Cheap PSU for GTS 250 Graphics Card

dan_eire

Hey all,

I'm currently in the process of upgrading the aul fella's pc. He has a Dell Inspiron 530, which has an nvidia 8600gt graphics card. I've ordered an nvidia GTS 250 card, but i'm afraid the PSU won't be enough to handle it.

nvidia's website states that the card requires a 450w psu (i think he has a 250-300w currently). can anyone suggest a cheap psu that can handle this? i'm on a very tight budget, so any suggestions of where i could pick one up on the cheap would be greatly appreciated!

cheers!

Ya 250w wont do it comfortably.
http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/product/ZKB_01COM/29_PSU/01_PSU/productdetails/15404885/Corsair_CX400W_Power_supply_%28_internal_%29_-/CMPSU-400CXEU/default.aspx

Jonny7

You chose quite a power hungry card there.. I really recommend getting the power supply mentioned above.

I know it hurts to fork out so much cash, but it will be infinitely safer and better than a cheapo 550 watt power supply.

Jonny7

Jonny7 wrote: »

You chose quite a power hungry card there.. I really recommend getting the power supply mentioned above.

I know it hurts to fork out so much cash, but it will be infinitely safer and better than a cheapo 550 watt power supply.

Quite the opposite, brands differ but the 40nm gts 250's are extremely light on power....Still 250w psu wont cut it!

Solitaire

I thought the GTS250 only went down to 55nm...

Deano12345

Solitaire wrote: »

I thought the GTS250 only went down to 55nm...

All the GT (210,220 etc) are 40nm IIRC, but the GTS and X cards are 55/65nm

Solitaire

^ What I thought. 40nm only goes up to GT240...

Deano12345

Deano12345 wrote: »

All the GT (210,220 etc) are 40nm IIRC, but the GTS and X cards are 55/65nm

Spot on, it is 55nm and runs nice and cool

Jonny7

david7536 wrote: »

Spot on, it is 55nm and runs nice and cool

Nope its a hungry card, often needs more juice than a GTX260 or 4870.. I would never put one in a dell.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Galaxy/GeForce_GTS_250_1_GB/27.html

Solitaire

To be fair that's one of the very early 65nm cards - the 55nm refresh is nowhere near that bad

Even then we're talking a fair whack more than what a HD5770 would need. It may not be as bad as a HD4850 but its still going to need a CX400 at the very least to run safely.

Jonny7

Jonny7 wrote: »

Nope its a hungry card, often needs more juice than a GTX260 or 4870.. I would never put one in a dell.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Galaxy/GeForce_GTS_250_1_GB/27.html

I havent seen a 65nm version for sale since last summer (prove me wrong!). The 55nm versions are alot better.
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/2729/asus_geforce_gts_250_dark_knight_graphics_card/index17.html

Why would you never put one in a dell? They can run cooler than most any other card.
http://www.pureoverclock.com/review.php?id=779&page=15

Solitaire wrote: »

....need a CX400 at the very least to run safely.

As long as the PSU is capable of rated output a 300w would suffice but i agree that as most PSU's are most efficient between 40-60% load, a 400 hits the sweet spot.