GPU + Power supply

[arsenalbates]

Hey all, im going to be fitting an old 9800GT energy edition in a friends pc soon. as it was bought from a company and not built I assume that the PSU will not be of a very high wattage. The website says it needs a min of 400W to run the card however this includes other hardware as well (i think based on top range hardware).

Has anyone got this card running on anything under 250w ?

What is the minimum power supply I could use with this card ? (they have a duel core AMD CPU, I think at 3GHZ)

 

[~Darkseeker~]

see if you can find out the power draw of the components in the PC. For example, my CPU draws 95W, your friends probably pulls likw 40-50W at most for an older AMD dual. If all the components in the case only collectively draw 200W, then a 250W PSU from a reputable brand would be fine.

 

[arsenalbates]

Ok, i will have a look today when he brings it over. Thanks for the reply.

 

[fractalr3]

and also if the card requires 6 pin or 2x6 pin or maybe a 8 pin- (not shure)
you will require a converter for lower wattage psu are not build for this purpose.

 

[rockyjohn]

I definitely would not run this on a 250w or less PSU - even if someone else has managed to get it to work, It would be an accident waiting to happen.
What is the make and model of your friend's PSU? Low end machines often have off brands that don't deliver at the stated power level or provide too little power to the important 12v circuit.
I would say if he has 350w you might give it a try but any less and I would replace - and replace with a minimum of 400w but if replacing would prefer to go to 500w to allow more headroom for later upgrades. The aiddtional 100w does not cost that much. Here are two good options:

Corsair Builder Series 500w - $40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139018

Corsiar Builder Series 600w - $45 AR plus $3 shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139019&cm_re=corsair_power_supply-_-17-139-019-_-Product

In this case, unless budgets are really tight, I would pay the extra $5 to go to a 600w PSU.

 

[arsenalbates]

Fitted it in, works perfectly, he had a 280w !!!!!!

What could be the risk in not having enough power ?

Why you say that its an accident waiting to happen.

Ran a few games and the whole pc seems stable.