How to upgrade a power supply?

Question

I am installing a new video card that uses 250 watts min my current power supply supplies only 200 watts so I need to know what type of power supply to get for my XM600 hp and also what will happen if I run with 200 watts

Answer 1

Yeah, you'll want to upgrade that wimpy 200W powersupply for sure. Basically, you PC will become unstable if you want to run a vid card that requires 250 watts itself. More realistically, your PC will likely fail to boot at all because there isn't enough power to go to its critical components, such as the HDD and CPU.

With brand name computers, you're sometimes stuck with buying proprietary components as the maker's profit margins can increase by selling hardware that can only be upgraded with that maker's components. This is a real annoyance and I avoid brandname boxes for this reason among others. Before going to HP's customer service and asking about this, I'd try a site such as pcpowerandcooling.com where you might get a discount over HP. These guys have a great reputation, too. Here's a direct link: http://www.pcpower.com/products/power_supplies/selector/hp-compaq.htm

Answer 2

With your 200 watts power supply, you will just get a black screen.

I believe you are installing a new card that requires AT LEAST a 250W power supply because there are VERY few MONSTER cards that actually draw 250 watts (card itself only).

Retail power supplies are 150mm (5.9 inches) wide. If they fit, get a 300W or bigger unit. It should run cooler and give you plenty of elbow room for upgrades.

Answer 3

well, i suggest you to get at least a 500 watt power suplly, ofcourse, bigger watt is always better. make sure you pick power supply with 500 watt continous power and not peak power
(some people call these continous power supply as "true power")
i suggest you get power suplly with brand like antec,tagan, or silverstone,they're very good