Power Supply

[Rodex]

I believe I have a 250 w power suply, when this Ati AIW 9700 pro requires 300, is there anyway I can hook it up to something outside the computer, will it work with 250w, Ati "recommends 300w". If not, where should i get power supplies and is there a guide to installing them, i do not know how.

I have an HP a230 n
AMD 2800+
120gb HD
ATI Radeon 9200 128mb
512 mb of RAM (2 256mb's)

Looked inside- Here are the Dimensions
For my Power Supply
Depth- Around 5 inches
Height- Around 3 inches
Width- Around 6 in

 

[shadow_29]

well first of all check if your aiw 9700 pro has a molex power connector,i think the 9700 pros do have that,if they do than this has to be connected separately to a free power cable from your psu.200 w is not optimal even if you werent putting in a 9700 pro,you were bound to run into problems if this was a generic psu.since you have a amd 2800+,a 120 g hdd,512 mb ram and also some optical drive(i am guessing)a 200w would not be sufficient for your setup.get a new psu from a respected psu manufacturer like antec or enermax forton.a good psu is a one time thing-put it in and forget it.if your 200 w is a generic brand you really ought to consider an upgrade to atleat a 300w+ psu higher the better(if you ever want to upgrade or put more peripheral in).

 

[Rodex]

its a 250 w
Im looking at a 300w atx power supply. Is this fine?

 

[Rockfan1815]

like shadow 29 said it would be better to get a higher watt power supply for future upgrades. Also because your running a amd with a graphics card that recommends around 300 watt you are better off getting a 350 and up.

 

[olefarte]

I have a Gateway computer that came with a 250 watt power supply and a 9700 Pro installed, but it was designed to run with that card. As the others said, you should get a bigger power supply, and I also would not recommend getting one with just 300 watt's, that would still be the absolute minimum. And if you ever want to upgrade anything again, it might not be enough. The difference in price between a 300 and say a 400 watt or so power supply will not be that great, so I suggest you go for something in the 400 watt range, "the higher the better".

One thing to think about when you look at a new power supply, is to get a quaility brand. Some good ones are Antec, Enermax, and Thermaltake, and there are others. You can be sure that if you see one that claims to be 500 watts for only $30, it's not what it claims to be. I have a Antec True Power 430, and it's $75 at NewEgg.com.

 

[isatippy]

I wouldn't get anything under 400w. :hotbounce

 

[Rodex]

I couldnt find any with my dimensions, except a 300w,

Here are dimensions

Depth = 5inches
Height = 3inches
Width = 6inches

 

[isatippy]

Ya I forgot that 250w are pritty small you might have to go with 300w or you could just cut a hole for it. :haha:

 

[olefarte]

If you have a ATX form factor power supply there should be no need to do any cutting. From the demensions you game, I think you have an ATX. The wattage of the power supply, should not effect the actuall size of the unit, if it is ATX form factor it should fit, if that's what you have. Why don't you give us a link to what you are looking at.

Look at this link for the Antec True 430 that I have, it matchs pretty much the dimensions you gave. You will see the dimensions about half way down the page.
http://www.antec.com/specs/true430_spe.html

 

[Rodex]

Just bought a 430 Watt ATX Power Supply has 20 & 24 pin connector i think it will suffice. :slurp:

 

[TempleDwarf]

Getting Geforce 6800 ultra...need good power supply...

I have a thread up, but I want to ask here too... I'm having a computer made with a 450w power supply. I'm also getting a Geforce 6800 Ultra, which recommends a 480w power supply. I have an AMD athlon 3400+. Should I get a 480w or better instead a 450w? I also don't know the brand of the PSU, but I'll call the guys and ask them tomorrow.

 

[isatippy]

I would go with 480w if the card recommends it as for brand thermalake and coolmax are good brands. :hotbounce

 

[shadow_29]

to templedwarf,I would suggest you go higher than a 500w since you'll be replacing a 450w,a 480w wouldnt seem enough value for money.you'll be buying a whole new psu only for extra 30w???that wouldnt seems like encouraging enough better to get a 550w or something in that range from a reputed manufacturer and forget about it.