What's the best card under 300Watts?

Kcsilvera · 06-27-2007, 07:22 AM

I'm upgrading my eMachines T6212 from an ATI Radeon Xpress 200 series and I was wondering if I could get a quality pci-e graphics card without having to buy a new power source. I'm willing to spend about $100-$200 dollars.

HawMan · 06-27-2007, 07:26 AM

Not many cards will run on a 300W PSU. With a budget like that, you could buy a 7600GT and a PSU.

**TheMatt** · 06-27-2007, 04:17 PM

Honestly, I would not even put a 7100GS on that PSU (which consumes less than 16w under load). I would spend the money on a PSU upgrade first. You can get something like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817104034
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130017

Both have nice mail-in rebates on them.

**Kalim** · 06-28-2007, 03:15 AM

Get an amazing Enhance ENP 5150GH 500W PSU, 80Plus certified for $69 and and the above linked 7600GT.

~~kbd_usr~~ · 06-28-2007, 06:49 AM

PCI-e is funny, cause the average power consumption rating is an estimate. If your system runs a little hot; ie, PSU overstretched, then of course it will require more power to maintain good operating temp.

Most I've seen recommend at least 350W. If you wanted to bypass this, go for low profile, with a good heat sink fan combo. Just look at the pictures, and if it is half-height, with a metal frame around the GPU, then that would be a good option to look in to for your power config.

Although, these days with PSU's being fairly inexpensive, I'd go with the others and bump that up. As, heat is a dangerous component to play with. No less than 420W is what I recommend, as this allows for expansion, and doesn't add its own heat by being stressed.

06-27-2007, 07:22 AM	#1 (permalink)
Kcsilvera Registered User Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: SLO,Ca Posts: 7 OS: XP	What's the best card under 300Watts? I'm upgrading my eMachines T6212 from an ATI Radeon Xpress 200 series and I was wondering if I could get a quality pci-e graphics card without having to buy a new power source. I'm willing to spend about $100-$200 dollars.

06-27-2007, 07:26 AM	#2 (permalink)
HawMan Liam Join Date: May 2006 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland Posts: 2,940 OS: Win XP My System	Re: What's the best card under 300Watts? Not many cards will run on a 300W PSU. With a budget like that, you could buy a 7600GT and a PSU.

06-27-2007, 04:17 PM	#3 (permalink)
TheMatt TSF Enthusiast Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 13,701 OS: Win 3.1, 98, NT 4.0, XP Debian 4.0, Kubuntu 6.06 My System Blog Entries: 3	Re: What's the best card under 300Watts? Honestly, I would not even put a 7100GS on that PSU (which consumes less than 16w under load). I would spend the money on a PSU upgrade first. You can get something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817104034 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130017 Both have nice mail-in rebates on them. __________________ - Matt M - KB1OSC - Folding@Home 85015 [url="http://www.techsupportforum.com/hardware-support/"] If TSF has helped you, please consider donating. If I have stopped responding to a thread, feel free to send me a PM with a link to the thread. It is advisable to subscribe to threads so you will receive updates when replies are posted. You can subscribe to threads from the "Thread Tools" Menu. »Memtest86 »Prime95 »UBCD »SpeedFan »NHC Personal »Everest »Sandra »PC Wizard »RivaTuner »ATi Tool Click here for Useful Articles and Guides

06-28-2007, 03:15 AM	#4 (permalink)
Kalim Roaming To Help Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 5,642 OS: Many	Re: What's the best card under 300Watts? Get an amazing Enhance ENP 5150GH 500W PSU, 80Plus certified for $69 and and the above linked 7600GT.

06-28-2007, 06:49 AM	#5 (permalink)
~~kbd_usr~~ Register user Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 126 OS: Ubuntu Linux, 7.04	Re: What's the best card under 300Watts? PCI-e is funny, cause the average power consumption rating is an estimate. If your system runs a little hot; ie, PSU overstretched, then of course it will require more power to maintain good operating temp. Most I've seen recommend at least 350W. If you wanted to bypass this, go for low profile, with a good heat sink fan combo. Just look at the pictures, and if it is half-height, with a metal frame around the GPU, then that would be a good option to look in to for your power config. Although, these days with PSU's being fairly inexpensive, I'd go with the others and bump that up. As, heat is a dangerous component to play with. No less than 420W is what I recommend, as this allows for expansion, and doesn't add its own heat by being stressed.