300W PSU + DX10 - What Graphics Card To Buy?

Hey Guys,

I was wondering if you guys could do me a big favor and help me out with a problem i'm having. I recently bought a new computer and the problem is that the computer came with integrated graphics so I have to buy a new graphics card. My specifications are as follows:

HP m7760n
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 2.13Ghz
300W Power Supply Unit
Asustek P5LP-LE Leonite GL8E Motherboard
2GB DDR2 SDRAM
500GB Hard Drive
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 256mb (PCI-E Slot)
DirectX 10
Windows Vista

I need to buy a new graphics card and my budget is anything under $180. The problem is that I have a 300W PSU and I am not looking to upgrade it until I eventually buy a DX10 GFX card. At the moment i'm looking for a good DX9 Graphics Card.

My original computer was an HP Pentium 4 2.5Ghz with 1GB Ram, 120GB Hard Drive and an ATI Radeon 9250SE 128mb which has worked wonderfully for the last 4 years.

At the moment I need a card which will run at 300W, will basically fold me over for at least 6-8 months, and doesn't cost over $180. Can you guys help me? I was thinking about an Nvidia GeForce 7600GT or an Nvidia GeForce 7900GS but I found out those require higher power, so I was looking at an Nvidia GeForce 7600GS. Should I buy ATI or Nvidia? What do you guys recommend? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!

 

7900GS is your best bet.

Whats the Make/Model of your PSU? if its generic, i HIGHLY suggest you upgrade it, its not all about wattage, its all about the amps on the rails.

 

What's stated on the PSU is this:

LITEON
Model: PS-5301-08HA ROHS
DC Output: 300W
Combined Power On: +5V And 3.3V Rails Shall Not Exceed 175W Max
Combined Power On: +12V And +5V Rails Shall Not Exceed 268W Max
Continuous Total DC Output Shall Not Exceed 300W

AC Input: 100-127V - 6.0A
50/60Hz 200-240V - 3.0A

I would get the 7900GS like you said because it was also my first choice, but it states on the retailer's sites that it requires a minimum 350W PSU and I have 300W. Do you think I may still be able to run it judging from the Voltage specifications I stated?

If upgrading the PSU isn't an option for the time being (because I prefer to upgrade it later on when I buy a DX10 card) what graphics card would you recommend?

 

I am not really sure, whats the +12v amp specs on that PSU? i wouldent even run a 7600GT in that rig, you really do need a new PSU if your planning on gaming.

 

I don't think there is a 12V on this PSU. I know I do need to upgrade it but I don't have that much cash to spend on a PSU at the moment - plus it takes some effort to do. I only just bought this rig for $1300 so I only want a card which is compatible with the rig for the moment.

My old card was an ATI Radeon 9250SE 128mb and it ran pretty well on my old rig considering its limitations. The 7600GS supports HDR and runs on 300W power so i'm considering it. As you can imagine though, anything higher than an old 9250 would be great for me...

 

Seriously, I wouldn't bother. Its hard to recommend, as I personally would suggest you spend the money on a nice PSU ready for your DX10 card, but Im sure you want to be playing games. Its just a little risky putting a 7600GT in that system with only a LITEON 300W PSU. I do not recommend it.

 

And it's not all about amps either, it's more about whether the PSU can handle the load it'll be put under and how the rails hold up during periods of high load / temperature.

A PSU can have high ratings for the amps and watts but doesn't mean a thing if it can't deliver the rated supply under load / high temperatures.

 

Get a new PSU. I doubt that unit has enough amps on the 12V to properly run that system. You should have at least 25A on the 12V alone these days. Why? That's where most of the components are moving onto. Two of the power hogs are the CPU and video card, not to mention SATA drives. If a fan runs off the power supply and not a motherboard header, it's running directly off the 12V as well. Let's not forget that if you get into the 7800 or 7900 series cards, they REQUIRE a 6-pin PCIe power connector. My guess is that your current unit probably does not have that. These cards alone consume around 100-150W if I remember correctly. A single 8800 uses 300W.

What you have in there now is fine, but I'd be very surprised if it holds up to much of any sort of video card upgrade that would significantly enhance your gaming ability.

 

No matter how HQ a PSU is, your not going to buy it if it has Low amps, High amps on the rails and the Brand name are the main factors..

Some people seem to report they can run an 8800GTX off of a High Quality 450W PSU, but most proberbly there wouldent be much headroom, a 600-100W PSU that is high quality should be bought for an 8800GTX though, for the headroom and Future Upgradability.

 

yea, don't put a 7600gt or greater in that cheap 300watt psu probably isn't a great idea. If you absolutely wanted to put a card in it the most I would go is nividia 7300GS or 6200. Otherwise it's get a new psu.

 

Thanks for the help guys. I would upgrade the PSU but being honest I don't know how to install a new PSU, much less uninstall the old one. For the time being I just want a card which runs on this PSU and plays the latest games on medium to full, so that later on when I make a proper upgrade to a DX10 I can change the PSU along with it accordingly.

The best card I have found is the PNY Verto Nvidia GeForce 7600GS 512mb which retails for $130. I was wondering if you guys know of a better card than that, or if you knew of the ATI equivalent and if its better than the Nvidia card?

