Video Card Power Supply?

[JustinTime]

My PC says the max video card is 220 watts for power but I'm confused by this. Where does it show this info on newegg for example? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814187179 as an example. I don't see the power info :/ Thanks.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

scroll down and you'll see "System Requirements" it says "Minimum 300W or greater system power supply"

[JustinTime]

I provided a bad example lol, most don't even identify the power supply. Anyway is there an easier way to narrowing results to 220 or less? I have viewed probably close to 50 cards and either they don't specify one or too high. Thanks.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

you're not likely to find anything with that low of requirement

[JustinTime]

Dell sometimes bundles this system with a 1GB GeForce GT 620 but I can't find out more info. It's not even sold on Dell.com.

[Michael Lacey]

How much total wattage does your PSU supply? Why are you upgrading the video card - are you trying to game or do video editing?

You may need a PSU with more wattage, many OEM computers come with the bare minimum needed.

[theyarecomingforyou]

My PC says the max video card is 220 watts for power but I'm confused by this. Where does it show this info on newegg for example? http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814187179 as an example. I don't see the power info :/ Thanks.

What do you mean by that? Are you saying that your PSU is only 220W (which seems incredibly low) or that you can only add a card that draws 220W? If it's the latter then that's unusual but it's easy to work out - PCIe cards can draw 25W from the motherboard and 75W from a 6-pin connector and 150W from an 8-pin connector. That means you'll be looking for a card with a single 8-pin PCIe connector, which would draw 175W in total.

That said, it's a very unusual way of specifying it. Usually a card with tell you the recommended power for your PSU - for instance, the GTX670 requires a 500W PSU, while the card you listed requires 300W (as already mentioned). You won't find a card that specifies less than 300W for the PSU. What is the rating on your PSU?

Dell sometimes bundles this system with a 1GB GeForce GT 620 but I can't find out more info. It's not even sold on Dell.com.

According to the nVidia website the GT620 requires a 300W PSU. If that's accurate then you should be able to add any low-profile graphics card without any additional power connectors, like the one you listed in the original post. You need to find out the power rating on your PSU.

[JustinTime]

Someone asked about this on dell.com and here's the staff reply:

The only official Dell tested video cards for the Inspiron 660s are the OEM versions of the NVIDIA? GeForce? GT 620 (700 MHz engine clock, 1 GB memory with memory clock of 1.8 Gbps DDR3) and the AMD? Radeon? HD 7570 (650 MHz engine clock, 512MB-2GB DDR3 or 512MB-1GB GDDR5 memory, 900 MHz (DDR3) or 1000 MHz (GDDR5) memory clock (1.8 Gbps DDR3 or 4.0 Gbps GDDR5).. That said, it is possible that a low-profile version of a GeForce GT 430 to work in this system. The power supply in the 660s is rated at 220 watts.

So how do I find out the PSU? Just want a video card since I read integrated isn't too good and I may do video editing and Blu-ray at some point. Thanks.

[remixedcat]

No PC that's gonna be used for gaming or anything outside of very very basic web browsing/music/MS office should have less then a 300w PSU.

For a Mid-range PC I recommend 400-500w and for a enthusiast PC I recommend 600-800w

I got an Antec HCG-620M PSU for 70 bucks and it's very nice.

[Aergan]

If you're in warranty then contact Dell.

If you're not in warranty then crack open the case and read the OEM label. Google/Bing the model number or Dell part number for more info.

[Xoligy]

Someone asked about this on dell.com and here's the staff reply:

The only official Dell tested video cards for the Inspiron 660s are the OEM versions of the NVIDIA? GeForce? GT 620 (700 MHz engine clock, 1 GB memory with memory clock of 1.8 Gbps DDR3) and the AMD? Radeon? HD 7570 (650 MHz engine clock, 512MB-2GB DDR3 or 512MB-1GB GDDR5 memory, 900 MHz (DDR3) or 1000 MHz (GDDR5) memory clock (1.8 Gbps DDR3 or 4.0 Gbps GDDR5).. That said, it is possible that a low-profile version of a GeForce GT 430 to work in this system. The power supply in the 660s is rated at 220 watts.

So how do I find out the PSU? Just want a video card since I read integrated isn't too good and I may do video editing and Blu-ray at some point. Thanks.

If you posted the machine it would help identify the PSU for people

if its out of warranty or has no warranty sticker on the case take the side off and see what it says im pretty sure they come with stickers on them (could be wrong i can not find the sticker on mine could be on other side though! lol)

[threetonesun]

It's an Insprion 660: http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-660/pd

It has a 300W power supply, which limits you to basically the lowest powered cards on the market, unless you replace that.

Dell said it was limited to 220W probably to account for overhead on the PS.

[Xoligy]

Ooops can ya tell i hadn't been up long >.< lol

It's an Insprion 660: http://www.dell.com/...inspiron-660/pd

It has a 300W power supply, which limits you to basically the lowest powered cards on the market, unless you replace that.

Dell said it was limited to 220W probably to account for overhead on the PS.

