are guarantees, just educated guesses from greater experience than I have.

Bottom line is I need a card no longer than 7" (otherwise it hits the HD cage) and can adequately run on 250W. Just as an FYI this is the card I'm considering: Newegg.com - SPARKLE SX84GS512S3LNM GeForce 8400 GS 512MB 64-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Ready Video Card

Any guesses on performance would be appreciated.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion s3700y (PC)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 5000+
    Motherboard
    Pegatron Acacia
    Memory
    3GB Micron Technology (PC2-6400)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDEA GeForce 8400GS
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Def Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Compaq WF1907
    Screen Resolution
    1360x768
    Hard Drives
    Western Digital 320GB
    Case
    Slimline
    Cooling
    A little fan
    Keyboard
    eMachines Enhanced Multimedia
    Mouse
    Logitech M305
    Internet Speed
    2703 kbps
I think it'll work just fine. Though I'd look into a ati/amd 4350, most run on 250W.
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Dual L5639 // i7 950 @ 4.0Ghz
    Motherboard
    Evga SR-2 // Gigabyte x58a-ud3r
    Memory
    12Gig Corsair XMS3 // 6Gig OCZ Gold
    Graphics Card(s)
    gtx 560 ti // gtx 260-216
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual 22" // Headless
    Hard Drives
    OCZ aGILITY 3, 120Gig + Seagate 500Gig x 2
    PSU
    Silverstone da700 // Corsair 520hx
    Case
    Rosewill BlackHawk Ultra // Antec 900v1
    Cooling
    Twin CM Hyper 212+ // Noctua NH-u12
    Other Info
    Acer 8930 laptop with x9100...
I think it'll work just fine. Though I'd look into a ati/amd 4350, most run on 250W.
Wow! I searched for "PCI-Ex 2.0 + 250W" and came up with nothing. I will definitely investigate that card........and thank you Patonb for your opinion re: cards running on lower wattage. Greatly appreciated!

I just checked out an MSI and VisionTek that will fit the Slimline and both are rated for 250W.

Thank you so much!!!!
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion s3700y (PC)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 5000+
    Motherboard
    Pegatron Acacia
    Memory
    3GB Micron Technology (PC2-6400)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDEA GeForce 8400GS
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Def Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Compaq WF1907
    Screen Resolution
    1360x768
    Hard Drives
    Western Digital 320GB
    Case
    Slimline
    Cooling
    A little fan
    Keyboard
    eMachines Enhanced Multimedia
    Mouse
    Logitech M305
    Internet Speed
    2703 kbps
What i did, despite knowing it, is google search low end cards and power consumption. Most reviewers do power measurements.
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Dual L5639 // i7 950 @ 4.0Ghz
    Motherboard
    Evga SR-2 // Gigabyte x58a-ud3r
    Memory
    12Gig Corsair XMS3 // 6Gig OCZ Gold
    Graphics Card(s)
    gtx 560 ti // gtx 260-216
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual 22" // Headless
    Hard Drives
    OCZ aGILITY 3, 120Gig + Seagate 500Gig x 2
    PSU
    Silverstone da700 // Corsair 520hx
    Case
    Rosewill BlackHawk Ultra // Antec 900v1
    Cooling
    Twin CM Hyper 212+ // Noctua NH-u12
    Other Info
    Acer 8930 laptop with x9100...
Back
Top