Voltage and Amperage. Need Recommendations and Info

Forum CPU & Components : Power Supplies, Cases & Mods Voltage and Amperage. Need Recommendations and Info

Hi Im basically coming at this community asking for help. Ive got a HP computer I got 2 years ago. Its an elite (model: m9510f, if youre interested). Its decently fast with a Core 2 Quad and 8GB ram. The only bottleneck i'd say is the gpu which is a sluggish 9500gs. It also only has a 350W psu.

So, after doing a ton of research one night, I went ahead and bought a new gpu.. Its a Gigabyte GT 440 w/ 1GB DDR3 (overclocked version, which I didnt know before I bought it). On Nvidia's website, they stated that this gpu needs a minimum of 300w, so I thought I was safe buying this. BUT on the box it says I need 400w minimum AND +12v current rating of 22A. I have the +12v, just not the 22A. Heres a direct link to a picture of the side of my psu, with all the specs :: http://i164.photobucket.com/albums [...] Uspecs.jpg

I really dont understand voltage and amperage very much. So, if I dont have enough amps (im assuming thats what "A" means), will it not be safe to put this card in?

Also, this card doesnt have a 6 pin or anything, it just goes into my motherboard.

I really dont want to ruin my computer by doing this upgrade w/o sufficient power. Would it be safe to keep my current psu and do the gpu upgrade, or do I also need a new psu?

Thanks.
-James

Message edited by jmcginne on 08-12-2011 at 07:51:11 PM

Reply to jmcginne

Actually,, Im guessing my psu isnt up to par, and might as well look for an upgrade for that..

So, i was just poking around the forums and saw this psu that was recommended to someone:: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139026

would this meet my needs? and also would it fit in my computer fine?

Reply to jmcginne

The PSU you have (according to the label in your picture) has two 12V rails, at 18A each. So I don't think it is lacking power.
I couldn't find any info for the power consumption of 9500 GSs, but GT 440s only have a TDP of 58W.

I think the PSU you have atm is a normal PS/2 ATX power supply, so you should be able to replace it easily enough if you want to.

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to Silvune

Silvune wrote :

The PSU you have (according to the label in your picture) has two 12V rails, at 18A each.

No. 12 volts * 36 amps = 432 watts. That does not pass the "Does this make sense?" test.

What the label is telling you is the the PSU has two 12 volt rails, each capable of a max of 18 amps. That is not the same thing as "36 amps total capacity". Look in the "fine print" below the large table of data. It says total 12 volt capacity is 300 watts. That is 25 amps.

A 9500GT needs about 4 amps. A GT440 needs about 5 or 6 amps at 12 volts. Your present PSU will be adequate for either video card.

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by jsc on 08-12-2011 at 09:27:22 PM

Reply to jsc

mm, okay I see. Just FYI though, I went ahead and bought the Corsair 430watt psu(link above). It seemed like a good deal too. $20, cant beat that

Reply to jmcginne

jsc wrote :

12 volts * 36 amps = 432 watts.

Did I say that I thought the total was 432 watts? Or that you could draw the maximum from each rail simultaneously?

Message edited by Silvune on 08-12-2011 at 09:48:10 PM

Reply to Silvune

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