Video Card + Power Supply Question

from WinCustomize Forums
I just bought an EVGA e-Geforce FX 5200 128MB Light Edition and it said requires min of 300 watts for the power supply. However my research on the web showed that a majority of the FX5200 cards sold today only requires a 250 watt power supply. My supply is 250 watts.

I played NHL 2005 on full detail (minus the antiailsing I dont use that anyways I mean if it plays without it , it plays without it right ? ) And ... I encountered no Lockups.

Inside my tower .. I have one AGP Slot and 3 PCI Slots. One slot is being taken up .. the AGP slot .. of course by the video card. And one slot is being taken up by my Dialup Modem

I dont plan to use the 2 slots as I have plenty of USB ports and firewire ports built into the computer, plus I only need 2.1 sound so I use the built in sound and dont plan to upgrade to a PCI sound card.

Do you think EVGA is stating the minimum "Reccomended" Power supply as opposed to the "absolute" minimum power supply required?

Im lost here.

I havent encountered any problems so far , what is everyones take on this.
7,952 views 26 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
If it was an 'absolute', it wouldn't be running. The 300w is based on the 'average' computer voltage usage. It's not only the watts you need to look at, but the rails. +3.3V = 26A ,+5V = 40A,
+12V = 16A are fairly representative of the minimums you want to be getting from your PSU and for that you will need a 350w or better brand name. While all your hardware in use may not exceed the total watts (250), it will not meet the rail requirements. If you want to know how your present PSU rails compare, look on the side of the PSU. The PSU is not something you want to ignore or take the cheap route. Besides determining the performance of your machine, it can, in a heartbeat, destroy it.
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

I dont understand the math.

But I found this on my power supply

+5V & +3.3V = 165W MAX
+5V & +12V = 218W MAX.

Hrrm ... Im wondering whether I should return this for a card that fits the specifications.
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Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Hrrm ... Im wondering whether I should return this for a card that fits the specifications.


No, you have it backwards...get a PSU that matches your system specs....

The numbers you're looking for on the side are Amps.
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Cant afford to do that, when I have a 2 yr extended warranty from Compaq. Dont wanna trash the PC , I removed the card and are gonna send it back for something with a 250w Power Spec

Here is the supposed Rails you are looking for

+12 = 14a
+5v = 25a
+3.3v = 18a
-12V = 0.8a
+5VSB = 2A (Peak 2.5A)
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Yeah, that's about the amp age I expected. I understand about the warranty. Look at the GF 4600 series and you'll get the same performance (probably better) and use less voltage.

Good luck
Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
So you are saying that this 300w min requirement card could kill my machine?
Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
No...what I'm saying is that it's a cheap PSU and they can...repeat..can do strange things like surge and what not. They, as a rule, have no built-in protection as the better brands do. I would only, at this point, be concerned about it under powering your computer, not destroying it. The former is much more likely then the latter.

Is this the card you have?: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-130-151&depa=0
Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top
No its this one

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-130-210&depa=0
Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Close enough...keep the card. There's no fan and no molex connector...you won't find any card that uses less voltage. Trust me..this card is not going to make or break anything in your computer. You're good to go, so put the case back together and let the games begin...
Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Thanks alot!!!! Youve been very helpful.

You should be awarded a medal for your helpful PC Knowledge.

I cant get a damn person to reply to my posts in EVGAs forum, everyones so damn crazy about the 6800 series that they could care less about us 5200 users
Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I know what you mean...the hell with 'em...when ever you need something just come here...

Glad I could help..
Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top
NHL 2005 plays with no slowdown at 800x600 in Full detail

Better then the gamecube , ps2 and xbox version. Plus no load time.
Reply #13 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Hey Gary! He's right, you should get a medal............ they could pin it to your straightjacket.

How do you type wearing that thing anyway?

Reply #14 from WinCustomize Forums Top
My Logitech X230 Speakers come in tomorrow

Im gonna rock da house!
Reply #15 from WinCustomize Forums Top
How do you type wearing that thing anyway?


s-l-o-w-l-y....
Reply #16 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Good thing I have a 450 watt PSU... hehe
Reply #17 from WinCustomize Forums Top
And I just got done playing another few hours of NHL 2005. No lockups. Had one graphical glitch tho that didnt go away from exiting the game and restarting it. Rebooting the machine took care of it.

Yraq I am taking your word for this!

I trust you.

Of course I cant hold you liable for any advice you give me that goes bad
Reply #18 from WinCustomize Forums Top
450W is overkill. Only necessary if your machine is filled to the brim with hardware. 300W should be more then enough for the average user.

The 300W indication for the video card is just a recommendation so they have an excuse to not support people with lesser power supplies. Wouldn't worry about it too much though.
Reply #19 from WinCustomize Forums Top
450W is overkill. Only necessary if your machine is filled to the brim with hardware. 300W should be more then enough for the average user.


Hey it might me overkill but it's what came with the tower I bought. I don't use alot of hardware myself.
Reply #20 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I'm with kona on this one, I'd rather have too much power available to my components than not enough. I've had a PS that couldn't provide enough juice to my system and it did some really strange things for a few days before I could replace it. I'll take my changes with my 530W PS..

+3.3V 32A
+5V 40A
+12V 24A

Total Output 530W Max
Reply #21 from WinCustomize Forums Top
My 300W PSU literally fried after I installed an additional DVD-Burner. I went and got a 450W PSU and I don't plug my monitor into the PSU anymore.

Posted via WinCustomize Browser/Stardock Central
Reply #22 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Update : Things are running fine here.

But using 66.93 drivers are a pain in the ass. I get flickering triangle artifacts on screen in certain games. I went to the driver archive of nvidia and dl 61.76 , works like a charm.
Reply #23 from WinCustomize Forums Top
i had a 5200 before i had to get a new computer that didnt have a agp port and the reason for the higher power for it is because of the dual video processors where most video cards only have one..also, debating wether or not to buy a fx5200 pci and wondered if anyone knew if they worked as well as agp cards do..thanks
Reply #24 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Cheaper power supplier crank out much lower wattage (than rated) when the heat within their circuits builds up.
A cheap 350w PS becomes a 250w PS 30 minutes after powering up. Hence the recomendation for a 300w Min.
Your PS (if from Compaq) should operate as rated.
The 5200 is better than the 4600 from a power consumption angle (it consumes less power) and that it supports more DirectX 9 features.
The latest nVidia drivers (66.93) require that you update your DirectX 9 installation (to 9c) to work well.
The AGP bus bandwitch is double that of PCI, plus with Sidebanding switched on, it's quadruple.
One question: Are there new computers with no AGP slots nowadays?
Reply #25 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Yeah, by brother has a 550 watt PS and he's pushing the limit.. He's running a GeForce 6800 Ultra on his P4-2.8GHz with 8 Hard Drives.. (over 900GB's of space) He's got everything known to man in that system and the thing is more noisy then the servers we got running here at Stardock. It's crazy. He had to make several of his drives (like his DVD-RW and CD-Burner and a HD or two) out and make them external just to spare the watts and the heat buildup in side the case after his system failed to POST a couple times.