Best Video Card for 300w PSU?

[Vrex]

Just got a new HP Pavilion a6567c which only has a 300w power supply. I thought I would move the NVIDIA GeForce 9300 GE card to my old computer and get something better for this computer.
What PCI-Ex16 video card do you recommend without replacing the power supply?
Thanks in advance for all suggestions.

 

[CJ-real]

How much is the peak using at the moment, you can't work on the current PSU, it's easier to work out the current PSU - peak load = amount avaliable for use

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

Can you provide details on the PSU? Try to provide all the information on the PSU sticker. A typical PSU sticker looks like this.

 

[Vrex]

Bestec model ATX-300-12Z FDR

Can you provide details on the PSU? Try to provide all the information on the PSU sticker. A typical PSU sticker looks like this.

The current PSU is
Bestec model ATX-300-12Z FDR:
+12V 19A
+5V 30A
+3.3V 28A

It is quite small (only 6"x4"x6"), so I am not sure if a replacement would easily fit. Also, HP warned me that replacing the PSU would void the warranty (though I guess I could always swap back, if I later had warranty issues).

It also has an Intel Quad Q6600 w/ 4GB RAM and Vista64.

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

In that case, your best bet is an 8600GT.

 

[Vrex]

In that case, your best bet is an 8600GT.

Thanks for your reply.
Any thoughts on manufacturers? I'm trying to decide between XFX, ASUS, and MSI. They all have 8600GT w/ 512MB GDDR3 RAM for about same price. I thought one might be better in terms of support, reliability, drivers, etc. Thanks again.

 

[SNGX1275]

Personally, XFX or MSI. I've never owned an XFX card but I've heard good things about them, I have owned ASUS and MSI cards, and been happy with them too, although the ASUS was a LONG time ago.

Support, I'd forget asus, never heard much good about their support.

Reliability is probably nearly identical.

Drivers, its all identical, they all run the same stuff.

So what it comes down to is pick the one you want.

 

[Lou3]

Newegg has this Leadtek 8600GT with a mail-in rebate (ends 8/31/2008): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814122033

Several years ago I had a Leadtek GF3 200 that was great, so I was excited to order this 8600GT for my new system. It arrived yesterday along with the other components, but I haven't had time to put it together. Hopefully tonight. I'll post a review of the Leadtek and the other components.

 

[Vrex]

Wire from video card to mobo?

I went with the XFX 8600GT. The card which I replaced was a GeForce 9300 GE which had a wire connecting to the motherboard. I moved the 9300 to my old computer without connecting the wire; couldn't find the connector. It seems to be working fine without the wire; but I am curious what it is for. Does anyone know? Thanks.

 

[nickc]

that wire supplies power to the video card and if u push the card any it will not work as it should, right now it is drawing all power from the PCI and it will not supply much. I once did not plug the power into my card and when I tried to boot all I got was a squeal, then comp would not boot.

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

The 8600GT and 9300GE don't require an external power connector. What VRex is talking about is probably the wire used by some cards to power the HSF on the card.

 

[Vrex]

that wire supplies power to the video card and if u push the card any it will not work as it should, right now it is drawing all power from the PCI and it will not supply much. I once did not plug the power into my card and when I tried to boot all I got was a squeal, then comp would not boot.

I don't think it is for power since the double-standed wire connects to the motherboard, not the power supply.

The 8600GT and 9300GE don't require an external power connector. What VRex is talking about is probably the wire used by some cards to power the HSF on the card.

Is the HSF the cooling fan? I thought it might control the cooling fan, or maybe even provide audio from the motherboard for the HDMI output. (The 9300 has both HDMI and DVI outputs.) At any rate, it appears to be optional, since everything seems to work fine without the wire connected. I certainly hope it doesn't cause any problems later on.

 

[Vrex]

I found out that the wire supplies audio to the HDMI port,

 

[nickc]

Glad u found out.

 

[Lou3]

Sorry to resurrect the thread, but want to give kudos to Leadtek

I said above that I'd comment on the Leadtek 8600GT. I finally installed it and am really happy with it. I'm running it with GeForce 178 drivers (I always go straight to the nvidia drivers for nvidia-based cards, so I can't comment on whatever proprietary drivers Leadtek has). Text is the sharpest I've seen on my monitor. I haven't had a chance to do much gaming with it, but 2D and 2D video looks great. The 3DMark06 score is 5720, which I think is reasonable for my system. The fan is very quiet; for the case-window crowd, the card has a sober, no-nonsense look. Newegg no longer has it for sale, but my point here is that Leadtek still makes very good video cards.

 

[kodrutz]

Hmmm...so there are people still buying those old 8600 GTs...Good you're happy with it! On the other hand, I wonder why didn't anyone advise you to get a 3650 from ATI. When I built my computer, almost a year ago, I had to choose between the 8600 GT and the ATI X1950 Pro(ASUS built, the one with custom cooling). I chose the ATI and I am extremely happy with it. If you're going to have enough time for the latest game releases, you'll surely consider getting a new PSU and a new card - there are plenty of card 2-3 times as powerful than the 8600 GT or mine, which is usually on par with the 8600 GTS, and only for a few bucks more (think about the 4850 or the 9600 GT).

 

[Lou3]

I wonder why didn't anyone advise you to get a 3650 from ATI.

I don't have time for the latest releases. Actually that's not true, because I'll probably play Lego Batman with my son . I basically bought the card with MS Flight Simulator and Test Drive Unlimited in mind, so the 8600GT was at the right price/performance ratio for me. Once I get a widescreen monitor, my video needs will be met for the foreseeable future.

I considered the 4850, but I haven't had your luck with ATI drivers.

Again, my point wasn't to push the 8600GT, but to say that Leadtek still makes great video cards. I saw mention of Leadtek in another thread, and it seemed like people weren't very aware of the brand.

*I have no relationship with Leadtek.

 

[kodrutz]

Indeed...

I fully agree about the Leadtek cards, although I only saw some of them running on computers I had to mess with. ATI solved most of its driver-related issues in the last years, and only the memory of those drivers remains.

I am using ATI cards since 2003, when I got a Radeon 9200, and never had driver-related issues. I found that best combination is to use only the driver from ATI/AMD, combined with a third-party utility like ATI Tray Tools. ATI's Control Panel sucks, just as NVIDIA's...