Can i overclock my power supply?

[Dominic Warden]

Hi i just bought a new gpu (Nvidia Gefore Gt 440) but it reccomends more than 400 watts, i only have 240 watts. Due to this, games lag on my new gpu. Can i overclock my power supply so i dont have to buy a new one?

Thanks

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Hi i just bought a new gpu (Nvidia Gefore Gt 440) but it reccomends more than 400 watts, i only have 240 watts. Due to this, games lag on my new gpu. Can i overclock my power supply so i dont have to buy a new one?

Thanks

No such thing.

Get another PSU or take your chances with the current PSU.

 

[pparks1]

Unfortunately you cannot "overclock" a power supply to get more power out of it. With that said, not having enough power in your PSU is not goign to cause a game to lag. Either the card won't work, or the machine will crash...but it's not like you will lose a few FPS during a game.

My guess is that if you are running a 240 watt power supply, you are on an old computer and the combination of the CPU, the GPU, the amount of RAM you have, and the game you are attempting to play is the reason for the lag.

 

[Hopalong X]

NO!!! Buy a new one.

I would remove that new video card until you have the new power supply installed before you damage the video card and the old power supply.
When the power supply blows it also can damage the motherboard and CPU.
Then you need an entire new system.

 

[bobkn]

Hi i just bought a new gpu (Nvidia Gefore Gt 440) but it reccomends more than 400 watts, i only have 240 watts. Due to this, games lag on my new gpu. Can i overclock my power supply so i dont have to buy a new one?

Thanks

One vendor:

EVGA | Products 400 Series Family&sw=

recommends 300W, with at least 12A on the +12V lines. What are your power supply's specs? (Should be on a label on the supply.) It's possible that your "240W" PSU could be rated well above 12A, in which case it may be OK with the GT440.

I agree that an underpowered PSU won't make your games lag. It'd be likelier to make the system hang.

If the PSU fails, it may take most of the other hardware with it. How much are you prepared to risk?

 

[Trucidation]

Methinks the "overclock yuor megahurtz!!1" hype is being pushed too much with little explanation to the average user. Resulting in threads like this.

Overclocking:

"Overclocking is the process of forcing the CPU to run at a higher clock rate (the rate in cycles per second, measured in hertz, at which a computer performs its most basic operations such as adding two numbers or transferring a value from one processor register to another).

On the other hand, your PSU ("Power Supply Unit") provides power, like an engine. Just as you can't "overclock" a motorcycle engine to produce more power, you can't "overclock" your PSU. That power has to come from somewhere, you can't magically increase it.

Read this article.
Also, http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/284314-10-power-supply-guides-info