Graphics Cards and Power supply for my Desktop.

stpierre87 · Dec 10, 2012

I have two different Graphic video cards I would like to buy to upgrade my desktop. To my disay I realize that they both need a minimum power supply of 350w while my desktop is only 250w. Does any one know how hard it is to install a new power supply into a desktop ??? and what a good one may be ?

snowbear · Dec 10, 2012

It's been a few years since I poked around inside one, but they usually just bolt (or screw) on to the case. IIRC, there are two sets of wires that connect to the mother board and the wires for supplying power to the drives. It's possible that with the newer "modular" boxes (thinking of Dell) the PS is screwed on to a mount and then snapped into place.

TheLost · Dec 10, 2012

Replacing a power supply is very simple. Most (95%) will use an ATX psu... Make sure you know what type your system uses before you buy just in case.

Flyhigh · Dec 10, 2012

The power supply has to work with your case and the available space in it. If you're not sure, take it to a computer store to figure it out.

JDFlood · Dec 12, 2012

Space can be the problem if inacompact box. I now have my PCs built in a huge case. Then upgrade is easy and it holds anything. I have a 1000 w power supply. I got really sick of the power supply problem.

stpierre87 · Dec 16, 2012

thanks !

Rick58 · Dec 16, 2012

PS's are very simple. I have a card and a 400w PS waiting be installed. I just have to pour a cup of coffee and do it. Neither is hard, I'm just lazy :meh:

table1349 · Dec 16, 2012

Your question would be much simpler to answer if you had told us what your system is. Store bought systems can be difficult. Not the replacement, but finding a power supply that will work since most makers prefer proprietary parts. (Keeps ya coming back for more) Custom builds no problem.

Garbz · Dec 18, 2012

stpierre87 said:
To my disay I realize that they both need a minimum power supply of 350w while my desktop is only 250w.

The issue actually isn't the wattage. If you don't play games it's unlikely that your card will ever draw any reasonable amount of power. The problem is the modern graphic cards are often quite power hungry when they need to be and can't draw enough power from the motherboard, thus you may find you need a powersupply with an 8pin video connector on it. Something to check with the video cards. Mind you most PSUs come with this connector standard these days.

Here's a few tips:
1. Don't go cheap. Bad power shortens component life. Most if not all harddisks that die due to controller failure rather than mechanical failure do so because of a power supply issue. Do not go cheap and nasty. Find a reputable brand like Antec, Seasonic or similar.
2. If your computer is off at night and very rarely does anything more than browse the web don't bother spending the extra money on one of those 80+ rated powersupplies. You won't make the money back in energy savings. A computer that on the other hand spends most of it's time processing something or under heavy load consider an 80+ supply. It'll be cheaper in the long run due to the energy efficiency.
3. Don't oversize your powersupply. There's nothing more stupid than people putting 700watt+ powersupplies in their computer. Not only will they never hit that rating but when powersupplies are underloaded they typically run inefficiently, have poor power factor, and spew garbage back on your powerline. Spend the money on a quality lower wattage powersupply not a cheap higher wattage one.
4. Computers don't normally use a lot of power. We have 2 powerful computers in the house. Intel Core i7s with dual video cards in one machine, and a Core i7 with a single but massively power hungry video card in the other. Yet with both running, screens on, two fish tank filters on, fridge on and lights in the living room on I'm using around 520watt in the entire house. If I fire up a game on both computers at the same time I expect this to suddenly spike to over 1kW. Computers only really use a lot of power when fully loaded. This ties back into my points on efficiency.

stpierre87 · Dec 18, 2012

Again thanks for all the help thus far.... The system and specs I have are hear HP Pavilion P6110f , and the Power supply and video card I am thinking of buying are Power Supply & Video Card. I would appreciated anyones opinion. Sorry to make you work at looking at two different links just to help me out, lol !
The whole problem I'm having is.... I mostly due photo editing (all Raw 14bit losseless compression) and mostly all the software I use (I.E. Adobe Lightroom 4 & Adobe PhotoShop elements 11) runs somewhat fine, alittle bit on the slow side switching in between different photos. Now, When I try to edit 1080p video in Adobe Premiere it gives me a really hard time. The video won't even run in the source monitor at all which makes it extremly difficult to edit. Any suggestions about this problem would be helpfull as well, my solution to try to fix this issue is to try to video card.

Thanks again....

bratkinson · Dec 19, 2012

I'm not completely sure about the HP line of computers, but most off-the-shelf brands have a custom-design/size/shape/fan power-supply in them that can only be replaced with an identical, pricey, power supply. Additionally, the same name-brand computer makers typically save a few dollars more by having the video card 'built in' on the motherboard, which is frequently a unique, proprietary design as well. Remember, they are trying to maximize profit by reducing the number of components and thus reduce assembly costs as well.

Bottom line, absolutely DO NOT run out and buy something that 'should work' until you know that it will actually FIT in the case, AND, if necessary, it's possible to disable at the BIOS level the built-in video card. You may end up having to buy or build your own 'component built' computer.

stpierre87 · Dec 19, 2012

The graphics card is currently built into the motherboard. But, the mother board also comes with a PCI express x16 slot. My big concern is if the video card & power supply I have chosen (in the link from my last post) is a good choice

bratkinson · Dec 20, 2012

Again, I'll ask 'will it physically fit?'. Yes, the P6110f you're looking at can handle a different graphics card. But note that most high-end graphics cards have a fan mounted to them and thus require an extra 1/2" or so horizontal space. And the power supply size and shape is still an unknown.

As for will the P6110f handle your needs? As shown 'right out of the box', barely. My biggest concern is the dual 2.6ghz processor. It can be upgraded to something faster, such as a 4 processor 3.2ghz or faster, which would be my recommendation. That may require a faster bus-speed on the mobo, requiring something better than a P6110f. For what it's worth, the box I built 6 months ago has a 4.1ghz quad processor that runs perfectly well at 4.6ghz and I still have to wait a bit from time to time in Lightroom 4.

I'd also bump the RAM to 8gig or more, and go for at least a 1tb (1000 gig) hard drive. RAW photos suck up drive space in a hurry!