Removing a USB 3.0 PCIe Card In an HP e9200z Desktop Questions

[ThunderEchoes]

Hi,

I have a:

HP Pavilion Elite e9200z CTO Desktop PC
Model Name e9200z
Product Number AW017AV-ABA
Software Build 94NAv6PcA4

Name Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition (64-bit)
Build Number 7600
DirectX Version 11

Motherboard
System Board
Chipset AMD RS780/RS880
Southbridge AMD SB700/SB710/SB750
Base Board
Manufacturer FOXCONN
Product ALOE

BIOS
Vendor American Megatrends Inc.
Release Date 09/11/2009
BIOS Version String 5.03
ROM Size 1.00 MB

AMD Athlon(tm) II X4 620 Processor
Name AMD Athlon(tm) II X4 620 Processor
Cores 4
Threads 4
Temperature 22.00 C
Current Speed 2.60 GHz
Multiplier x 13.0 (4.0 - 13.0)
Features MMX(+), 3DNow!(+), PSE36, x86-64, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4A, NX, SVM
L1 Instruction Cache 4 x 64.00 kB
L1 Data Cache 4 x 64.00 kB
L2 Cache 4 x 512.00 kB

Video Card
NVIDIA GeForce G210
Video Card Chip Type GeForce G210
Video Card Memory 512.00 MB
Video Card BIOS Version 70.18.9.0.10
Driver c:\windows\system32\drivers\nvlddmkm.sys
Driver Version 8.17.12.5936, 8-8-2010

I installed a Western Digital SuperSpeed USB 3.0 PCI Express (PCIe) Card. Then I found out that my power supply was already at it's maximum rated output capacity when the computer was shipped. Now whenever I have a USB peripheral plugged into the computer, it didn't matter if it is a USB 2.0 or 3.0, the graphics will display at a lower quality whenever I would start or restart the computer. If I started the computer without any USB peripherals 95% of the time it would start the graphics the way it was supposed to be. With high definition clarity. I know I need to remove the PCIe card, but my questions are:

1. If I just uninstall the drivers and leave the PCIe card in place will it still draw power?

2. Should I replace the power supply, after solving this issue?

3. Is there a way to test the power supply afterwards to make sure that it is okay?

4. If removing the PCIe card is the best method. What is the procedure for removing it? Take it out the PCIe card and uninstall the drivers through device manager? If so, in what order? PCIe card, controller driver, finally hub driver?

5. Would leaving the drivers installed and just taking the PCIe card out be a better idea? If aint broke don't fix it...

6. If I leave the drivers installed but take out the PCIe card would the drivers tell the power supply to still supply power?

7. If I take the PCIe card out what do you call the part that I would buy that plugs the hole in the back of the tower and what size would I get?

Thanks for all your help! Even if you can only answer some of my questions feel free to jump in.

[wb2001]

The actual max of the PSU is really 335W.http://www.power-on.com/ea350u.html

With decent 500-630W PSU at excellent prices, and the G210 being only 16 processing cores, it might be time to be in a position to consider a more robust graphic card:

 http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-210/description

[ThunderEchoes]

Hello wb2001,

Thanks for responding. I was told by HP tech support that I couldn't get a better power supply that that was the max my motherboard could handle. Could you double check that for me please or tell me how I can. As far as a graphics card isn't that built into the motherboard? I don't do video or even graphics editing or gaming so not really sure what I would really have to gain from a new card.

Thanks

[wb2001 · Accepted solution]

Replacing PSU's is a common practice. It is a question that is continually asked.If your PSU is maxed out, then replace it. It is not all that hard to accomplish. Even a slight upgrade with an 85% effiecient PSU is a plus.

[ThunderEchoes]

Thanks wb2001,

Take care.