Uninstall drivers for fresh GPU installation?

[LeeRichLuck]

Hi all, i have 2 what porbably are dumb questions but i need clarification all the same please.

1. i just bought a XFX HD6870 GPU upon your recomendation and was wondering if i should uninstall all the nVidia stuff in add and remove (except the driver) before i remove the card or just remove the card, install my new one then uninstall the nvidia stuff ?

2. I have a spare gigabyte GT210 GPU which i would like to give to my dad as he has an old Pack-Bell iMedia 2579 which he uses in the lounge to watch films on and browse the net. The PSU in this old machine is only a 250watt and the GT210 reqiures a 300w minimum but as he wont be playing games or doing any photo editing etc, only watching mp4 films, would the PSU still power it ? reason i ask is it has a HDMI connection and his stock card is the old blue 15pin plug so i thought is would get a better pic using my new card, also the GT210 is 512mb and the stock one is only 256mb ?

Your thoughts please

Thanks, Lee.

 

[dividebyzero]

1. Yes, you can remove all the Nvidia components through Add/Remove, although it's probably easier to download a utility such as Driver Sweeper which will remove the driver, PhysX, HD audio, Update etc in one move... Just remember that the system will likely revert to a lower VGA (640 x 480) screen resolution.
You can then power down, replace the card and install the driver/catalyst control centre etc.
Once you're up and running it would pay to bring up the Device Manager, click the "View" tab and check "Show hidden devices", then expand the "Display adapters" heading. If your previous card shows up -right click and select uninstall.

2. You say that your dad's computer is an "old Pack-Bell..". Power supplies gradually lose their effective output over time as components in the power supply wear, so his 250w PSU is likely much less. The GT210 isn't a power hog by any means (30.5w max) but picking up a suitable (and relatively cheap) PSU might be a good investment in any case, especially if the computer/PSU are 5+ years old.

 

[LeeRichLuck]

Thanks dbz

Thing is it would be me fannying around swapping psu's if indeed he was flush enough to buy one, this swap was just that, if pos, if your saying it is only a 30.5w max then surely an aging 250ish wat PSU should run it ? or am i adding things up wrong here ? why does it say a 300w minimum if it only uses 30.5w max ? am lost ;p

Anyhow, so if i put it into his old machine with the old psu would it work or not ? or is it a suck it and see lol

Thanks again

 

[dividebyzero]

...or is it a suck it and see lol

That's about it.

Nvidia (and AMD for that matter) both use a worst-case scenario when setting the PSU guidelines. Nvidia base their calculations on the most power hungry desktop configuration presently being sold - ( Core i7 - X58 board- three memory modules and miscellaneous harddrives, case fans, USB peripherals) and an inefficient PSU ( sub-80% efficiency). This is a classic CYA, and of course has a lot of built in overhead.
Technically the G210 isn't going to bother any entry-level PSU, not at 30.5w TDP max (actual max around 20 watts), it's just force of habit on my part (and also a bit of CYA) to take note whenever I see "old PSU" when used in conjuction with "upgrade".