Best vid card for a 250W PSU?

43st

Diamond Member
Nov 7, 2001
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We have a secondary PC for media and what not, it's a Shuttle ST20G5. It has an Xpress 200 IGP DVI connection and that's worked fine up until now, as well as a 250W PSU (not standard).

What do you think is the best graphic card this computer can run? I was leaning toward a 7600 GT or maybe 7900 GS. Any comments?

EDIT: Picked up the Gigabyte 7900GS, works great! (scroll down for details)
 

gregor7777

Platinum Member
Nov 16, 2001
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not sure how much this will help you, but for a frame of reference I had my 9700 Pro running off a Sparkle 200w mATX PSU and it ran stable without any noticible issues.

check nvidia for the power requirements for the card you're interested in and see what your PSU puts out on the 12v rail.

 

evolucion8

Platinum Member
Jun 17, 2005
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I don't think a 7900GS would be able to run on that power supply. I guess that the 7600GT, or 7600GS, or X1800GTO or X800XL should be able, all the ones mentioned above are single slot solutions and they don't use a lot of power.
 

43st

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Nov 7, 2001
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I did a search for those cards and found this. If this is accurate then it seems the 7900GS uses less power under load (190 Watts) than even the 9600XT (203 Watts).

This also appears to be total system power draw, not just the graphics card. Thanks for your input.
 

BernardP

Golden Member
Jan 10, 2006
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For more power consumption info on current videocards,

Look here, on Anandtech.com

There are perplexing figures in there. For example, When the 7900GS launched, it was reported that NVidia rated it at 82 Watts (same as 7900 GT), hence it needed a PCIe power connector, as the PCIe slot can only give 75 Watts.

These figures show that the X1650XT draws more power than the 7900GS, but it doesn't have a PCIe power connector.

So it seems unlikely that the 7900GS can consume 82 Watts.
 

43st

Diamond Member
Nov 7, 2001
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Browsing Newegg shows 7900GS cards with both the 6 pin connectors and the 4 pins. Also of note is the core clock speeds on different 7900GS's, ranging from 450 to 525.

I've also read reviews of the ST20G5 PCIe not "working" and having to use a special adapter cable off the PSU. Maybe this is indeed the 75 Watt ceiling being reached.
 

BernardP

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Jan 10, 2006
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Originally posted by: 43st
I've also read reviews of the ST20G5 PCIe not "working" and having to use a special adapter cable off the PSU. Maybe this is indeed the 75 Watt ceiling being reached.
Yes,

So it is surprising that the X1650XT seems to consumes more power but doesn't need the power connector.

I am somewhat in the same boat as you are. I have a 350 Watts P/S, yet I can't be absolutely certain that (considering other components in my system) this is enough for a 7900GS.

It is possible to play it safe by getting a card that doesn't need the external connector. This way, one is sure that the card stays below 75 Watts at all times.
 

Arkaign

Lifer
Oct 27, 2006
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Are you going to game on it? If it's just for media use and occassional gaming @ medium res/details .. save a load of money and get a 7600GS. It will definitely not need very much power, I have one in a spare PC, and it doesn't even need a fan.
 

43st

Diamond Member
Nov 7, 2001
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Thanks for the link happy medium.

I went with this, Gigabyte 7900GS. It's a faster clock and a bigger fan so we'll see if it fits and works.

Arkaign, this was a media PC mostly and the ATI Express 200 IGP (X300 equivalent) worked fine up until now. My wife is playing 1701 A.D. now and it needs more power, the game currently defaults to all low settings with the IGP.
 

BernardP

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Jan 10, 2006
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Originally posted by: 43st
I went with this, Gigabyte 7900GS. It's a faster clock and a bigger fan so we'll see if it fits and works.
If you could report back on the card stability with your PSU, it would help me decide what card to get for my system. Also, I would like to know about the Zalman fan noise. I have seen elsewhere that the fan is always running at full speed on this card. I will be monitoring this thread for some time. Thanks

 

43st

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Nov 7, 2001
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I installed the 7900 GS today in the ST20G5. I'm happy to report no stability issues (will be testing long term load soon). The system powered up perfectly, I installed the drivers and booted up 1701. I turned the graphics up to full and it breezed through it. The fan ramped up under load but was generally quiet.

One bad thing though... the heat sink blocks the case cover. I'll have to mod the case to make the cover fit, it's perhaps a 1/2" too wide.

I also really like the new Nvidia control panel, very slick. The 1701 performance on the 7900GS makes my computer's X850 PE look pretty bad also. I think my PC is now on the fast track upgrade list. :p
 

BernardP

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Jan 10, 2006
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Thanks for the report 43st. Very much appreciated.

You have the 7900GS running on 250W P/S whil every vidcard manufaturer will say that it requires 350W or 400W. Gigabyte says 350W.
 

43st

Diamond Member
Nov 7, 2001
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Originally posted by: BernardP
Thanks for the report 43st. Very much appreciated.

You have the 7900GS running on 250W P/S whil every vidcard manufaturer will say that it requires 350W or 400W. Gigabyte says 350W.

I've read from other posters that Shuttle, and other SFF manufactures, make efficient motherboards and PSU's, I guess this supports that assumption. Also keep in mind this PC only has a processor (pre-Venice AMD +3200), HD (Seagate 200Gb something) and a single optical drive.