Can i run Zotac GT 730 on a 250W Dell PSU??

[Sagar_20]

I have a Dell Inspiron 620s with the configuration: Intel core i5-2310 @ 2.9 GHz, 4GB DDR3 Ram @ 1333 Mhz, 1TB Seagate Baracuda @ 7200 RPM, 1GB AMD Radeon HD 6450 (TDP 18W) and a 250W PSU. I am looking forward to upgrade my GPU to 2GB DDR5 Zotac GT 730, to play modern games at 30+ fps in 1366x768 without having to upgrade the PSU. Is everything going to be alright??

 

[Luminary]

It's always a bit touch-and-go recommending a 3rd party GPU for a pre-built machine with a generic PSU. The official 'recommended' wattage for the GT 730 is 300w, so your power supply is slightly below the ideal capacity.

As far as MIGHT it work...yes, it might work. Do take into consideration though that if you choose to risk it and install the GPU there is a chance it could short or even brick your system.

I personally don't recommend these types of additions, as if you're really set on wanting to play games the best way to be sure of a good investment is always to save up for a more comprehensive system upgrade.

 

[Sagar_20]

I bought it anyway and it has been working just fine on my 250W psu
As suggested by Linus TechTips, i went to this site (Expert mode)
http://outervision.com/power-supply-calculator
Entered the details of my computer and calculated my load wattage to be 235 W with CPU usage=100% (Assuming that any power losses whatsoever have been already included in that). Now, i was almost sure that GT 730 was guaranteed to work. In fact, the dell tech support also told me that GT 730 would be the best possible upgrade for my 250 W system. So i went ahead bought it right away and it has been doing a great job!

Now I can play
NFS Most Wanted 2012 at 50 fps
NFS Shift 2 Unleashed at 60 fps
NFS Hot Pursuit 2010 at 60 fps

With Med/High settings

Gaming Resolution: 1366*768