300W powersupply not enough?

[crazygerman]

I'm having graphics issues with my computer and I was wondering if my powersupply might be causing it... I have an Athlon 64, 2 HDD's and an ATI X800, which gets power through the powersupply. Would a 300W powersupply be maxed out with that?

[jlreich]

Yep, that would do it. 300w is very slim for a modern system. ;)

What are your system specs? Make and model?

[crazygerman]

It's a Gateway GT4016. It has an Athlon 64 3600, 1gig ram. I added the graphics card and the extra HDD after I bought the system

[jlreich]

You need a better power supply. 450-500 should be fine.

Have a look at total system power consumption in the chart below. As you can see you are pushing the limits of the 300W PSU. Figure in that most PSU's are only rated to run continuous at around 80% of their max rating, some as low as 60%, and it becomes clear you need an upgrade. ;)

http://img.tomshardware.com/us/2004/05/04/ati/power008.gif

[crazygerman]

Thank you very much. I remembered that I installed a Wifi card a couple of months after I put in the graphics card. After that it has started messing up. I am probably pushing the limit right now.

[Lostatsea3]

Don't run the computer anymore before upgrading the P/S.

You can damage it pretty bad if you're unlucky...