Ok u got me i hadn't been awake long nor had my brew lol yes agree need to upgrade the PSU especially if the card requires power as i can not see the power adaptor in this picture. I have a 6770 thats doing me for now and that needed power.

http://www.pasonisan.com/z_im/inspiron660/z11_062inspiron660-top.jpg

[JustinTime]

It's an Insprion 660: http://www.dell.com/...inspiron-660/pd

It has a 300W power supply, which limits you to basically the lowest powered cards on the market, unless you replace that.

Dell said it was limited to 220W probably to account for overhead on the PS.

It's the 660s http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-660s/pd and it says 220W :/ So there are no cards that work with the existing PSU? I don't want to upgrade anything, just want a video card even if it's basic.

[theyarecomingforyou]

It's the 660s http://www.dell.com/...nspiron-660s/pd and it says 220W :/ So there are no cards that work with the existing PSU? I don't want to upgrade anything, just want a video card even if it's basic.

If it's really only 220W - as the Dell website says - then there's not much you can do. It's possible that adding a basic card would work but it's certainly not a risk I'd take. You're going to need to buy a new PSU if you want to add a graphics card, assuming your case has a standard sized PSU fitting - if not then you might be looking at a new case as well.

Unfortunately cheap computers are cheap for a reason.

[PGHammer]

It's the 660s http://www.dell.com/...nspiron-660s/pd and it says 220W :/ So there are no cards that work with the existing PSU? I don't want to upgrade anything, just want a video card even if it's basic.

Kee-ripes; I've not only never BUILT a PC with a PSU that weak, I've never seen an OEM PC with a PSU that weak since the days of the Pentium (pre numerics).

And by never, I mean exactly that - even back in my Pentium days, I used a 300W PSU; yes, they existed then, and weren't pricey in the least.

OEM PCs that passed through me at some point (and that includes quite a few Dell and HP OEM models) typically had 250W PSUs, while some (mostly Pavilion Media Center or the odd Optiplex) had the 300W PSUs.

Is this a slimline (Inspiron) case design? Then you may need a PSU designed for such cases, such as PC Power and Cooling's Silencer Slimline (no longer made). If the case can swallow a standard PSU, I'd go with something similar (Silencer Mk. III 500W or equivalent from Corsair, Antec, or other quality manufacturer).

[xendrome]

It's a mini-ATX style case - (H) 10.43 in x (W) 3.94 in x (D) 14.80 in

[JustinTime]

If it's really only 220W - as the Dell website says - then there's not much you can do. It's possible that adding a basic card would work but it's certainly not a risk I'd take. You're going to need to buy a new PSU if you want to add a graphics card, assuming your case has a standard sized PSU fitting - if not then you might be looking at a new case as well.

Unfortunately cheap computers are cheap for a reason.

What's the risk? Catching fire or something serious? I'm not sure what "cheap," means but it is the best small PC they offer at $649.99.

Kee-ripes; I've not only never BUILT a PC with a PSU that weak, I've never seen an OEM PC with a PSU that weak since the days of the Pentium (pre numerics).

And by never, I mean exactly that - even back in my Pentium days, I used a 300W PSU; yes, they existed then, and weren't pricey in the least.

OEM PCs that passed through me at some point (and that includes quite a few Dell and HP OEM models) typically had 250W PSUs, while some (mostly Pavilion Media Center or the odd Optiplex) had the 300W PSUs.

Is this a slimline (Inspiron) case design? Then you may need a PSU designed for such cases, such as PC Power and Cooling's Silencer Slimline (no longer made). If the case can swallow a standard PSU, I'd go with something similar (Silencer Mk. III 500W or equivalent from Corsair, Antec, or other quality manufacturer).

Oh that's terrible lol I'm still within the full money back 60 day window but really just wanted a very slim and small case. My old PC has a big case and I really don't like them big. I guess that's the sacrifice, size but less power. So any low profile cards (HDMI) that work with 220W? Thanks.

I saw someone selling the exact model and case but with the GT 620 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Inspiron-660-i5-3330-up-to-3-2GHz-8GB-2TB-Nvidia-GeoForce-1GB-DDR3-GT620-/271125967618?pt=Desktop_PCs&hash=item3f205df302 Any idea where I can buy that card? I asked the seller but no reply.

[theyarecomingforyou]

What's the risk? Catching fire or something serious?

If you overload the PSU it can potentially destroy your PSU, motherboard, CPU or connected components, or any combination of those. I've had a failed PSU actually catch fire with smoke pouring out the back, though that's extremely unlikely. It's not worth doing.

[JustinTime]

I won't risk anything, thanks for the insight. I don't know why Dell doesn't just sell OEM tested and approved GT 620.

[threetonesun]

FWIW, at $649 I'd much rather have a Mac Mini.

I'm guessing Dell doesn't worry about stocking cards for these PCs because anyone gaming on them will probably be happy enough with the onboard video.

[VolvoxS]

I have my Inspiron 660s i5 220W PSU with this card added :

SAPPHIRE 100357LP Radeon HD 7750 1GB

http://www.newegg.ca...N82E16814202002

No problem so far after 6 months. According to Dell advisers the 220W PSU was able to run that low profile card. And this is confirmed by many other users. The CPU itself use only 65W. 220W total is thus enough for the Sapphire low profile card (or other similar video low profile card). I see no heating so far above normal temp.