power supply question
 

alright.. i just got a new vid card from a friend of mine for dirt cheap.. FX5900 Ultra.. wondering if i need to upgrade my power supply for it..

currently have right now..

HP case
amd xp 2200+
1gb ram
80gb hdd
SB Audigy 2
dvd drive
cdrw drive

PWS is 200w max..

my friends say that i shouldnt need to upgrade.. just wondering on some other opinions.. and does the 5900 require to be plugged into the PWS?..

no lights or anything in the case..

It would be a good idea, that's a bit of a strech for a 200W.
Is it a brand name PSU or a cheapie?

I would invest in the long run....you might not have problems now, but if you start adding any more hardware your gonna choke that one to death

Yea 200w kinda low for all those devices particurly that video card

Don't expect that power supply to last too long with all that hardware drawing on it.

You should try to get at least 350w, and don't go cheap either. You won't be doing yourself a favor buying a no-name power supply to save a few bucks.

Also, a lower quality or generic PS at 500w will usually perform about the same as a quality 300-400w power supply. Check the numbers, specifically the amperage on the 12v and 3.3v rails.

You'll need to upgrade definitely. The GeForce FX 5900 Ultra *requires* a 350w PSU or higher. With those components, you could probably get away with a cheapy 350 or 400w. The FX 5900 Ultra does use its own molex connector, so make sure your new PSU has enough!

-Lasereth

thx a lot guys.. help is much appreciated :)

Happy to help. :)

when connecting make sure that the Video card is connected directly to the power supply and not on the end of a HD,HD, CD-Rom, Case Fan, Heatsink Fan, Daisy Chain affair.

A friend of mine kept wondering why his 5500 kept freezing up on him.

Is this a hp case that has one of those micro-power supplies?

If so.. ..look at dropping some coin on a new power supply that will fit.

-SF

Agreed.... make sure you get the right size PSU.

HP use the micro style on most case... check before you but.

its a full size PWS.. 200w max..

any recommendations for a cheaper(arouud $100)/reliable PWS.. in canada too

You'll be fine with basically any PSU with 350w or more. Hell, www.directron.com has had some 400w RAIDMAX PSU's on sale for $8 before. If you have 1 HDD and regular PC components then you don't need anything special.

Of course, if you want a damn nice PSU, I suggest Sparkle, Enermax, or Vantec (Sixate says they're good). I've heard good things about those three. You'll definitely get the best performance out of a quality PSU, but for normal usage, a cheapy RAIDMAX or POWMAX PSU will do fine.

-Lasereth

I would reccomend an Antec Trupower 430:
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...27&vpn=TRUE430

430W, $106.32 CAD.

I own one myself, no complaints. :)

well i went out to compusmart today.. picked up a enermax 350w and its installed and runnin great.. now to just wait for my card to come in should be on monday hopefully.. then im set :) thx everyone for the help

good job. enermax is a pretty good maker of power supplies.

you dont want to be too cheap when it comes to your power supply; it's almost as important as your cpu.