250W PSU - New Graphics Card Needed!

Sabre_X

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Replacing an nVidia 6100 with a new Graphics Card for Napoleon Total War!

Issue is- I still have a 250W PSU

CPU: AMD Athlon 64X2 Dual Processor 4400+ 2.30 GHz
RAM: 3GB DDR2

I'm looking to buy a card for under £100...

HD 4650
HD 4670
HD 5450

Is the HD5570 worth considering? Is it much more expensive? I heard it actually consumes less power than the other 2?

Or are there any other cards you recommend that are around the specification of those mentioned?

Thanks in advance!

Sabre_X
 

jonpaul37

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you will not be able to run any of those video cards with a 250w power supply, upgrade that power supply first, or get a 4550 and hope your power supply can handle it.
 

Sabre_X

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Hmmm... How easy are PSU's to fit? And are there any you would recommend?
I would imagine if I'm going to upgrade I should get at least 500W? What brands are best as I hear they make a big difference on PSU's?
 
Jonpaul are you crazy? :p
I run an OC'd C2DE1400 (65nm processor) with an OC'd HD4650 just fine on a 200Watt power supply (15 A on the 12v). I think he's quite fine.

Sabre, grab the HD5670. It requires very little power compared to higher-end cards, and is a great card for small-time gaming.
HD5570-60.jpg

Processor: Intel Core i5 750 @ 2.67Ghz (Turbo Mode Enabled)
Memory: 2x2GB OCZ Platinum PC-15000 @ 6-7-6-17 1066Mhz DDR
Motherboard: Gigabyte H57M-USB3
Cooling: Thermalright TRUE
Disk Drive: Pioneer DVD Writer
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB
Power Supply: Corsair HX520
Monitor: Samsung 305T 30” widescreen LCD
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate N x64


 

jonpaul37

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if you buy a PSU, i would suggest getting either a Corsair, Seasonic or OCZ or Antec Earthwatts-series (make sure if you get Antec, get the earthwatts series) if you buy any of these brands, you will be ok with a 400w or higher power supply.

Power supplies are kinda hard to replace depending on the case it is in. Have to be careful and wear rubber gloves while doing it so you don't electric-shock anything.
 

jonpaul37

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Just trying to be cautious here, too many times have i seen my little brother, best friend, other family members and clients call me asking what is wrong with the burning-electric smell radiating from their PC after they just tried to upgrade their video card to an 8800 GTS 512 with a 350-watt power supply...

The power supply is the most important piece of hardwar in the PC and can directly kill any given component, save for the heatsink.
 

Sabre_X

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Yeh i see what your saying jonpaul, but i really want to avoid having to change PSU. I'd happily slightly downgrade my card to reduce the risk but I really don't want to have to change PSU. =)
 

Sabre_X

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512MB or 1GB? wouldnt eh 1GB 4670 be better than the 512MB 5670? the price between the 5670 and the 4670 is quite significant >.<
 

xeonyxorich

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What res do you play at? Go with the 1GB if you play at i would say eh, 1440 x 1050 and above.If I am right, the 5670 is 80 bucks which is pretty good, just under 100
 

deadlockedworld

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Shadow- Its just irresponsible to insist he can run a 5670 card on his 200w PSU without first asking the make, model, specs, etc. Yes, it's possible he can run the card, but its also quite possible that he cant and that he will burn up his computer.

Its not like you are suggesting a small deviation from the recommendation-- ATI suggests a 400w psu to run the card for a reason and you think he can do it with ANY generic 250w?

Sabre-- for $39.99 you can get a new Corsair 400CX (assuming you don't have a slim case)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008&Tpk=corsair%20400cx

I own this unit -- its almost completely silent, runs more than 80% energy efficient, has a 3 year warranty, and blows cool air out of my case. It also has 30 amps on a single +12v rail -- meaning it could run any graphic card up to about a 5770. (It took 5 minutes to install--unplug all the cables and plug the new ones in their places)

EVERY other expert on Tom's will tell you that it is always a good idea to invest in a quality power supply because
The power supply is the most important piece of hardwar in the PC and can directly kill any given component, save for the heatsink.
 

Sabre_X

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As for the resolution for my gaming. The computer, well, screen, still uses a VGA cable so I'm pretty sure its not 1920x1200 that i'm running on! Whatever the max for VGA is as i still haven't bought a screen with DVI on it!

As for the powersupply, would you be able to find somewhere I can purchase it in the UK? Such as Dabs, Scan or eBuyer?

I've fitted RAM and Graphics Cards before but never a PowerSupplyUnit.
Are they really that simple to fit?

Thanks for the response,

Sabre_X
 

Sabre_X

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Also, that power supply unit looks very good but out of interest- why that one? There are cheaper ones that provide higher wattage?
 

xeonyxorich

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Its because that one is quality
 

Sabre_X

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Fair enough :)

What card would 400w be able to support up to them, as far as the future goes?

Would it be able to support any of HD 4650, 4670, 5570 and 5670?

Thanks again!
 

deadlockedworld

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Hey Sabre,

Corsair is recognized as one of the highest quality power supply brands and has gained the trust of many of tom's experts due to their high quality. The wattage isnt the most important number on a power supply-- the amperage on the +12v rail is. To simplify--the 30 amps on this PSU would be good for any card up to about the $160 range or so. A 5770 would be the most powerful card I would run on it. (although others may argue bigger cards would work)

If you want to shop around, however Antec, Seasonic, and OCZ are also reliable brands. (the OCZ 500w is pretty cheap too) There are some other decent euro brands, but I dont have high familiarity with them.

I promise that power supply installation is simple. You de-static yourself, unplug all cables to the PSU, unscrew the old power supply, screw the new one into the case, then plug all its cables in where the old ones were.

To put everything in perspective though-- spending more on a high quality power supply is a good investment if you plan to reuse it in your next computer. (PSUs are one of the few parts that wont go obsolete) If you don't plan to reuse you might want to go with a cheaper option on your aging computer....