Power Supply Compatibility

[tenbears]

I have a HP Pavilion m9517c system with a PS of 350 Watts. I would like to upgrade this to at least a 650 PS. HP only recommends a PS up to 450 Watts. Is there any reason for this limitation or can I use a 650 Watt PS?

 

[v8envy]

My guess: the case wasn't designed to take the thermal dissipation of components needing a 650 watt PSU. Crank up an overclocked i7, 2x5870s and 4 hard drives in that case and things are going to get very warm very fast.

 

[tenbears]

Thanks for the speedy reply. I only have a 95 W MOBA, a Tb Hard Drive, 25" monitor attached.
I wanted to upgrade my Video Card to draw between 400-500 W. What would be my best optionl.

 

[yh125d]

What processor? What are you looking to spend on a video card?

 

[v8envy]

There's no single video card that'll draw 300 watts, never mind 500. Until Fermi shows up (and demands two PCIe 8 pin connectors) the most consistently power hungry card you can buy is the GTX295.

It's a bit odd to select video hardware on highest power usage rather than game performance. However, that'd be my recommendation based on your criteria.

If I misunderstood your question and you actually just want a mainstream gaming upgrade, go for a quality 500-550 watt PSU (like the antec earthwatts) and a 4890 GPU.

 

[johnnydrinkawater]

I know I'm a noob here on the forums, but you won't have an issue putting a larger PSU in that machine.

As an engineer, I know that your machine only draws as much power as it needs. If your computer only needs 350W, then that's the peak value the new 650W PSU will provide.

Now if you throw in a new, thirsty GPU, then you need to consider ventilation in the case due to the GPU itself and the PSU dissipation.

 

[tenbears]

Thanks.
Sorry I am doing a poor job of asking the question. My system is as follows;
HP Pavilion m9517c
MOBA - ASUS M2N78-LA
Processor - AMD Phenom 9550 Quad-Core, 2.2Ghz
Video Card - NVIDIA GeForce 9300SE
I am attempting to increase the the Windows Experience Base Score for the graphics 4.1 to 5.8 and the gaming graphics 4.9 to 5.8 by upgrading the graphics card. HP only recommends upgrading the PS to 450 W from my present 350 Watt. Is there a video card available to do this?

 

[v8envy]

The 4890 draws about 180 watts max, typically less. That or any less capable card would work great for your application after an upgrade to e.g. an EA500 or TP550 PSU. That GPU also vents heat out of the case, so that should help with the case thermals. Adding a fan would work too.

HP makes the recommendation assuming you aren't going to do any engineering work on your own. If you are, you can use their recommendations as a baseline.

You should be able to power a GT250 or 5750/5770 off your current PSU without worry (HP uses quality OEM PSUs). Just check to see if it's got a PCIe connector or two and that the 12 volt rail is rated for around 25 amps.

 

[yh125d]

Ugh not this crap again with the windows experience crap





Do you want to upgrade your GPU to play games? Or just to make that useless number go up

 

[tenbears]

The Hipro 350 does not have a PCIe connector. It has two +12V rails. Without upgrading the PS I believe I will be limited to the NVIDIA GT 240.
Thanks for your assistance.

 

[tenbears]

Sorry I am not a big game player. I have CoD and that is about it.