Best Video Card for a 300w PSU

[Darth Nazgul]

Hello and thanks in advance,

Specs
Model = Gateway
CPU = Intel i3 2120 @3.30 GHZ
Ram = 6GB
PSU = 300w

Link to where I bought it = http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Gateway+-+Desktop+-+6GB+Memory+-+1TB+Hard+Drive/3152445.p?id=1218380507379&skuId=3152445

Budget = $150

Games I play : League of Legends, Starcraft 2 and eventually Guild wars 2 and Diablo 3

Extra notes : Tight on cash so I won't have the money to upgrade my psu. I don't need super high settings just avg and fluid. If you could select from the best buy website so I can purchase in store, being that I move around a lot and don't really have a place to send it to if I bought it online !

 

[Darth Nazgul]

Here is a pic of my psu, I read somewhere that cards like Radeon HD 6770 / 6670 / 6570 are sometimes compatible with 300 psu if they were decent.

 

[Darth Nazgul]

These are a few cards I am currently am looking into :

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/XFX+-+ATI+Radeon+HD+6770+1GB+DDR5+PCI+Express+2.1+Graphics+Card/2293037.p?id=1218320074686&skuId=2293037

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/XFX+-+AMD+Radeon+HD+6670+2GB+DDR3+PCI+Express+2.1+Graphics+Card/4677014.p?id=1218505322347&skuId=4677014

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/XFX+-+Radeon+HD+6570+1GB+DDR3+PCI+Express+Graphics+Card/3503128.p?id=1218407009739&skuId=3503128

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Galaxy+-+GeForce+GT+440+2GB+DDR3+PCI+Express+Graphics+Card/4615155.p?id=1218497906427&skuId=4615155

Thanks again for the help!

 

[ricardois]

i don't think that safelly you will be able to run anything like a 6570 on a psu like that, maybe just for some time if it was something urgent you could try it, but with some using time the psu will start to show up problems, unless you don't mind burning a videocard and toasting money and you really need to keep this psu you will need a much more economic video card like geforce 210 but i would say best thing is buy a good psu like this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027

and go for the 6770 or higher; (not so much you may need a better psu for get into 6900 series probably)

EDIT: Maybe the 440 will do, but i think with time and capacitor aging you will run into problems. since this psu is very generic

 

[Darth Nazgul]

Ty!I guess I was trying to avoid upgrading my psu but its unavoidable!

 

[cyxryan]

I think you should of bought this instead. This is what im about to buy from best buy myself.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Dell+-+Inspiron+Desktop+-+6GB+Memory+-+1TB+Hard+Drive/4843261.p?id=1218541285094&skuId=4843261

I have done a ton of research and yes I know this comes with a 300w "I think its stupid that they put these tiny PSU's inside computers"

I do plan on upgrading my PSU sometime but I also been doing research on cards that will be able to handle a 300 PSU.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121442

At best buy

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/XFX+-+ATI+Radeon+HD+6770+1GB+DDR5+PCI+Express+2.1+Graphics+Card/2293037.p?id=1218320074686&skuId=2293037

or

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/EVGA+-+GeForce+GT+520+2GB+GDDR3+PCI+Express+2.0+Graphics+Card/3628056.p?id=1218421869680&skuId=3628056

I'm sure these cards will run your games just fine not "PERFECT" but pretty damn close to it.

Anyways best of luck = )

 

[jaguarskx]

FSP makes good quality PSUs. I didn't know Gateway uses them. However, it does not have enough power to run a Radeon HD 6770.

The combined +12v1 and +12v2 amps is 22A. Based on your CPU and very few other components you should have no problems running a Radeon HD 7750 like the following which also comes with Dirt 3 for $110.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121558

Here's a review of that specific card. It is basically faster than a Radeon HD 5750 / HD 6750. It does extremely well in Batman Arkham City (1920x1200) even beating a Radeon HD 5850.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/HD_7750/

 

[jaguarskx]

Maximum power consumption of the HD 7750 is 43w compared to the HD 5770 / HD 6770 which consumes a max of 108w. Which is why the HD 6770 is not recommended for a 300w PSU it uses 8 amps (108w / 12v) out of a maximum of 22 amps on that FSP 300w PSU. You don't want to max out the +12v rails (or any rail), the higher the load, the more the stress, the sooner the PSU would likely die.

 

[Scotty99]

If this card comes back in stock buy it, its by far the best deal on newegg atm and nothing can touch it for 100 bucks:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133344

You will also need a new PSU:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027

After the 10 dollar rebate you are at your budget of 150.00.

 

[srafig4]

buy 7750 OC +1

 

[Darth Nazgul]

Thanks everyone for the info!