What is a power source?(PC)

[Ironcomatose]

Well then i will get the guys at CompUSA to do it for me. They do it for free when you buy something like that. The graphics card im going to buy is on this page.... http://www.slizone.com/object/slizon...FQspFQod8gjZug
....so someone pick me a good one(money is not a problem). So considering that, what are some good name brands? And how much will it cost me(power source)?



Thank you so much guys, im going to continue reading what you guys wrote now.

[Ironcomatose]

Oh and i just checked my power unit and its a 300 watt unit. So i think im going to need a new one. Im wondering if i should buy a new PC...i dont want to though because that will waste so much money. All i plan to get is a new graphics card and a power supply by default. I also want to get a new CPU but everyone tells me that i might as well buy a new PC but the thing is that if i do buy a new PC im going to have to buy all that stuff anyway so to me, that seems stupid. Any advice?

[Teek]

in my self built, the PSU fits on a ledge in the top corner, the hardest part is wiring everything up, which isn't hard for my comp. I just plug a male end in to any female ends I find.
(that sounded wrong :\ )
You want at least 450w psu. I think HP is pretty good concerning internals, so it should be easyish. (unlike dell with odd configuration and proprietary plastic parts)

[[R-DEV]KingofCamelot]

[quote=JohnnyPissoff;506287]- Be very careful removing your old one. It ain't easy and you can get nailed even if your machine is unplugged.(better get someone a little more savvy to install the new one, or do a lot of illustrated research on the web)QUOTE]

Sorry, but I found that part really funny.

It's really not difficult, just take out the old one and slide the new one in. I've never heard of anyone hurting themselves with such a simple operation.

I have, however, zapped myself with an open power supply once. Not fun at all, so definitely something you want to avoid.

[JustMe]

[quote='[R-DEV]KingofCamelot;506516']

Originally Posted by JohnnyPissoff

- Be very careful removing your old one. It ain't easy and you can get nailed even if your machine is unplugged.(better get someone a little more savvy to install the new one, or do a lot of illustrated research on the web)QUOTE]

Sorry, but I found that part really funny.

It's really not difficult, just take out the old one and slide the new one in. I've never heard of anyone hurting themselves with such a simple operation.

I have, however, zapped myself with an open power supply once. Not fun at all, so definitely something you want to avoid.

LOL, just dont be like a toddler & stick you finger in every hole you see. but yeah u can get nailed if you do mess with the inside.

ironcomatose how old is your computer? whats your specs? you definatly need a bigger PSU if you gonna get a good card.
if you bottleneck an old sytem IMO you wasting your money, go get new computer dude.
or get new MB, with new processor and new psu and graphic.
i'd get a pci-e graphic if i could.

[Ironcomatose]

Well then im building a new computer!! The mother board is not hard to put in. Ive seen my girlfriend do it before(all tho her PC still didnt work, i told her she needs a new one). Here is my PC so tell me if its big enough to fit all these things inside its a HP Pavilion a1420n(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/...yL._AA280_.jpg). So can i fit a new CPU and Graphics card and power source and(i might as well) sound card?


Oh and BTW i got this PC in the summer of last year so its not that old. I already have 2 gigs of ram. One last question does this effect my hard drive? Like will it crash or something because of all the new gear(i really dont want to get a new hard drive and start fresh, i want to keep this one)?

[Ironcomatose]

BUMP!!!!!!! READ MY POST BEFORE THIS ONE!

[DOAW]

no, your hard drive shouldn't crash in the sense that it will die, but neither can you just pull it out of your old system and plug it into an entirely new system and expect it to run (as the primary HD with the OS installed). You'll likely have to reformat and reinstall the OS (which would probably be a good idea even if you didn't have to, just to get rid of all the old drivers and such, and get a squeaky clean system).

As far as components being too big, really the only things you would have to worry about are the psu and graphics card. Some of the really powerful PSUs are big, but unless you're running 2 8800 Ultras in SLI and a RAID 5 you're not going to need a big 1KW PSU (and even then it's probably overkill). I've got a 750 watt PSU and its 6.5" long, 6" wide, and 3.5" tall. Just do some measuring to make sure yours will fit. And if you can, I would suggest getting one that has modular power cords. It's nice to be able to plug in only the ones you need, and to not have to hide a whole bunch of extraneous cords.

The other thing is the 8800 series of cards are BIG. My 8800 GTX is 10.5" long and 4.5" wide (well, 4" but you have to plug two 6-pin PCI-E power adapters into it, so you need some wiggle room), and takes up 2 PCI slots on the motherboard. If there's anything that won't fit, it'll be that. Make sure you measure that, as it would be extremely frustrating if you got everything put together only to find out that your graphics card didn't fit. Good Luck!

[Ironcomatose]

My whole PC tower is about 15 inches back to front not including the spot where the drives are and everything. As far as the graphics card the length is not a problem i just opened up and checked but the 4.5" of width might be an issue and thats a might. So i guess i will have to see. I have 3 PCI slots, one of which is taken but i can move down the sound card one to make more room. I think it can fit. The PSU seems like it has plenty of room but i might have to move the fan(if it comes to all this i will just let the guys at CompUSA do it)down a bit. How much does a PSU cost??

[JustMe]

Originally Posted by ironcomatose

My whole PC tower is about 15 inches back to front not including the spot where the drives are and everything. As far as the graphics card the length is not a problem i just opened up and checked but the 4.5" of width might be an issue and thats a might. So i guess i will have to see. I have 3 PCI slots, one of which is taken but i can move down the sound card one to make more room. I think it can fit. The PSU seems like it has plenty of room but i might have to move the fan(if it comes to all this i will just let the guys at CompUSA do it)down a bit. How much does a PSU cost??

i got my PSU for little over hundread bucks, its 470W 5something peak

can u take a snap shot of inside of it