do i need a new power supply or are they just selling me more stuff? help

[tyler_durden]

i just bought a new video card for my P4ht 2.4ghz pc. i used to have a geforce 4 mx and now will replace it with a geforce 7600 gs. i was told that i should replace my old power supply of 300w for a antec smartpower 2.0 400w model.

heres whats inside my pc:

dvd-drive
dvd burner
two 80 GB hdd
geforce 7600 gs 256 mb ddr2

did i really need that power supply upgrade or are they just trying to sell me more product. please help, thanks.

[FishPoo]

Mmmm.. that's doable with your old one, but barely, I would recommend more power just in case as well.

[vietdood]

use it with your current power supply and if you experience random crashing or freezing then replace your power supply. my video card requires 350 watts but it works fine with the 250 watt power supply in my tower.

[tyler_durden]

where do i find out how much power does the geforce 7600 gs needs?

[lost_in_bsd]

What you need to look at more so is how the power is distributed, and bad ps that advertise 300 and are no-name are really not putting out that power. generally you have to get something decent around 350 true output or better.

be sure to check the 3.3v, 5v, and 12v rails, i have seen some that are only 5 amp on the 12. lasted all of 20 min.

and that power card draws decent power, but nothing really worth mentioning.

[eblend]

if you look on the video card box it will tell you the minimum power supply requirements. When you upgrade to a higher end video card, they do get more hungry, and like someone mentioned, you will experience freezes/crashes if its underpowered, so you will know u will need one then. Also get a good brand one so it won't crap out and actually output the advertised wattage

[Hollywood]

I had a 380w that could not handle my 6800gt OC.

[Mibz]

http://www.journeysystems.com/power_supply_calculator.php

http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculator.jsp

Those are a couple power calculators to let you know what you'll need and what you'll want. I would definitely upgrade, but to something even more powerful so you don't have to buy a new one during your next round of upgrades. If you're the type that'll just buy a whole new computer then just get 400.

[Xtrema]

Get a good 600W+ and you are set for a few years.

[Recca168]

you should be alright. Did a quick google and the 7600gs peaks at around 27W. I'd keep the psu for a while and see how it runs. no need upgrading if its un-necessary.

http://xtreview.com/review134.htm