GPU Power

[fyre]

So...I have a 375W PSU. The fan on my old card is dieing so I bought this card which says it requires a 350W PSU. UPS just delivered it and the box says it requires a 400W PSU. Is there any chance I can make it work?

[at0m]

Sure, but only if you have a bottle of headlight oil. And a jar of elbow grease.

Seriously, you can plug it in and see if it works, but overstraining your PSU is bad news bears. I'd look online to find out what the REAL requirements of the card are. Failing that, underclock it. Failing that, go buy a bigger PSU.

[fyre]

It's a Dell, so new psu=expensive. It says it requires 26 amps on the +12 rail. The sticker on the psu says +12A =/ 18A Max and +12B =/ 18A Max. I don't understand how this works. Do I add 18 and 18 to get 36A Max? Or are they separate. I hate working on computers. >

Also, would underclocking it work?

[at0m]

It's a Dell, so new psu=expensive. It says it requires 26 amps on the +12 rail. The sticker on the psu says +12A =/ 18A Max and +12B =/ 18A Max. I don't understand how this works. Do I add 18 and 18 to get 36A Max? Or are they separate. I hate working on computers. >

Also, would underclocking it work?

Those specs mean you can get 18A out of each of the +12v lines coming out of the PSU. You cannot connect them together to get 36A max, however, because of the way the PSU regulates each line seperately.

Underclocking it _should_ reduce its power consumption, possibly to a level that will allow it to work, but you're taking a huge hit in performance and still running the risk of unexpected operation due to the supply voltage dipping or the PSU burning out :/

Your other option would be to look online for a replacement fan :/

Is this thing AGP or PCI-X? I might have a replacement I can just give you NVM, you linked a PCI-X card. I have a spare card, but its an 8x AGP GeForce4 Ti 4200 :/

[fyre]

I just put the old ATI X300 that came with the system back in. I'll probably just leave that in for a month or two until I have the money to build a whole new system. Amazon has a 500W Dell compatible PSU for $60, but I really don't want to put more money into this POS than I have to.

Thanks for the info. 

[cbre88x]

It's a Dell, so new psu=expensive.

this is why my psu lies on top of the case. I don't think anything in my "Dell Computer" is actually an original Dell part anymore.

[fyre]

So I put the X300 in, installed ATI drivers, and now it BSODs on startup. Shiiiiiiit.

[zaneyard]

So I put the X300 in, installed ATI drivers, and now it BSODs on startup. Shiiiiiiit.

you might need to clear out drivers before you install the new ones
windows sucks penis like that

[fyre]

Ehh. I already put the 7600 back in for now. If it melts down will it affect anything else?

[zaneyard]

Ehh. I already put the 7600 back in for now. If it melts down will it affect anything else?

i dont see why it would melt down
in my experience if a mobo doesnt get enough power, it doesnt turn on

[Blues]

You linked an 8600 and stated a 7600.

7600 will run fine on your PSU.

8600 requires a minor underclock.

[fyre]

Oh sorry. The 7600GT is the card that I've been using with the dieing fan. The 8600GTS is the card that I just bought. The X300 is the card that came with my system that's been packed in a box for the last year. That clear things up?

Anyway, after the X300 BSODed me, I thoroughly cleaned the 7600 with compressed air and put it back in. It seems to be running slightly quieter for now, but I have a feeling it's only temporary. Problem is, I had uninstalled the Nvidia drivers that I had been using, so when I put the 7600 back in, I installed the latest version of forceware, 185.18, IIRC. But now for some reason TF2 is running quite slow. I dunno if it's the drivers or what. I'm gonna fuck around with it tomorrow. I wish computers just worked.

[Darklink]

Oh sorry. The 7600GT is the card that I've been using with the dieing fan. The 8600GTS is the card that I just bought. The X300 is the card that came with my system that's been packed in a box for the last year. That clear things up?

Anyway, after the X300 BSODed me, I thoroughly cleaned the 7600 with compressed air and put it back in. It seems to be running slightly quieter for now, but I have a feeling it's only temporary. Problem is, I had uninstalled the Nvidia drivers that I had been using, so when I put the 7600 back in, I installed the latest version of forceware, 185.18, IIRC. But now for some reason TF2 is running quite slow. I dunno if it's the drivers or what. I'm gonna fuck around with it tomorrow. I wish computers just worked.

Would this happen to be a Dimension 8400? I have that computer and it has a standard ATX PSU and came with the X300.