Just bought a Sapphire RADEON HD 4550...

[Spudd]

Couldn't be asked to buy a top-notch graphics card as I plan on going Uni soon...

So I bought this thing to tide me over. My only concern atm, is whether I'll need to buy a new PSU (or perhaps a GPU; I'm useless at knowing what I'll need for this sort of thing.)

The Nvidia GeForce 8400GS I had back in February ran ok with my PSU which is 250W just as something to compare it to.

Help is muchly appreciated as always

EDIT: Forgot link \o\ - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-RAD...0812062&sr=1-1

[3agle.ps]

when planning an upgrade I always double check with an online power usage calculator (sometimes 2 to make sure)

Here's a few:
http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp
http://www.silentmods.com/modding/PS...alculator.html
http://educations.newegg.com/tool/psucalc/index.html

note that these only give rough estimates and some are limited in the parts you can pick. If your estimate is within 50W of your PSU capacity, I would recommend upgrading.

[MacNetron.ps]

PSU = Power Supply Unit
GPU = Graphic Processing Unit

Anyways, according to http://www1.sapphiretech.com/us/prod...w.php?gpid=271:

–300 Watt or greater power supply (350 Watt for ATI CrossFireX™ technology in dual mode) is recommended.Certified power supplies are recommended. Refer to http://ati.amd.com/certifiedPSU for a list of Certified products

but also on that page:

Consumes less than 25 watts under full load
The ATI Radeon™ HD 4550 graphics card consumes less than 25 watts under full load, making it the ideal choice for implementation across a large diverse install base of desktop PCs.

If you don't have loads of extra stuff in your PC wanting power from that PSU, then I think you can stick to the 250 Watt PSU.
And it is basically quite simple, if you get strange random lockups and/or blue screens, then 250 Watt is not enough

EDIT:
If you should need a new PSU, I can recommend the Corsair HX series. I've got the 620 Watt version

[Chips.ps]

Ages ago someone told me that the W does not mean it's suitable. Turns out different power outputs for the different voltages required can mean the overall W output looks sufficient, but is insufficient for use to what you need...

[Dr.Strangelove.ps]

strange random lockups ...

I have you know, those people were put away for good reasons!!







I have been told that THIS is a competent power supply for gaming, if you are on a tight budget that is

[Sicks.ps]

i happen to have a spare 650w el cheapo psu, cost me £24 new and that was a year ago, the downside is it needs converter cables for sata drives, i think i have 1 such cable with it, its yours for a tenner!