Might be a dumb question...

[kneel]

...but how bad could having an Nvidia graphics card that needs at least 350w running on a 300w supply be?

I did not realize it when I installed the card...so now I'm on a mission to get a bigger power supply...

But can any real damage be done?

I run one 22" monitor off the DVI output...and sometimes I run the HDMI out to my TV...that's about it...no games..just regular browsing...

Thanks for the help!

 

[zigzag3143]

...but how bad could having an Nvidia graphics card that needs at least 350w running on a 300w supply be?

I did not realize it when I installed the card...so now I'm on a mission to get a bigger power supply...

But can any real damage be done?

I run one 22" monitor off the DVI output...and sometimes I run the HDMI out to my TV...that's about it...no games..just regular browsing...

Thanks for the help!

I am surprised it works at all. If your figures are correct you can kill the PSU, the video card, and perhaps even the monitor.

Time for a new psu.

 

[paulpicks21]

I certainly would not play any games or do anything that will work the gpu out until you replace the PSU Asap!

 

[kneel]

...but how bad could having an Nvidia graphics card that needs at least 350w running on a 300w supply be?

I did not realize it when I installed the card...so now I'm on a mission to get a bigger power supply...

But can any real damage be done?

I run one 22" monitor off the DVI output...and sometimes I run the HDMI out to my TV...that's about it...no games..just regular browsing...

Thanks for the help!

I am surprised it works at all. If your figures are correct you can kill the PSU, the video card, and perhaps even the monitor.

Time for a new psu.

I certainly would not play any games or do anything that will work the gpu out until you replace the PSU Asap!

wow...i didn't know it was that serious. Thank you guys...I look around thru the stickys and try and find a good power supply.

That's prolly what's been causing the bsod...

Oh, and one other thing...do I just look for the same sized (physical) power supply? The plugs are all universal right?

 

[paulpicks21]

Yeah well all psu's are pretty much the same physical size except for the real powerful ones which are a longer.

I would recommend going for a quality brand such as Antec/corsair etc , a 500watt one can be had for a very reasonable price.

The connectors will be fine.

 

[JaidynM]

First of all, it's a good thing you asked the question in the first place. So it's not all that dumb a question. Anyway, a NVIDIA card on 300W PSU? Try not to do anything graphics intensive until you replace your PSU. Do you have any old computers that have a higher wattage PSU? That way you can have a temporary power supply while you find a new one. You'll be less worried about blowing your computer that way.

With PSU's try going with Corsair, OCZ, Coolermaster or Antec. They're the top of the range brands when it comes to power supplies and are less likely to fail you than some of the lower-end brands. If you need any help choosing a decent one, just ask. It should be a bit easier than looking through all the stickies.

 

[paulpicks21]

+1 certainly not a dumb question! Quite the opposite and might just have saved a few of your components from a fry up!

 

[bobkn]

Just out of curiosity, what's the +12V current rating on your 300W PSU? (It may be on a sticker on the PSU).

According to one vendor:

EVGA | Products 9 Series Family&sw=

the minimum requirement for a 1GB 9500 is a (350W+) PSU that can deliver 18A. (That could be the sum of multiple rails, but that gets a little dubious, depending on how the current is divided among them.) Good 300W supplies can do better than that. It's too bad that there are no industry standards for power supply ratings. I suspect that graphics card vendors call for high total power numbers to protect themselves (and us) from lousy PSUs.

The card also doesn't use any auxiliary PCI-E power connectors, so its real power draw should be less than 75W. This chart:

Imageshack - gfxpowerchartbybrandgen.png

doesn't include a 1GB version of the 9500, but a 512 MB version uses 47W max. Not scary.

I doubt that you face imminent meltdown with your current 300W PSU. Replacing it might add to your peace of mind, especially after the force of the other posts here.

 

[kneel]

Thank you guys....for all the info....

I don't really do anything that requires any serious GFX power. I don't game, no photochoppin...the worst thing I do is use FL Studio, which is a music making program. It uses more ram and processor than GFX....

But still, I don't like the fact that I don't have enough power.

Like Tim the Tool Man says..."more Power"...ughhughhh!!!! lol....


I wanna have that 'safety' of knowing that I have ample power running my PC....

I'll start looking around and keep this thread updated. This might just be one of the main things thats causing the random bsod's.

 

[Keiichi25]

Just understand that nowadays, the newer Graphics cards will be pulling some power itself. Most of the computers used to use 300-400W power supplies because the power only went to the Mainboard, the processor, the Optical drives and whatever cards go into the system.

However, the gaming graphics cards are now using more power than the CPU these days. And to power the card, you are pulling a lot of juice for the higher power rendering. If there isn't enough power going to the system resources, you will first have OS issues as the driver is demanding resources not available to the system, such as power, and that cause system timing issues which will result in BSOD.

Eventually, you can burn out a powersupply, if not do some damage to the system due to system draws that are not supported by the system in question.

 

[JaidynM]

Well, if you want a good cheap PSU for around $60, here's a couple of good choices.

Newegg.com - OCZ ModXStream Pro 500W Modular High Performance Power Supply
Newegg.com - CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 V2 500W ATX12V v2.3 Active PFC Power Supply

First one's OCZ and second one's Corsair. The OCZ slightly more expensive as it has modular cabling. Corsair on the other hand is probably the better brand (though OCZ is still probably top of the range). Both have 80 Plus certification and will be more than enough to power your system. Nothing too fancy, nothing too powerful