Power Supply Upgade advice

[splatman213]

Hey guys I have a prebuilt Hp Pc. I wanted to swap out the gfx card, but in order to accomidate the one i want, i believe i also need to swap out the Psu.

I am currently using the stock 300 watt psu that cam with my pc. I am thinking of getting either a Gtx 660, Radeon 7950, or GTX 570.

Anyway I just wanted to know which psu (if any) i can put in my pc, and how many watts i would need.
The dimensions of my currant psu are 5.5 x 5.9 x 3.4 (D x W x H).

I have dont much room in my case for a a psu to be any taller (H) than it is now, but there is room for the width a little.

SO do u guys have any recomendations? IS my system even upgradable?

Specs
Model number Hp HPE H8-1010T

I5 2500
1tb hd
6gb ram
radeon hd 6450 1gb
Stock Pegatron Mobo
300 watt psu (yeah ik lame)

I would appreciate any help in the matter

 

[Emerald]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151095

 

[afrobacon]

If you want something a little cheaper you could go with http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151074&Tpk=seasonic

 

[maestro0428]

Seasonic all the way man. I would go with the 520w modular version from newegg, its only 69 bucks.

 

[mrdowntownkiller]

if you are not planning to run more than one gpu in the future so you should pick a psu from 500W to 650W not more , seasonic or XfX are good quality psu's , i have just purchased the xfx 550w pro series and am very happy with it.

 

[photonboy]

POWER SUPPLY:
It appears you have an ATX case. Just FYI, but there are several TYPES of Power Supplies. If you have an ATX PSU then any PSU will FIT and you just find one that suits your needs.

I agree, a quality 550W or 650W PSU is plenty.

Graphics Card:
Do NOT get last-gen cards. Depending on budget, get an HD7000 or GTX600 series.

The BEST deal going is with AMD HD7950's offering three games:

This Card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202006
The Games:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16800995140

So the HD7950 3GB card is $285, plus you get $170 (at full price) worth in games!!

Power Supply:
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=76036&vpn=CP%2D9020048%2DUS&manufacture=Corsair&promoid=1226

There MAY be better deals on the PSU but I looked for an inexpensive PSU that should be good quality and still meet your needs. Double check it has the proper connections though it should.

**64-bit WINDOWS**
If you do NOT have 64-bit Windows then you should not get a video card with more than 1GB of VRAM. If you only have 32-bit Windows then you absolutely can't use a 3GB video card. If you require more explanation just ask.

 

[splatman213]

So I should add, there really isnt much ventilation in my case. there is no opeining on the top, there a couple holes on the side, but I cant mout a fan. here is a opening on the back but thre is already a fan there. would a psu with a top mounted fan be bad? if I face it up the air from the psu wont exause, but if iface it down it will heat up my cpu gpu and mobo, I was thinking a psu with a side fan like this http://www.amazon.com/Antec-BP500U-500W-Power-Supply/dp/B000H9KRY8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352051900&sr=8-1&keywords=bp500u

but do you guys think the amt of heat from the top fan psu would be minimal, or non harmful, I would consider it.

What do you think?

 

[tsnor]

...

**64-bit WINDOWS**
If you do NOT have 64-bit Windows then you should not get a video card with more than 1GB of VRAM. If you only have 32-bit Windows then you absolutely can't use a 3GB video card. If you require more explanation just ask.

Your other advice looked great, but this one confused me.

32-bit windows limits the address range for main memory to 4GB. Windows reserving address for use by memory mapped IO further drops Win-32bit to about 3.4 GB of addressable memory, depending on IO config.

A graphic card uses memory to cache objects locally. Its not addressable directly by the x86 CPU, it does not come from the x86 address space AFAIK. Using a 1GB card under win-32bit doesn't use more (or less) memory for MMIO than using a 512MB card.

What is the tie-in between the 3GB video card and windows 32-bit?

_______________________

OP: "... So I should add, there really isnt much ventilation in my case. there is no opeining on the top, there a couple holes on the side, but I cant mout a fan. ..." The class card you are using talking about using (e.g. hd7950) has a shroud that vents hot air outside the case, so that helps. Most HP cases I seen can mount a fan in the front pulling more air in. There are also PCI slot fans you can install to pull more out or blow air in on your video card. That said, I use a 180W GTX260 in my HP case with x58 chipset (hot) and 130W cpu without additional fans and do not have temp problems (*I do limit my OC in the summer vs winter, but that's to keep video under 70C, not a case issue AFAIK. The CPU runs cool). The suggested HD7950 has a 200W board limit, your MB and CPU use less juice so case heat dissipation is similar to mine.

 

[splatman213]

Yeah, but the main thing im worried about is just the psu. most have a top fan, and that exaust will stay in my case, and all the pu with a side fan, are at max 500 watts. is 500 watts enough? if not will the exause from a top fanned psu overheat my system?

 

[tsnor]

Hi, the top fan PSU's I've seen inhale thru the top and exhaust out the back. The case must have air clearance about the PSU or you need to mount it upside down so that is draws air from the bottom and blows out the back....

Can you post a pointer to one you are worried about ?

Aside: Your PC has a standard ATX power supply. That is by far the most common. I've used upside down PSUs in two HP i7-920 class PCs with no problem -- that is the stock position for the factory 460w PSU for the HP E9280T I'm typing on now. The case also has airflow over the top if you mount it the other way (assuming teh case is the same as the E9280T case). ref: http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?objectID=c02838702&lang=en&cc=us&contentType=SupportFAQ&prodSeriesId=5080764&prodTypeId=12454

Power Supply
Internal 300W (100V-240V)

Form factor: Internal ATX