What will happen if my psu is underpowered?

[lhk890419]

I'm trying to get a video card with a minimum power requirement of 450W and I have 350W. I saw a lot of people using power supplies that didn't meet the manufacturer's power requirement but no problems. Would it be ok to use that video card on my power supply?

 

[tifc8lraz]

Using an underpowered power supply can cause crashing/system instability most of the time as a result. There are 2 main types of underpower; one being in the wattage, and the other being in the amperage. Check out my guide in my sig to see more about that and the requirements for video card upgrading .

 

[CMH]

Thats a great guide he's written, so go take a look.

Either way, a power supply upgrade isn't going to cost you too much, but if you've bought a brand name system (Dell especially), you'd have problems upgrading the power supply.