Is There a Max Limit of Watts in Each PC?

sweetmisery said:
Oh, so that techician is a fake? He said not to put beyond 400(Max for my hp Pavilion), cuz he said it will burn the system down. He said there were cases.

Thanks!
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he cant seriusly be a trained techician if he told you that...jesus even i knew that.

i wouldnt let this guy mess around in my pc:D
 
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sweetmisery said:
So I dont have to change my 250W at all? Unless I add more?
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What's the amperage available on the +12V rail of your current PSU? (It should be printed on the label on the side). An 8600GT won't actually draw that much power, so you might be OK, but do keep in mind that PSUs shouldn't be relied on to output their maximum rated power in the long term.
 
like i've said in some other threads on the amount needed in a psu, you really want to be future proof, which is very hard with most computer parts, but not with psu's. get something that will last through every single upgrade you ever get. so even though a 400 W would work, i dont advise getting one, because what if you ever get the crazy idea to get an 8900? it wont work. (i think)
 
ceewi1 said:
~175W load would be my guess. Don't forget that these are AC draws - the actual DC power output is less, typical efficiencies are around 80%. If TheMajor is reading 222W AC, his PSU is probably only outputting around 178W.

For anyone who's interested, these are cheap and effective at measuring power drawn: http://www.amazon.com/P3-International-Kill-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B00009MDBU
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hmmm, ceewi1 psu's always give there DC output as a matter of course. eg 500W. But they never say what AC wattage they can handle to obtain that. The efficiency drop off slightly as it approaches its limit so at an output of 500W there is probably an AC draw of near 700W. They should really make that clear :D
 
ceewi1 said:
What's the amperage available on the +12V rail of your current PSU? (It should be printed on the label on the side). An 8600GT won't actually draw that much power, so you might be OK, but do keep in mind that PSUs shouldn't be relied on to output their maximum rated power in the long term.
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Well, cant right now, cuz if I open my PC, Ill void the warranty. lol. Ill just let them when my 8600GT arrives. Ill try to email hp techsupport for now though.

So wait, howcome the 7600 GS' minimum requirement is 350V? Is it stronger than the 8600?



EDIT: This is what I got from hp e-mail support:

I regret to inform you that, I cannot provide power supply information

in Ampere, I can provide only the Power supply information that is
supported by your PC. The Power Supply information supported by your PC

is:

Input voltage:
100-127v/8A
200-240V/4A
maximum output wattage - 250W to 460W. (NOTE: depending on the model ) - what does this mean?
 
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lovely? said:
like i've said in some other threads on the amount needed in a psu, you really want to be future proof, which is very hard with most computer parts, but not with psu's. get something that will last through every single upgrade you ever get. so even though a 400 W would work, i dont advise getting one, because what if you ever get the crazy idea to get an 8900? it wont work. (i think)
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Yeah I know. I will indeed get a PSU but problem is right now Im a bit short. I will avoid it if I can while using my 8600GT, and get the PSU maybe a month from now.
 
sweetmisery said:
Well, cant right now, cuz if I open my PC, Ill void the warranty. lol. Ill just let them when my 8600GT arrives. Ill try to email hp techsupport for now though.

So wait, howcome the 7600 GS' minimum requirement is 350V? Is it stronger than the 8600?
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No, the 7600GS draws a similar amount of power to the 8600GT (slightly less, actually). Manufacturers generally recommend an overhead so that
  • It will work long term (as I said, PSUs shouldn't output their maximum rated wattage for any length of time)
  • So that people with crappy, overrated PSUs will still be able to use the card without issues



EDIT: This is what I got from hp e-mail support:

I regret to inform you that, I cannot provide power supply information

in Ampere, I can provide only the Power supply information that is
supported by your PC. The Power Supply information supported by your PC

is:

Input voltage:
100-127v/8A
200-240V/4A
Click to expand...
There's no useful info there.

maximum output wattage - 250W to 460W. (NOTE: depending on the model ) - what does this mean?
Click to expand...
That there are different sized PSUs included in different models of the same product line.
 
Oh, the common size is the ATX model right?

Anyway, thanks. Very helpful!!!

So if nothing will happen if I use even 1000W, what will happen if I use lesser than required?
 
well if you use a lesser wattage your psu could generate a lot of heat. and maybe a burnt psu connector on the motherboard.
 
Yes, ATX is the most common size, however some small form factor PCs may use micro-ATX. In general, if your PSU can't provide enough power, you will experience stability issues, most commonly random restarts. In the extreme case your system may fail to boot at all.
 
So for my case:

Intel Core2Duo 4300 1.8Ghz
1GB RAM
1 CD/DVD RW
1 printer
250 GB Hard disk(1)
8600GT
built in soundcard & LAN/Ethernet

Is it ok if I use the 250W for a while? While the warranty is still in? Or is it a must I should upgrade right away... cuz my video card is arriving Mon/Tues.

THANKS!
 
sweetmisery said:
So for my case:

Intel Core2Duo 4300 1.8Ghz
1GB RAM
1 CD/DVD RW
1 printer
250 GB Hard disk(1)
8600GT
built in soundcard & LAN/Ethernet

Is it ok if I use the 250W for a while? While the warranty is still in? Or is it a must I should upgrade right away... cuz my video card is arriving Mon/Tues.

THANKS!
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I wouldn't recommend it. That card could pull you over 250 watts when playing a game.
You could try for a while without playing games or doing heavy stuff like converting video.
 
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