Nub question...

[MrJoey]

I don't want to rip open the case of my computer without knowing where to look... How do I know what rails my power supply needs? I'm getting a new graphics card, so I'll need to update my power supply.

Edit: and/or pins. Anything I need to know for compatibility basically.

[ThatBluePerson]

Most power supplies should be universal as to pins and stuff, just make sure that the one you buy has enough headers for all your things and has enough wattage to support your components.

[Love]

when buying a power supply you need to get 2 things right, the voltage and the number of pins for your motherboard, other than that you are gtg since i am pretty sure you wont be running an sli setup or anything of that nature.

[MrJoey]

Is there a fairly universal spot on the powersupply where it says the pins/voltage? If it helps, this is my computer

[Azilius]

My old PSU did not have the proper amperage on its 12V rails to support my graphics card causing me to update it. (think i said that properly oO)

The card should state somewhere in the specifics what the rails should be, and then you can purchase a PSU with said rating. There's generally a sticker on the side of your PSU that has all the info.

For example the 8800GTS by nvidia says..

"450W PCI Express-compliant system power supply with a combined 12V current rating of 30A or more."

You should also check to make sure you don't need extra 6pin or 8pin connections. Luckily my gfx card came with an extra 8pin cable..Everything should be stated in the gfx card specifications.

[MrJoey]

http://cgi.ebay.com/2-NVIDIA-GeForce-96 ... 1|294%3A50
So I need a 6pin connector, and 400W+ power supply. Doesn't say anything about the current rating.

[zShared]

http://cgi.ebay.com/2-NVIDIA-GeForce-9600-GSO-TWO-PCI-E-2-0_W0QQitemZ190316794053QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPCC_Video_TV_Cards?hash=item2c4fc3d0c5&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12|66%3A2|39%3A1|72%3A1240|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50
So I need a 6pin connector, and 400W+ power supply. Doesn't say anything about the current rating.

Any modern PSU will be able to run that card fine.

[Love]

http://cgi.ebay.com/2-NVIDIA-GeForce-9600-GSO-TWO-PCI-E-2-0_W0QQitemZ190316794053QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPCC_Video_TV_Cards?hash=item2c4fc3d0c5&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12|66%3A2|39%3A1|72%3A1240|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50
So I need a 6pin connector, and 400W+ power supply. Doesn't say anything about the current rating.

oh dude plz dont buy a gso for 100 bucks that is such a crime i cant begin to describe it, buy a radeon hd 4870 that are going now for around 130 bucks and will perform around 5 times better than that card. yes 30% increase in price for 500% increase in performance, smack yourself in the face if you arent able to get this one right and just to be more clear is the difference between playing easily at max settings vs barely playing at mid settings.

[MrJoey]

One, its 2 of them, 2 I'm paying for half of them.

[Azilius]

Lol I think a 4870 would preform better than two of those anyway..not entirely sure. Either way you'll run most games smoothly.

[Love]

Lol I think a 4870 would preform better than two of those anyway..not entirely sure. Either way you'll run most games smoothly.

a radeon hd 4870 will without question double the performance of those 2 cards + some but here is the deal, the GSOs will choke themselves to death at higher resolutions thus making them in my opinion pretty useless, not fair to your money at all. the difference in hardware/technology between the 2 is rather major ( just to give you an idea when the GSOs were selling for like 90 bucks the gtx 260 core 198 which sports less performance than a 4870 was selling for 550 bucks )


here are some deals:

125:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814131140

135 with nice cooler and double lifetime warranty:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814150403

[Azilius]

I bought a 260 a while ago and I don't remember ever seeing it for 550$. It was always less than the 4870..and the EVGA step up program made the deal oh so sweet..

[Love]

I bought a 260 a while ago and I don't remember ever seeing it for 550$. It was always less than the 4870..and the EVGA step up program made the deal oh so sweet..

so you know saying that the gtx 260 was always cheaper than the 4870 is very insulting to me couse i waste a lot of time on this and is simply just not true, specially when you put EVGA into the picture who usually charges a small premium on their cards. allow yourself to spend some time on google if you disagree with any of that so you cover some facts the next time around.

[Azilius]

I got my 260 back in january (or earlier, can't remember) for 300 canadian. The cheapest 4870 we (friend and I) could find was 330, which he bought. Of course the prices are going to vary a lot depending on where you live, exchange rate, etc. I stepped up to my 285 for only 80$ more as well (which beats the 4870). Either way I don't see you posting any proof either, but this is quite off topic...

[MrJoey]

I don't plan on trying to run games like Crysis on max, or paying $100+++ just for a fucking graphics card. Not happening. I want to upgrade my current graphics, and have something where I don't always have to crank games down to the lowest settings possible. This card will do just fine for me, especially for the price. That being said, shut up about the current cards that cost $200, $300, or even more, its just not happening and I don't care.

[Azilius]

Lol the 4870 isn't 200$, much cheaper. Plus I doubt it can run Crysis at max unless you're on a really small resolution >.> Graphic cards are expensive anyway.

Just speaking in terms of bang for buck, the 4870 would of been a great choice. I had an Evga 8600GT before and it ran most games medium-medium high so you should be fine with what you got.

[Love]

joey if any of that was directed at me i will enjoy flaming you ....

[MrJoey]

Go ahead and flame me if you want, my care cup will be completely empty. You've got nothing on me, and you know it.

[Love]

i dont think i will but i'm glad you are the one on the winning end of this.