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is 300w enough?

M

mnewxcv

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I just got the black friday hp deal.

Athlon II x4 620
8gb
1tb
win 7
etc
etc
etc


so the psu in it is a 300w unit. I have a spare 8800gt laying around that I would like to put in it so I can actually play a few games. Is the 300w unit currently installed going to be able to handle the task? The xtreme outervision calculator claimed somewhere in the 290s for 85 percent load. What do you think?
 
I would say you're pushing it. I would go with something a bit bigger, at least a 350.
 
Can you provide more details about the specs of the PSU? Brand, model, and rail breakdown would be helpful.
 
This depends on how much power the graphics card draws since the rest of the system will pull in 140W or less with the CPU not being overclocked.
 
450 said:
If he just got the computer, shouldn't the PSU be new?
Click to expand...

my bad, I took it his 300W and 8800GT werent new, should read better :)

OP, I would use a minimum of a good 420W if any overclocking is intended.
If not overclocking a 420W would be decent still but you can get away with a good 380W.
I'm in the UK but looked this one up for you.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371005
Its quite old so many places wont stock it but you may find a bargain.
 
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alright thanks guys. I figured 300w was cutting it close. I have a 380w antec that got rained on, so I will test it and see if it still works(powers up, just dont want it to overvolt)
 
yeah if you can test that 380w antec and make sure it work properly, it would be reasonable to swap out that 300w. your system doesnt need anywhere near 300w, but the 8800gt is a power sucker pretty bad... im sure the 300w would work, but for how long is anyones guess. i think the previous suggestion of a good-rated 350w is the minimum for what you should really have.
 
just wondering, do psus normally spike at start up? Or do multimeter readings? I plug in my multi to the 12v rail(one of em) and when i power on its goes from 0v to like 15-16 and immediately down to 12.4 or so. normal?
 
That may not be a good sign.
Do you know anyone with an oscilloscope?
Using that you can capture the voltage spike and see if it does really reach 16V and for how long.
 
I tested 3 psus: the antec that got a little wet(really not much, dont think anything inside got wet), this 300w in the new hp, and a 350w 20pin psu running 24/7 for the past year. All three show 18v for a split second at start up, then drop right to 12v. I also tested by, while the psu is on, removing the pos wire from the multi, the touching it the rail again. It shows 18v for the initial contact each time. So it is the way the multimeter reads. Would you say its safe to pop it in? Doesnt seem to be anything wrong with it.
 
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What you're seeing is a transient overshoot, which happens with all PSUs. Perfectly normal.
 
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