What graphics card will work best with a 300w power supply

[Susedester13]

I have a 300w psu and am nervous to upgrade it, so I am wondering what graphics card can work on it. I totalled up the watts from the rest of my sysem for a total of about 150-160 watts total when maxed. Would those graphics cards even be worth an upgrade if I have a radeon 7450?

Specs: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c03154290&tmp_task=prodinfoCategory&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&product=5192450

 

[Sephypoo73]

A decent graphics card may work on it but it will push your 300W OEM PSU to the limits and potentially risk your system. They're sub-par quality PSU's as it is... You should upgrade to a solid Antec or Corsair 430-550W depending on what kind of budget and games you're trying to play.

 

[randomkid]

I have a 300w psu and am nervous to upgrade it, so I am wondering what graphics card can work on it. I totalled up the watts from the rest of my sysem for a total of about 150-160 watts total when maxed. Would those graphics cards even be worth an upgrade if I have a radeon 7450?

Specs: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c03154290&tmp_task=prodinfoCategory&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&product=5192450

An AMD 7750 800Mhz is the max you can get which the psu can support. It cost around $110. Get if it is within your budget. It is a significant upgrade from the 7450.

 

[geofelt]

Almost any discrete graphics card will do better than integrated graphics.

In general, any card that does not need a additional 6 pin pci-e power connector should work.

Look for the newer 28nm cards that are more efficient and use less power.

The 7750 is about the strongest that should work.
Here is one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121633

AMD says you need 400w , but they tend to be conservative.
http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/7000/7750/Pages/radeon-7750.aspx#3

 

[Susedester13]

My budget is about $150 and $200 max. Would upgrading the PSU be a hard task, and will it greatly improve graphics for games such as Diablo 3, Driver San Fran, and SC2?

 

[randomkid]

Upgrading the PSU looks daunting at first but nothing that a good guide & some instructional youtube videos will not remedy.

Upgrading the PSU will open up your possibility for more powerful graphics card. The minimum recommendable PSU in my point of view is the Corsair CX430 V2. It is around $45 at point of purchase & drops to $35 if you avail of the Mail In rebate.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026

That leaves around $155 for the card.
Here is an option MSI 7770 @ $125:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127664

That's $170 & can be as low as $145 if you avail of the mail in rebates.

 

[mousseng]

That's $170 & can be as low as $145 if you avail of the mail in rebates.

+1 to this; this is exactly what I was going to recommend. A 300W no-name PSU is risky business - that's not to say they'll always fail and break your computer and ruin your life... but if I buy a new video card, I'm not going to risk it like that. The Corsair CX430-V2 will be more efficient, more reliable, and has a solid warranty with it. The Radeon 7770 is a great entry-level card - you won't be maxing out any new games at 1080p, but it's still definitely capable of hitting high presets in a lot of games.

 

[bardacuda]

Upgrading the PSU will not improve your graphics at all, but it will allow you to run a more powerful graphics card without the risk of failing and killing your PC. All you have to do to swap it is unplug the cables and remove a couple screws, then screw the new one in and plug everything back in. After that you can run a better card like a 7770, or if you can squeeze it in a 6850 or gtx 460 are even better for not much more money.

 

[Susedester13]

Thanks guys!
And any psu will fit in this computer?

 

[Susedester13]

I also heard the 7770 would work on my current psu because of the very low energy consumption. Is that true?

 

[mousseng]

I also heard the 7770 would work on my current psu because of the very low energy consumption. Is that true?

It's possible that it could... but like I said before, if it were me buying a new video card, I wouldn't put its well-being in the hands of a cheapo PSU like that. It's highly recommended you get a new PSU as well.

 

[Sephypoo73]

If you were coming into my shop I'd highly recommend against it without the PSU upgrade. I might even go so far as to say that you would void the normal 30 day return policy if you have issues with the card due to knowingly going well under minimum requirements.

 

[Sephypoo73]

I put your system through 2 different PSU calculators and the absolute max I could recommend is a HD 7750. The HD7770 puts it over 300W(without any capacitor aging), and on top of that you're using a cheap-o OEM one.

 

[randomkid]

I also heard the 7770 would work on my current psu because of the very low energy consumption. Is that true?

As mentioned before, 7750 800MHz is the max. Anything above it requires a PSU upgrade.

I know you are apprehensive about replacing the PSU but like I said before:

Upgrading the PSU looks daunting at first but nothing that a good guide & some instructional youtube videos will not remedy.
Upgrading the PSU will open up your possibility for more powerful graphics card. The minimum recommendable PSU in my point of view is the Corsair CX430 V2. It is around $45 at point of purchase & drops to $35 if you avail of the Mail In rebate.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026

That leaves around $155 for the card.
Here is an option MSI 7770 @ $125:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127664

That's $170 & can be as low as $145 if you avail of the mail in rebates.

 

[psirohi]

+1 to all reccos for a psu change... not really a good idea to try and loadup a chap no name psu..

 

[Susedester13]

Best answer selected by Susedester13.

 

[Susedester13]

Ok sounds good guys! Thanks for all the help; I think I'm ready to tackle this task!