Power Supply Question

[A Spartan Soldier]

Hey guys, i just bought a new computer for my little brother, didnt have the time to build a new one again. Since i never knew much about power supplies i thought i would ask here. The computer came with a 300 watt power supply with +12v rating of 19a. I was wondering if this 7950 gt would work even though it requres a 400 watt with +12v of 18a. Also wondering if you do go lower then the minmum requirements such as buying a card with a +12v rating of 20a and only have 19a, will it still work?

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...849&CatId=1558

Computer specs
Windows Vista Home
Intel Core duo 6400 2.13 ghz
2 gig of ddr2 ram

[kshcshbash]

Don't risk it is what I'd say.
Power is a bad thing to mess with.

[Erik]

Don't risk it is what I'd say.
Power is a bad thing to mess with.

Why?
What's the worst than can happen?

[Elric von Rabenfels]

Buy a 400watt power supply. They don´t cost too much, and your components are save. If you use your 300watt power supply, you components might get damaged. And you don´t want your graphics card to get damaged, do you? Sure it MAY run, but I don´t know how long.

[sdjenkyn]

id buy above the min specs that the card requires at least a 450 or 550 watt. Buy antec also as they have the most stable power supplies on the market. Im running 2 8800's and min spec was 600watts.....machine wouldnt even boot that. Had to jump to an 850.

[A Spartan Soldier]

Do you think you can help me find what type will fit in my case? That computer is a hp m7747c-d something like that.

[Elrond]

id buy above the min specs that the card requires at least a 450 or 550 watt. Buy antec also as they have the most stable power supplies on the market. Im running 2 8800's and min spec was 600watts.....machine wouldnt even boot that. Had to jump to an 850.

That makes my new computer look bad - out of interest how much did ur computer cost?

I also agree about getting a good power supply - it really isnt a component which you should try to save money on - get a good quality (high wattage and ampage) power supply that is above the minimium specs needed.

[mrmouth]

Im running 2 8800's and min spec was 600watts.....machine wouldnt even boot that. Had to jump to an 850.

It really comes down to the quality of the PSU. Plenty of quality PSU's on the market well below 850w will run 2 8800's in the SLi configuration.

My 620w corsair will run 2 8800's, a quad core and a bunch of HDDs.

The PSU is the most important component, people have no problem dropping $500 on a vid card then skimp on their powers supply, its madness.

A quality PSU under $175 and at or over 600w will be able to run anything on the market today.

Its not so much more watt's, but the ability of the rail/s to produce good solid power and the quality of the parts used to construct the PSU itself.

[sdjenkyn]

im pretty sure all power supplies are universal now. so they should fit all cases. I highly recommend the antec as they have been highly recommend to me everywhere i shop for parts. They cost a few more dollars but will probably outlast the rest of your components + they maintain consistent power and thats key. If you are still having trouble or questions reply with a list of part retailers in your area otherwise try outpost.com or newegg.com for a supply unit.

[A Spartan Soldier]

Alright thanks for the help.

[King Edward I]

antecs have bad reputation, get the 520W or 620W corsair

[mrmouth]

antecs have bad reputation, get the 520W or 620W corsair

Yeah the Corsair PSU's are just brilliant, insanely efficient and quiet as can be too.

Antec is hit or miss, they also have compatibility issues with some motherboards.

[King Edward I]

mines inaudible next to the computer even on quiet mode, on performance mode i dont think you can hear it but the whole comp is so loud i need earplugs!