Just got a nVidia 6600GT graphics card AGP, but i need to replace my power supply in my PC to run it at the optimum performance.

The card needs at least 350 watt to run to full capacity. I have spotted that the power unit in my PC is 12 volt, can't see the wattage on there.

I am i being thick! Whats the difference between watts and volts??:confused:

Wattage is the amount of power that the power supply can output (joules per second) where Voltage is a measure of electron motive force (defined as the difference of electric potential between two points on a conducting wire carrying a constant current of one ampere when the power dissipated between the points is one watt).

Any idea how old your PSU is?

By the way my PC is a dimension 4600, just in case anyone knows what the standard power supply was in this model.

Nearly 2yrs old.

Originally posted by goose
Just got a nVidia 6600GT graphics card AGP, but i need to replace my power supply in my PC to run it at the optimum performance.

The card needs at least 350 watt to run to full capacity. I have spotted that the power unit in my PC is 12 volt, can't see the wattage on there.

I am i being thick! Whats the difference between watts and volts??:confused:


Watts are a method to measure how much current an appliance uses (usually per hour - 100W light bulb uses 100W per hour of use).

Voltage can be thought of as the ammount of pressure being exerted on the individual electrons.

watts is power capacity.
Your PSU will have 4 voltages 12v -12v 3.3v and 5v output
there will probably be a model number on your PSU saying 300 ro 350 or something.
This will probably be 300w or 350w.

Good news is a new PSU is very cheap. The higher the wattage the better.

On the output side which is DC direct current.
the maximum wattage will be something like
EG for a 350w power supply.
12v max 13A 12 x 13 = 156watts
5v max 25A 5 x 25 = 125watts
3.3v max 16A 3.3 x 16 = 52.8watts
etc..

you get the idea ?

for DC :-
Power in watts (W) is Voltage (Volts) x Current (Amps)

Originally posted by goose
By the way my PC is a dimension 4600, just in case anyone knows what the standard power supply was in this model.

Nearly 2yrs old.


Google informs me that this PC was shipped with a 250W PSU;).

Given that its a Dell, its quite probably the cheapest they could get away with - however if you unscrew it it should have the Wattage marked on it somewhere! This (http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?rb=6896503852&action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=61308) should supply your needs for some time to come

As usual a quick and helpfull response! Thanks guys, im just going to make sure that the unit will actually fit in my unit before ordering one.

PSU's tend to be a standard size. Watch out for the cable length though if your case is a big'un.

PSUs in Dell boxes sometimes *aren't* a standard size / shape. Open 'er up and take a look - a standard ATX PSU is a flattened cube shape, about 4 inches high and 6 inches wide / deep. Some Dell boxes come with PSUs that are quite long and thin

Ah yes, forgot it's a dell. They've made some intriguing non-standard design choices.

Originally posted by evildrneil
Given that its a Dell, its quite probably the cheapest they could get away with - however if you unscrew it it should have the Wattage marked on it somewhere! This (http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?rb=6896503852&action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=61308) should supply your needs for some time to come

I wouldnt waste the money. A 9 quid 550w PSU is going to be crap. Not only will it not put out anywhere near 550w when under any sort of load, the voltage lines on it wont be particularly stable, and you run the risk of not only the PSU dieing on you, but it taking some of your other components with it in the process. Think of it this way. Your powers supply in your computer is like the engine in your car. It wont work without it. Would you put a skoda engine in your ferrari? I think not. Get a PSU made by either Fortron, Antec or OCZ. They cost a bit more, but theyre far superior in build quality and stability. MicroDirect do a 350w Fortron for about 35 quid, and its probably the best PSU youll get for the price.

Arrragh!! The saga continues................

Got a brand spanking new PSU 500W from Fortron. Fitted it in fine. However, my GeForce 6600GT AGP x 8 graphics card is still not running properly (fine with the visulas but laggy). I know its no longer the power supply problem because the relevant message does not pop up on start up.

As mentioned before i have a Dell Dimension 4600 PC, does anyone know if its my motherboard thats the problem? My last card was a GeForce 5200FX AGP x 4. Is the AGP connector on my mother board the problem?

(On the plus side everything runs smoother with the new PSU unit in there)

:thumbsup:

Hmmmmm - just taken a look on google and s far as it tells me your DELL has an 8 times AGP slot so that shouldn't be the problem (assuming google is not lying!) have you installed any new display drivers for the card?

If it WAS a 4X AGP, you'd've known about it by now, the new shiny graphics card wouldn't have fit. Newer 8X cards are 1.5v (rather than 3.3) & notched differently so you don't start smoking...

The 2 cards you have run on the same drivers. If you stick your old card back in, then uninstall it from Device Mangl... er... Manager, then run Detonator Destroyer (http://www.guru3d.com/detonator-destroyer/), it'll remove all the old crap. Take it up to DirectX 9.0c (if you're not already), & install the new card & newest nVidia drivers...

As said above you must uninstall the drivers for your old card.

May I just add, if anyone is buying the latest gear. That E-ATX PSU's are now required by the 'high end' stuff (check the forums). 24 pin rather than 20. Set me back a day and 150 miles for my new M'board.

Bugger

Cheers, good to hear i should be ok with the motherboard. Will check the driver problem out and let you know how i get on.

Think i can see light at the end of the tunnel...............

Originally posted by goose
Think i can see light at the end of the tunnel...............

Sorry, but it's a train :P