Upgrading video card: Problems with my power supply

[TheShoveledOne]

My video card is going haywire on me so i figure its time to get a new one. Just one problem though i only have a 220w power supply.

I am currently running an Nvidea 9200 and want to upgrade to a better card. I am aware my options are very limited and so i need guidance.

What is a video card that is both an obvious improvement to my substandard card, and i can rely upon to work 100% even with my humble power supply. If possible could you provide a link to brush away my skepticism

 

[TheShoveledOne]

one more thing i forgot


I already tried to install a new power supply externally but the jack to my hard drive differs from that of the PSU as does my DVD drive. My mother board is compatible. If i was to shop for a new power supply what would i get and how would i know it is compatible with all components of my computer

(my computer is a japanese car in terms of computers, oddly shaped and not much in the way of free space in the engine)

 

[Supernova1138]

At 220 Watts there aren't really any cards better than a 9200 GT that you can install. The Radeon HD 5670 would probably be much better and has a low power demand, but I wouldn't try even that card on only 220 Watts. You might be able to get something really low end like the Radeon HD 4350 or 5450 to work, but that would not be an improvement over the 9200. To get anything better you are going to need to get a new Power Supply, at least a good quality 300 Watt unit for a Radeon HD 5670, and probably 350-400 Watts and up for anything higher than that.

As far as a new power supply goes, the ones sold today should have the appropriate connectors, if they don't you can get adapters if necessary. Do you have a slimline case? If you do that will limit the selection of power supplies and video cards that you can upgrade to.

If your case is slimline, you will have to look for MicroATX power supplies, and low profile video cards.

 

[iam2thecrowe]

what are the rest of the specs of your computer? motherboard, cpu etc.

 

[TheShoveledOne]

At 220 Watts there aren't really any cards better than a 9200 GT that you can install. The Radeon HD 5670 would probably be much better and has a low power demand, but I wouldn't try even that card on only 220 Watts. You might be able to get something really low end like the Radeon HD 4350 or 5450 to work, but that would not be an improvement over the 9200. To get anything better you are going to need to get a new Power Supply, at least a good quality 300 Watt unit for a Radeon HD 5670, and probably 350-400 Watts and up for anything higher than that.

As far as a new power supply goes, the ones sold today should have the appropriate connectors, if they don't you can get adapters if necessary. Do you have a slimline case? If you do that will limit the selection of power supplies and video cards that you can upgrade to.

If your case is slimline, you will have to look for MicroATX power supplies, and low profile video cards.

adapters, as in.. a way to make an old power supply cord hook into a modern PSU jack?

if so will it be easy to connect the 500 watt power supply i have in my parts bin to the outside of my box
or will there be problems with this like heat and such

(mind that my box does not permit any additional software save cards and my current PSU is encased in armor with no obvious way of removing it)

what are the rest of the specs of your computer? motherboard, cpu etc.

all other parts of my computer are average, perhaps a bit above that.
4gb of memory - ddr3
AMD Athlon x4 635 processor (2.9x4 i think)

its an acer computer so im given to believe that acer stuck their own piece of *** in there but still not sure about the mother board. It is most likely not easy to take out and reuse on other boxes, like every other thing in my computer..