GPU for 250W PSU

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I bought a secondhand PC this summer with the intention of buying a GPU to upgrade it. I checked beforehand that there was a free PCI/E slot, however didn't check what PSU the PC had. It turns out that it has a 250W PSU, which, having now read quite a few forum posts, means I could well be quite limited to the GPU I can fit.

My main purpose in having a GPU is so I can play games - nothing high performance, but if I'm investing in a GPU then I think I might as well get the best my PC can manage with (I imagine this will probably be a greater limiting factor than budget, which I guess is about £50). I also realise that it might be sensible to get a new PSU, but I think that cost weighed up against my needs means that it probably isn't worth doing.

My PC specs are:
> Mainboard : Acer EG43M
> Chipset : Intel G43/G45
> Processor : Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 @ 2500 MHz
> Physical Memory : 6144 KBDDR3-SDRAM
> Video Card : Intel(R) G45/G43 Express Chipset
> Hard Disk : Seagate ST3750528AS (750GB)
> DVD-Rom Drive : ATAPI BD O DH4O1S
> DVD-Rom Drive : ATAPI DVD A DH16AASH
> Monitor Type : Samsung SyncMaster - 24 inches

My Power Supply is a "ATX-250PA (1PF)" with the following specs:
> 250W (+3.3V & +5V=110W Max) (+12V1 & +12V2=180W Max)
> +3.3V - 14.0A, +5V - 16.0A
> +12V1 - 6.0A, +12V2 - 10.0A,
> +5Vsb - 2.0A, -12V - 0.5A

A few forum threads have suggested something like a Radeon HD 5570 / 6450 / 6570 is a sensible choice for a 250W PSU. Do those sound sensible for the power supply I have based on the power my other other components will be using? Please suggest something less demanding if that is going to be putting too much strain on my PSU or if it would still be safe to fit something more demanding, then please suggest a high performance GPU that is still safe (although I'd rather be safer than sorry).

I'm happy to get things secondhand unless anyone recommends that it's not sensible to do so for a GPU! I'm also not necessarily against replacing the PSU if someone can recommend a sensible way of doing so without spending too much!

Please let me know if I can provide any more information to help you give me advice!

Thanks!
 
HD 6570 won't be able to give you enough performance especially at 1920x1080.
I would suggest upgrading the PSU and move to a higher performance GPU such as HD 7850.
Most computer manufacturer install low power PSU to save cost.
That is why we recommend custom build PC for gaming.
If you plan to get HD 6570 you may have to lower the resolution to 1280x720 and lowering some details to get a smooth gameplay.
 
Thanks for the responses. So if I'm going to put a 6570 in, I might as well put a 7750 in, as they draw the same power - would it be safe to put that in my PC considering that I have a 250W PSU?

unreal9400: I realise this won't give me top end performance, but I'm really not looking to play the latest games! I just wanted to have as much GPU capability as I can without causing potential problems by trying to draw too much power from the PSU!
 

what games specifically you want to play ? 7750 draws about 55 watts at max load while 6570 draws about 40 watts. so not much of a difference. since you want to games at 1080p nothing less than a 7750 will do
 


Good question. Currently my most demanding game is the original Farcry.... I don't have any particular games in mind to play, but having had a quick look at a few likely ones (C&C4, GTA4) I would need at least a Radeon HD 3870 as a recommended GPU. I realise those aren't particularly demanding games (I think!), but I wouldn't want to constrain myself to just being able to play those - when I get back into playing a few games from time to time I'm sure there will be plenty more I'll want to play!

It looks like I could get the 7750 for about £80 or the 6570 for £40. I think the 6570 may be the better bet for me when considering cost vs my needs! Can anyone suggest any other alternatives that give a similar or better performance but are cheaper? Is there anything you can recommend that would be cheaper than the 6570 but still a reasonable performance? (I realise the cost-performance balance has to be my decision so it's hard for people to make suggestions without knowing what my limit is!)

As I'm fairly ignorant, any advice would be appreciated! Thanks again.
 
a radeon hd 4770 or 4850 if you can find one for cheap is pretty good card for your needs.
also a GTS 250 or 450 would also be great.
try to hunt down such cards for cheap an amazon or ebay
 


Thanks again for your response. After a quick look through eBay and a Google products search, none of those throw up anything cheaper tha the 6570, which I can get from here (£40, including delivery):
http://www.videocardshop.co.uk/viewproduct.aspx?part=HD-657X-ZNH3

Any reason why I shouldn't buy that one? Seems like one of the best deals I can find for what I need!
 
ok go ahead . 6570 will let you play all those games you want to play for now at decent settings.
but it isnt future proof. you will make do with low settings in future and current demanding titles if you so ever wish to play them.
 
OK, fair enough. Thanks for your thoughts. Is there anything that isn't much more expensive but is significantly higher performance?
 
Just doing a few calculations to satisfy my own mind. As far as I understand it, the 12V rails supply the GPU, CPU, Motherboard and HDD. So:
My CPU has a TDP of 95W, which based on peak consumption being 90% of this, means that it can draw up to 86W. My HDD has a peak consumption of 10W (although shouldn't consume more than 7W, according to: http://uk.hardware.info/productinfo/59552/seagate-barracuda-720012-750gb#tab:testresults). I struggled to find info on my motherboard (or any motherboard for that matter). I'm hoping that the CPU is the real driver on this and assuming that the motherboard will only draw a nominal 10W (can anyone confirm / comment on this?). So that leaves me 74W for a GPU.

Can anyone confirm that what I'm saying is correct?

Thanks.
 
yes its correct. dont forgot that other components like monitor, usb devices, dvd drives, etc also consume power. so that would leave you with less than 50 watts i think. yu may need to get a better psu then.
what psu do you have right now ?
 


My Power Supply is a "ATX-250PA (1PF)" with the following specs:
> 250W (+3.3V & +5V=110W Max) (+12V1 & +12V2=180W Max)
> +3.3V - 14.0A, +5V - 16.0A
> +12V1 - 6.0A, +12V2 - 10.0A,
> +5Vsb - 2.0A, -12V - 0.5A

But having had a read around the subject, am I correct that the other devices you suggested (monitor, USB devices, etc. - not sure about optical drives) all draw from rails other than the 12V rails so shouldn't be a problem?
 

Sure?? I think he can get away with the 7750. But if you can undervolt your processor it would be good. But I bet you can't.
 
I'd suggest a GTX 650 (non-ti).Its faster than a 7750,has a TDP of only 64W.Won't be a problem to run it on a 250W PSU.
Happy gaming :)
 
I'd suggest a GTX 650 (non-ti).Its faster than a 7750,has a TDP of only 64W.Won't be a problem to run it on a 250W PSU.
Happy gaming
Click to expand...
Ignore this suggestions since it is impossible for it to work since the 650 requires a 6 pin.

You might be able to get away with a 7750, but I wouldn't risk it since I typically recommend 300w dells (so the non slims)

I personally run a 6570 on a dell 620s which I think is my maximum for a 250w.

6450 would definitely be safer.
 
In the end I decided to go for the HD 6670, partially based on the fact that this (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-2.html) suggests that it's the best GPU for the money (I've got it for £50). I decided investing in something slightly better would probably be better for me in the long run. A lot of reviews / forums have suggested that it will run on a 250W PSU, so I will give it a go. I do realise that I may find that 250W doesn't hack it and I need a new PSU, but I'd rather save the cash if I can!

Thanks for all the advice!
 
Yes, but it's also £20 more. I'm already paying more than I had originally intended.......I've got to draw the line somewhere!
 

Okay then have fun! 😀
 
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