kaz_abdin

For the Sapphire X1650 PRO 512MB AGP graphics card, all of the customer reviews were positive with a 4.5 star rating. So in the near futur, that should be my next graphics card. For the power supply unit, 11 customers gave a positve review and it has a 5 star rating.

One quick question, when you insall a graphics card, do you have to change the I/O shield as the monitor has to plug into the graphics card to work?

Does this graphics card need a power supply to work http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...e=ZXh0ZW5kZWQ=

Done_Fishin

read this about choosing power supplies ..

I am no wizard with Power Supplies .. I have done a bit of research on this one .. price looks too good so i am automatically wary ..
No-one who is selling this unit lists the specs .. they only seem to be found on the manufacturers site!

The specs given by the manufacturer look good but I would say that they are unreliable .. it's a 380W supply



where the 5V & 3,3V supplies are limited to 130W, there are 2 12Volts supplies limited to 10 A and 15A which looks good ... but is 15A enough to run your Motherboard & AGP?
Total supply is said to be limited to 130W + 300 W + 10W +10W or 450W .. so when one of the voltage rails is loading too much current .. there will be a limiting effect around the 380W mark .. and according to the specs listed below approx 1/3rd of that power is unusable .. it's lost in transferring power from the input to the output..

product sheet here
specs say it is better than 70% efficient which means that approx 1/4 to 1/3rd of power is wasted .. or for every 3 units of electricity you burn 1 unit is used for nothing .. there are better supplies available that are more efficient .. look for something approaching 90%, there's always wasted power but it goes into heat apart from anything else ..
The POWER SUPPLY is akin to your Heart .. make it work too hard and it will let you down when you most need it .. especially as it ages ..

I don't remember any AGP's that required extra power to the board .. that is, I think, something that happened with PCI-e cards. There is nothing that indicates extra power is required either ..

dai

http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/114931
the board has the aux power connector above the cpu between the 2 black round capacitors

Done_Fishin

Power supply Calculator to check what rating power supply you need for your board

specs here

up to 85% efficient which is a lot better than the previous one that you found .. Antec have a very good name and reputation .. just a bit more expensive but should see your PC live a lot longer than any cheap "no-name" supply you might pick up

added point
Manufacturer Warranty Service & Support 5 years warranty

kaz_abdin

Thanks for all the help you have given me. I will purchase an Sapphire X1550 512MB AGP graphics card and maybe a new power supply unit.

Does the Sapphire X1550 512MB AGP graphics card require its own power supply or can you just plug it in to your mother board, connect it to your monitor and play games or do you have to do something else?

Done_Fishin

may have not expressed myself very well ..
I have never heard of a power connector on a mobo with AGP or AGP card itself.
I would think you would just
1) remove all old VGA drivers ,
2)Replace or plug in NEW AGP card ,
3)install your new drivers ( from supplies CD ROM)
4) PLAY ..

kaz_abdin

Thank you for using your time to help me, ver much appreciated.
I am going to order my ATI 512mb graphics card next week and for the power supply, maybe in 2 months time.

Done_Fishin

Don't try installing and running that card on your mobo without getting a new PSU first ..

kaz_abdin

I checked my current mother boards power supply, it is:
Ac Input: 220-240V~,3.5A, 50Hz
DC Output: 300W (+3.V & +5V=130W Max)
+3.3V--20.0A (orange),=5V--26.0A(RED) +12V1--8.0A (YELLOW)
+12v2--14.0A (YEL/BLACK)+5Vsb--2.0A(PURP), -12V--0.8A(BLUE)

Would it be able to run the graphisc card i am going to get?

Done_Fishin

you have 2 12 Volts supply rails one giving 8A and the other 14A .. the 8A supply will be directed towards your HDD's & CD/DVD ROM drives etc .. the 14A will be used for your Motherboard ..
IMHO you are running the risk of overloading that 14A supply with your new board .. it will probably let it run but you will be straining your power supply .. and if because you see that it's working , you decide to postpone getting that power supply .. in about a years time . maybe less , you'll be back here again complaining that your mobo won't power on any more then you'll find out that you need a complete new system ..

kaz_abdin

I will stick with getting my graphics card in about 2 weeks - 1 month.
I will also try to get a new power supply in about 3 - 4 months time. Is this ok?

Done_Fishin

I won't go back on what I said .. if you decide to go against my advice .. I will keep my fingers crossed for you that nothing "BAD" happens before you upgrade that power supply .. I won't say that something WILL happen only that it COULD !!!

The responsibility is yours ..

kaz_abdin

Ok then, thanks for all your help.