Newbie needs help choosing PSU

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Manchurian

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Dec 24, 2009
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I am new to computer harware and want to upgrade my crappy 300W generic HP PSU. I bought a new GT240gfx card and the recomended PSU is a 450 ( according to Asus). I want a PSU that is going to provide opprotunity for possible upgrade of another hd and new/better gfx card. I would like the cheapest, yet best product for my buck.

Thanks for your help!
 
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You don't mention budget but this one seems reasonable and should do the trick for you plus the reviews are positive....... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022

Note: Since you mentioned HP you might want to do a little research as you haven't shared what model you have and some of the older ones may have had some proprietary tendencies.

Probably isn't an issue as I know some have replaced their HP PSU's with regular Corsairs but it doesn't hurt to be cautious.
 
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hp: P6228P

Manufacturer # AV021AA#ABA
processor brand AMD
processor model Athlon II X4 Quad-Core
memory 8 GB
hard drive capacity 640 GB
optical drive DVD±RW/DVD-RAM/DVD±R Double Layer
operating system Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
processor speed 2.6 GHz
frontside bus speed 4000 MHz
memory speed PC2-6400


I am also fairly new to installing hardware. Is a psu pretty easy to install?
 
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i would recomend the corsair tx450.

a brilliant PSU, stable and inexpensive. and it can actually supply a fair bit more than the 450w its rated at. it should be enough to power pretty much any singel GPU system.

you dont want to skimp on a PSU, its the most important part of a build. corsair are one of the best manufacters, and IMO they are the best at their price point.
 
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and to add on your question about installation. a PSU can be tricky. the only more annoying instalation is probably a new mobo.

but as long as you take your time, and figure out how you are going to route your cables BEFORE you start hooking stuff up, its fairly straightforward.
 
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You've got a new enough unit that the PSU I linked should work fine.

Basically you want one that has more capacity than your minimum requirement which you stated as 450W.

I'd go no lower than 550W and would even consider a 600W if the price was right.

Changing the PSU is not that difficult however you do have to be very careful and take your time.

Make sure you are plugging the proper connector into the proper place but before you do anything make sure you ground your bare hands/arm to the side of the metal case as you can damage sensitive components by electrostatic discharge and you don't want to do that.

The various plugs orient into their sockets a certain way and they all lock into place so if you look at them very carefully you can tell what goes where.

First you naturally have to disconnect all the plugs from the motherboard and drives in your PC just remember not to force anything. There's a tab on all of them that connect to the motherboard that you must squeeze in order to release the plug.

Once you've got them all disconnected there are four phillips head screws on the back of the case that hold the PSU in position.

Since I have no idea of the space in your case I will caution you that at times things are tight and I have actually had instances where I had to remove the motherboard or heatsink to get enough space to move the PSU in and out.

Large power supplies and/or large heatsinks will create such a scenario in a mid tower case.

Hopefully that's not the case as it makes for a much harder task.


 
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The Corsair model is good. The Thermaltake is fecal. Choose one that has full range active PFC (no little voltage switch) and is 80+ certified. In addition to Corsair, Antec, PC Power & Cooling, Seasonic, and Enermax are good brands, with high quality across the board.
 
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Requiring a 450w ps to run a GT 240 doesn't seem right. Other manufactures recommend a 300w ps for this card. I think your current ps would be enough.

There is a lot of "snake oil" in power supply land. I think Asus is just being conservative. Since you have the factory HP ps, the rating is probably honest.
 
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There's a lot of "snake oil" in graphics power reccomendations, but I agree , the 300w should be fine.
The GT240 uses less power than the 9600 GT, and people have run it on a 300w.
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I'm sure that the 300w psu would have worked, and did for a week before i changed it. I just heard alot about how it can decrease the life of the psu if it had to run at max output for a long period of time. I just bit the bullet and bought one today at best buy. I bought the BFG GX Series 550W. It looks to be a pretty nice one and I only paid about 60 for it. I bought the 550 so I could possibly change gfx cards in the future

I have never installed one and just kind of did it like a puzzle. Everything works so I am guessing there is nothing to worry about anymore. I guess I got it put in correctly.

Thanks for your help
 
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I've used a couple of those actually in basic systems and have had no issues with them at all.


Good luck swapping it out just remember to take your time. :)
 
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