Could this be causing system lockups?

[scarecjr2009]

I have just put in a new geforce GT 630 in my computer.
The card reccomends that i have a 350 watt power supply, but my system has a 300 watt supply.
could this cause my system to lock up or slow down?

 

[house70]

Yes, in fact the 350 is the minimum you can use. I recommend redundancy in therms of PSU wattage, because it ensures enough "juice" even under stress.
Insufficient power is one of the main reasons for crashes/ slow down/reboots.

Make sure the physical size of the new PSU fits the case you have. A bit of research ahead of time will save you headaches later.

 

[scarecjr2009]

thx for tellin me, i have a ATX case so finding a power suplly should not take long, could i damage my system using a power supply that is 50 watts short? i know power supply are supposed to trip themselves when they over draw.

 

[jnkweaver]

thx for tellin me, i have a ATX case so finding a power suplly should not take long, could i damage my system using a power supply that is 50 watts short? i know power supply are supposed to trip themselves when they over draw.

Suppose to is the key word there. You hope it doesn't take other parts with it when it goes.

 

[house70]

thx for tellin me, i have a ATX case so finding a power suplly should not take long, could i damage my system using a power supply that is 50 watts short? i know power supply are supposed to trip themselves when they over draw.

Keep in mind that not all PSUs are created equal, even for similar specs. The quality of the components play a major role. Usually PSUs shipped in OEM systems are the worst.
Running a system with a PSU that's being pushed to it's limit can be risky not only for that PSU but also for the system. If a voltage-regulating component fails, the system will be exposed and even the voltage regulating component on the mobo might not be able to handle that.
Best way to avoid that is by picking a quality PSU that gives enough overhead for your system's max requirements. I like to get the max necessary for my system and add at least 150-200 W on top of that. It is not going to draw more from the grid, it only takes what the system needs at the time, but it has the components designed to handle anything the system might need at any time and do it easily, too.