 

The 7600GS is good enough, but you can try it, if you start getting resets in games, blank screens, anything weird, you know what the problem is

PSU's are preety simple to take out, you might have to take the Motherboard out, people can guide you on this forum , I know it sounds like were all bugging you to get a new PSU, but its for the best, yea I can understand you really dont want to buy a new PSU, but if that PSU Fries, it could take your whole system with it.

 

I understand and I appreciate the help, but wouldn't a 7600GS run perfectly fine on a 300W PSU if it says it on the box specifications that it requires a 300W PSU?

I'll have a look for PSU's anyway just in case I decide to buy one in the end. May be you guys can recommend some to me (at least 450W) which don't cost too much and are decent?

How do you take them out and put them in?

 

Just because Nvidia reccommend a 300W PSU doesent meant its gonna work fine, you have to take into concideration the Amps on the rails, the quality and the Brand of the PSU, not just, ok its 300W thats fine.

You might aswell get that PSU that will support a DX10 Card such as an 8800GTX now, sure, more money now, less money in the long run.

Hiper HPU-4M730 Type R 730W ATX2.2 PSU - Black
Seasonic M12 Modular 700W Silent ATX2.0 Power Supply
Components » Power Supplies » Enermax - Overclockers UK (600W+)

A budget 450PSU you might want?

Antec TruePower Trio 430W PSU (430W, good enough for a 7600GS, aint sure about 8800 series though.


Gahh just noticed your in the US, check out Newegg for the same PSU's.

 

Thanks for that. I'll definitely have a look at the PSU's. Don't I also have to check whether or not the PSU is compatible with my motherboard? Also, removing the motherboard to change the PSU won't cause any of the data or settings on the computer to reset will they?

So what's Newegg? That meant to be a budget website for buying stuff or something?

Sorry I only arrived back in the US at the beginning of the month and changed the location bout a week ago. I live a couple miles north of Ft. Lauderdale now, not in England anymore

 

Hey guys its me again,

I'm probably gonna give in and buy a new PSU first, and then see if I can find a GFX card to handle games which doesn't break my bank in the meantime.

The problem is, I don't know which PSU to get. All of them have different Watts and I am not sure which PSU is compatible with my motherboard. Can anyone help me find the right PSU?

Willz, I looked on that Newegg.com and saw quite a few PSUs but I do not know which one I should get. Can you guys help me because I can hardly find any information on my motherboard.

On the HP website it states that its an AsusTek 5PLP-LE and its designation for the HP is Leonite-GL8E. My computer is an HP m7760n if that helps at all? Asus don't even have this motherboard stated on its website and I think my computer and motherboard are both new because it says on the manufacturing box 'do not ship or sell before January 31st, 2007'.

Are any of these compatible with my computer/motherboard? Are they any good in your opinion? I don't need SLI because I only have 1 PCI-E slot. The Cooler Master and the MGE company cards seem alright to me...

1. Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power RP-600-PCAR 600W Power Supply - Retail

2. Newegg.com - Thermaltake Purepower W0129RU 600 W Power Supply - Retail

3. Newegg.com - XION Supernova XON-600F14R-201 600W Power Supply - Retail

4. CompUSA.com: MGE Company XG Vortec 700W Power Supply - PSVO-700 - Computer Upgrades » Power Supplies

5. Newegg.com - Antec True Power Trio TP3-550 550W Power Supply with Three 12V Rails - Retail

6. Newegg.com - RAIDMAX RX-630A 630W Power Supply - Retail

7. Newegg.com - APEVIA (ASPIRE) ATX-AS680W-BL 680W Power Supply - Retail

If I upgrade my PSU then i'm most likely going to get a 7600GT or a 7900GS instead of the 7600GS. That means i'll need a DX10 PSU which doesn't cost too much, preferably around $80-130, though that might be a bit cheap, but I think I may need a 500-550W minimum - do you guys know if its possible to get a DX10 PSU for that cheap?

I know its a chore to do this and check up on it but i'd really appreciate any help (and i'm losing patience with my computer lol ).

 

Wattage doesn't matter. The link is more detailed, but basically, there are 3 main voltage lines, referred to as rails. The rails are +3.3V, +5V, and +12V. Components are being shifted over to the 12V, and you will notice that many power supplies emphasize this. The problem of going by wattage is that it's a summary of the + voltages (and sometimes the - negative ones). You'll notice that there's more than one way to get the same number. You get Watts by multiplying the voltage by the amperage supplied on the particular rail.

As far as connections go, nearly all power supplies available are ATX, and will be compatible with your current system. The ATX formfactor is the primary one defining cases and power supplies. While you likely have a micro ATX motherboard, it's just a shorter circuit board than a full ATX motherboard. The power connections are the same, so any ATX power supply will work.

 

Thanks for the link. I'll definitely read up on it. But do you know if the PSU's in the links are in any way compatible with my computer because I only found 500W PSU's which are available in my price range. I want the PSU to last me a long time - even when I upgrade to a DX10 card...

 

Save up, i know your desperate, but its worth waiting untill you get the right PSU, get the PSU you need for a DX10 card now, its going to save you money in the long run.

A decent PSU to last you up to a DX10 card and past that will cost quite allot, £80 +

 

Dollars Bro lol! I'm not in England anymore...

So does that mean that none of those PSU's are any good for a DX10 card?

There is also another problem. My computer came with Windows Vista installed. If I change the PSU I will have to reboot my computer won't I? Doesn't that mean that Vista will be gone?