220W power supply graphic shows card

[assassin5675]

Hi, I have a hp pavilion slimline s5206uk pc. This has a 220 watt power supply and I'm wondering what would be the best graphics card for this, would a amid r7 240 work?

 

[clutchc]

It's going to depend on the +12V rating on the PSU's nameplate.That is the rail that will power the gfx card. Normally, a 220W PSU is too small, but if the +12V rail is strong, it may be fine. Otherwise I'd recommend a GT 1030, which is wayyy faster anyway.

 

[assassin5675]

But isn't the wattage the main thing? What does voltage have to do with this? Also, I think the r7240 uses 140 watts on load but you're saying I could run it if the voltage is 12+?

 

[assassin5675]

Plus I'm trying to find something under £45

 

[clutchc]

But isn't the wattage the main thing? What does voltage have to do with this? Also, I think the r7240 uses 140 watts on load but you're saying I could run it if the voltage is 12+?

Yes, but the wattage of the +12v rail... not necessarily the PSU's total wattage. There are different voltages produced by the PSU. They each have their own circuit or rail. The gfx card is powered by the PSU's +12V rail.
The R7-240 has a normal recommendation of a 350W PSU, but that's based on using the cheapest PSU with poor +12v rail ratings. So it is doubtful your 220W PSU would have the +12V rail capacity to use that card safely, if at all.

 

[bignastyid]

But isn't the wattage the main thing? What does voltage have to do with this? Also, I think the r7240 uses 140 watts on load but you're saying I could run it if the voltage is 12+?

No. They are many PSUs that have an advertised wattage that is unrealistic/ flat out lie by current standards. There are psus advertised as 500w that can't even deliver half that on the 12v rail and the 12v rail is a very important rail as the biggest power consumers (cpu and gpu) use the 12v rail.

A psu has several rails 3.3v. 5v, 12v, -12v and 5vsb. A good modern PSU will usually have an advertised rating of around what the 12v rail is rated for. A cheap psu or one that is old or based on a very old design will usually have a small 12v rail and big 3.3 and 5v rails.

 

[assassin5675]

How do you find this information about the rail voltage and that?

 

[bignastyid]

How do you find this information about the rail voltage and that?

It will be on a sticker on the PSU.

 

[clutchc]

+1^
If you don't know how to interpret the nameplate data, post a pic of the nameplate and one of us will interpret it for you.

If you can't afford the GT 1030 and the R7-240 is too much for your PSU, this GT 730 would be a safe choice and it falls between the R7-240 and the GT 1030 in performance.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Palit-GeForce-GDDR5-Express-Graphics/dp/B01N6HN1W6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1521762467&sr=8-1&keywords=gt+730

 

[assassin5675]

https://imageshack.us/i/poQGOGQsj

 

[assassin5675]

That's the image that has the psu rail info

 

[assassin5675]

What about a gt 1050 low profile?

 

[clutchc]

https://imageshack.us/i/poQGOGQsj

That nameplate shows that the +12V rail is good for 16A, and not to exceed 210W when combined with the load of the +5v rail. Basically, you have the bulk of the 220W PSU devoted to the +12v rail. That's good, but not enough to safely run a R7-240. You can try it, but be prepared for possible shutdowns, reboots, or worse.

A GTX 1050/1050 Ti may be able to run on that PSU, but you do so at your own risk. I ran a Zotac GTX 1050 Ti low profile on a Dell Optiplex SFF with a +12v rail rated for 17A. The GT 1030 would be the safest choice, and much faster than the R7-240. If funds don't allow, save some more. Gfx card prices are ridiculous right now.

 

[assassin5675]

https://imageshack.us/i/poQGOGQsj

That nameplate shows that the +12V rail is good for 16A, and not to exceed 210W when combined with the load of the +5v rail. Basically, you have the bulk of the 220W PSU devoted to the +12v rail. That's good, but not enough to safely run a R7-240. You can try it, but be prepared for possible shutdowns, reboots, or worse.

A GTX 1050/1050 Ti may be able to run on that PSU, but you do so at your own risk. I ran a Zotac GTX 1050 Ti low profile on a Dell Optiplex SFF with a +12v rail rated for 17A. The GT 1030 would be the safest choice, and much faster than the R7-240. If funds don't allow, save some more. Gfx card prices are ridiculous right now.

But since that rail can use roughly 180 max, shouldn't the r7 240 be able to handle it because it uses 40 watts I think and also, aren't there any other options for graphics card because i might be able to push the budget up to £70. From what I know, the 1030 isn't good when it comes to price compared with performance. Can I run the 1030 on max but no over clock? could I also overlock it?

 

[clutchc]

Go ahead and try it. But the GT 1030 is 3 times as fast as the R7-240.

 

[DSzymborski]

Yeah, as Clutch notes, the R7 240 shouldn't even be in the conversation; it's not cost-effective really to buy anything slower than a GT 1030. The price/performance ratio is far better for the 1030, something like 20% more for more than twice the power.

Also, when you're in there, it's time to do some cleaning. Your power supply is low-end and borderline when it's clean as a whistle, choking it with dust so it can't be properly ventilated isn't going to help matters (even with a better power supply, you shouldn't let your PC be this dirty).

 

[assassin5675]

Yah I cleaned it the other day but forgot to clean the psu, so the best is the 1030 (there's no other card better than it that can run on this psu) but can it run at max speed and can you still over clock it on the psu?

 

[DSzymborski]

Yah I cleaned it the other day but forgot to clean the psu, so the best is the 1030 (there's no other card better than it that can run on this psu) but can it run at max speed and can you still over clock it on the psu?

I would not overclock *anything* using this PSU. *Ever*.

 

[assassin5675]

But can it run at max speed?

 

[clutchc]

But can it run at max speed?

It should. I put one in a Lenovo ThinkCentre SFF (i5-3470) for resale. The Lenovo had a small PSU with about those same specs. I was able to run Bioshock Infinite at Ultra on a 1920x1080 display with smooth gameplay. You'll never come close to that performance with the R7-240.

At this time, the GT 1030 is the fastest video card you can buy that will run safely on a factory installed SFF PSU. The GTX 1050/1050 Ti will work, but it will take the PSU to the max with risk of failure.

 

[bignastyid]

MERGED QUESTION
Question from assassin5675 : "Graphics card for 220 watt psu"

Hi, I have a hp pavilion slimline s5206uk pc. This has a 220 watt power supply and I'm wondering what would be the best graphics card for this, would a amid r7 240 work? this is a image of my power supply rail info https://imageshack.us/i/poQGOGQsj

Would a gt 1050 work aswell

 

[bignastyid]

Please keep the issue to 1 thread.