Curse

jimmyboveto · Jun 23, 2009, 09:56 PM // 21:56

I'm looking to upgrade my graphics card from my current 8500gt, but I only have a 300W PSU. I'm hoping that there is room for improvement. What would you recommend for such a small PSU?

moriz · Jun 24, 2009, 04:59 AM // 04:59

the safest upgrade would be a radeon hd4670. you can certainly try something more powerful, but it's all going to depend on how good of a PSU you have.

Elder III · Jun 24, 2009, 04:42 PM // 16:42

I would recommend getting a new PSU - no sense in cutting yourself short here. You can get a quality 500watt PSU for under $50 these days.

jackers1234 · Jul 08, 2009, 01:55 PM // 13:55

i would go for at least a 500W PSU, maybe even 600W, depending on what else in your system you want to upgrade.

to be honest with you, there is little point in getting a more powerful graphics card with such a small PSU, your system will most likely become unstable.

so upgrade your PSU, then go for an nvidia GTS/GTX series if you can afford it. if not, and nvidia 9800, (or 8800 if you are on a budget), will do nicely.

(i wouldnt recommend the radeon hd series, i have had many computers brought to me with issues with these cards. they are also less powerful overall then the nvidia equivalents)

Master Ketsu · Jul 08, 2009, 02:06 PM // 14:06

Agree with the above: Get a better PSU. Generally when you upgrade, you want to get the best you can afford at the time so you won't be needing to upgrade again for a good while. Buying a GPU below what you want just because your PSU is a piece of shit is silly. You would eventually want to upgrade that PSU anyways. 300 Watt max? Fail PSU is fail.

moriz · Jul 08, 2009, 09:56 PM // 21:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackers1234

i would go for at least a 500W PSU, maybe even 600W, depending on what else in your system you want to upgrade.

to be honest with you, there is little point in getting a more powerful graphics card with such a small PSU, your system will most likely become unstable.

so upgrade your PSU, then go for an nvidia GTS/GTX series if you can afford it. if not, and nvidia 9800, (or 8800 if you are on a budget), will do nicely.

(i wouldnt recommend the radeon hd series, i have had many computers brought to me with issues with these cards. they are also less powerful overall then the nvidia equivalents)

agreed with everything except the last line. you'll need to update your knowledge it seems.

Brianna · Jul 08, 2009, 10:02 PM // 22:02

Though I can almost assure you he's probably not lying about people bringing him computers that have issues with those cards. I've seen the same thing happen myself.

moriz · Jul 08, 2009, 10:09 PM // 22:09

well if we go by the contents of these forums, it seems that nvidia graphic cards, especially the 9000 series, seems to encounter the most problems. if the sample size is small enough, we'll probably see one brand seemingly having more problems, when they are actually equal in quality.

i'm mostly disagreeing with the last part of that sentence actually. the HD4800 series was so good, that it forced nvidia to cut the prices of GTX200 series in half within two weeks of their launch. so "they are also less powerful overall then the nvidia equivalents" is most definitely false.

Malician · Jul 09, 2009, 01:05 AM // 01:05

You don't need as much PSU as most people think. What are the actual specs on your PSU (namely, amps on the 12V rail)? Multiply that number by 12 to get your real wattage.

http://www.anandtech.com/casecooling...oc.aspx?i=3413

8800 (and therefore 9800, since it's just a rebranded 8800) GT uses 115 watts load
Core 2 Duo uses about 30-40 watts, quad uses about 60-100

SigurdTheBalmung · Jul 09, 2009, 03:07 AM // 03:07

If you aren't sure what wattage of PSU needed may I suggest going to...

http://www.antec.outervision.com/index.jsp

Just use the drop down menus to select the components you already have along with the video card you are looking at and it will calculate the wattage it will use. It will even suggest which Antec PSUs are right for you... but the main thing is you'll know exactly what wattage you will need so you don't go over board.

jackers1234 · Jul 09, 2009, 08:26 AM // 08:26

well, i am just going from my personal experience of the cards. i have not studied a large number of pc's to get actual data or anything, that was simply my opinion on which i think are better overall, (price, performance, reliability etc.)

Notorious Bob · Jul 09, 2009, 08:54 AM // 08:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackers1234

well, i am just going from my personal experience of the cards. i have not studied a large number of pc's to get actual data or anything, that was simply my opinion on which i think are better overall, (price, performance, reliability etc.)

For price, performance, reliability and driver stability the new Radeon HD47xx & HD48xx are superior to nVidia offerings especially in gaming set ups.

But as with any GPU upgrade, PSU and case cooling are paramount. If it cooks or pulls down your power rails then you won't be a happy camper.

People are prone to spending $$$ on high-spec GPUs but neglect to spend $ on a fan to keep their case cool

jackers1234 · Jul 09, 2009, 09:13 AM // 09:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Notorious Bob

But as with any GPU upgrade, PSU and case cooling are paramount. If it cooks or pulls down your power rails then you won't be a happy camper.

People are prone to spending $$$ on high-spec GPUs but neglect to spend $ on a fan to keep their case cool

yea, i agree. i see this quite alot. people just dont seem to want to spend cash on a PSU, not realising that a big GPU will not work properly without a good quality PSU to go with it.