I just bought a BFG GeForce 7600GT Overclocked graphics card. The minimum required power supply is a 350W power supply. Currently, I have a 300W power supply. I have a few questions regarding this though, as I've read it's "easy going on power consumption".

Would it be safe to test this card out on my current computer which has a 300W power supply while I wait for my new power supply to come in? I'm currently running an Integrated 6150LE graphics chipset, so would I need to uninstall the drivers for that graphics card BEFORE I install my new card?

Incase you need to know my computer specs to estimate the power I have available from my Power Supply after it feeds my other parts, here they are:
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+(2.2Ghz per core)
OS: Windows Vista Home Premium
Memory: 1GB of DDR2 Dual Channel SDRam(2x512)
Harddrive: 320GB SATA (7200RPM)
Network Card: Uhh, not sure but it's integrated.
Sound: Integrated High Definition 8 channel audio.



Is it safe to test? If so, for how long?


I currently have a 500W power supply coming in, but it might be a while before it gets here. And yes, I'm a very impatient person, lol.

I'd say you'd be safe to use it. If anything your power supply will burn out that's all.

Hmmm, what would I need to do in order to switch back to my onboard card after I test this new card??

I've read some places you need to uninstall the drivers for the old card and then put in the new card, but then if I decide to switch back the old card when my new card is in, I won't be able to. =/

Any tips/guides? I'm thinking about trying in the next few minutes/hour(s), lol.

My guess would be it is ok, but I am not sure how close your current system is to taxing the power supply. If you have lots of fans and usb type add ons that use power it might be close.

I'd recommend disconnecting the usb arc-welder.

Hmm, well I'm not sure how much power each piece of hardware takes, so here are my computer specs:
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping...3#defaultAnchor

That basically tells you all of the hardware I currently have.

NOTE: This card doesn't take much power, which is evident in the fact it doesn't even have a slot for the power supply to connect into(And it's a PCI Express card).

You don't need to uninstall the onboard drivers.

Usually if you install a video card it will take over so your onboard will not be primary. But sometimes you have to disable the onboard video if there is problems, (black screen, driver issues etc). To do that you have to go in your configuration before windows loads. It's usually the Delete key, just keep tapping it till you enter the Configuration. Each board is different so you'll have to find peripherals and find onboard video, turn it off then save changes. You should install the video card first and see if works without disabling the onboard video. If there is conflicts then disable it.

You can use this to calculate how much power your computer needs. Click.

Is there any chance I can damage any of my hardware besides the power supply by attempting this? I'm sooo tempted to do it right now, but then I'm a bit nervous XD.

EDIT: Thanks raptor, I'll check that out.

Can't guarantee nothing will happen but usually if anything will happen your power supply will crap out that's it.

Well, I wasn't exactly sure on what to choose on all of the drop down lists, but what I DID include(Note: I also chose my new graphics card) resulted in 421W.

I've gone over my PSU's limit before. If it's minor then things like USB ports begin to cut out, then eventually the more important components.

After I added a better PSU everything still ran fine, there weren't any lasting problems at all; I've never heard of any one else having problems with lasting damage either. But I don't want to recommend that you do it, I don't want to be responsible if it does damage any components on your new computer!

That worries me, and my friend just told me it can possibly melt my graphics card. @_@


I think after hearing the cons, I'll just wait it out... =/ But thanks for all the help, guys.

From not supplying enough power? I've never heard that one before.

I told him the same thing. I asked him "How can not getting enough power burn the card, I don't understand that logic...". And he's all "I don't know, but it does. If you try and your computer screen goes black, don't blame me!". So yeah, that worried me. >.> But how is that even physically possible.... I think he pretends to know more than he actually does.

I suppose it could prevent the graphics card's onboard fan from turning on...but it still wouldn't melt.

A friend told me I'd need to disable my onboard graphics before inserting my new card. Would going to the properties of my onboard card via Device Manager and clicking the "disable" button do the trick?

Also, in bios, I see no option to disable my onboard graphics card, however, there is a section called "Main Graphics Adapter"(Or something similar) and it can be set to one of three things(PCI, PCI-E, Onboard) and it's currently set to PCI. What I don't understand is, if I have an onboard graphics chipset, why is it set to PCI? And should I change it to PCI-E before inserting my new PCI-Express graphics card?

I've never seen a motherboard that didn't have settings to turn off the onboard settings in the bios. Like I said you don't need to disable it before you install the card. Only if there is issues.