HP Pavilion a6537c - Low Power Supply [ Edited ]

[budz4uz]

As I am now doing more gaming and 3d client rendering, quickly learning that my system does not provide optimum performance.  WIth 4 GB memory, this seems adequate I turned toward my integrated video card.  After analyzing it was clear that my integrated video card needed to be retired.   My discovery..........  most worthy video cards have a power consumption of 300 watts or much higher.   This HP Pavillion z6537a has a stock power supply with a maximum wattage of "250 watts".  So that is the problem....  After scouring the HP website and google, I am unable to place my hands on specifications and product information for a suitable power supply upgrade. 

Since I know that if you add a new video card, your system will boot the card and ignore the integrated card my video card product of choice is a Galaxy GEFORCE 210.  It has 1GB memory and is DR2 with more than I need, so I will be able to grow into it with room to spare.  However, it requires a power supply of 300 Watts.  Friends have said to install it anyway, because you will rarely need peek wattage with the newer cards.  However, I do not like the idea of trying to run an adapter that calls for more than my system is capable of. 

Can anyone help me locate product information to upgrage my systems power supply to 300 watts or more?

Here is my system:

Model #: a6537c
Product #: KQ507AA-ABA
PCBRAND: HP Pavilion

[Big_Dave]

You might me able to run the NVIDIA 210 depending on the 12+ volt amperage rating of your power supply unit (PSU).  Open up your PC and read the label on the PSU.  What is the total wattage and the amperage on the 12+ volt bus?

Good gaming will require a bigger PSU and then the size of the PSU needs to match the requirements of the video card. It kind of like the "chicken or the egg".  PSUs are not that expensive but video cards can be.  I would not chose a top of the line model video card as the limits of your PC will not let it reach its full potential. A PSU of 500 watts with 24 amps on the 12+ volt bus should be plenty big.

Review the ATI and NVIDIA performance specifications. Look at the memory bandwidth specifications and the DirectX level support.

How to replace a power supply.

How to replace a video card.

www.newegg.com has everything you need.  OCZ, Corsair, Rosewill and others are good choices.  I prefer the modular models as they offer more flexibility.