Axe wrote:
> Sorry if I'm posting this twice. I'm new to this. I also purchased an
> a6200n system. I added RAM to bring my total to 4 gigs. I bought
> this power supply hoping not to overpower but to have enough power to
> provide energy to a graphics card.:
>
> http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-vx-4...205466485.html
>
> My question is similar to the original. However, since I have the
> power supply what card can I buy that will allow me to play the newer
> games maybe even at higher resolutions? I should mention I read
> somewhere that space is limited in the x16 slot. I'm not sure if
> that's really true or if it affects what card I can install. I'd also
> like to ask what do I need to do with regards to the onboard graphics
> card thats already installed when I go to upgrade to a new card? Last
> question, is there a graphics card that can play games well that also
> would let me record and play back content to my TV?
>
> Any other information regarding the upgrade process is appreciated.
> Thank you.
>

"similar to the original" ? If you wanted to refer to another post, you
could provide a Google link to it, or do a "Reply" to the original
thread. Otherwise, we won't know for sure, we're looking at the same
info.

corsair vx 450w
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139003

+3.3V @ 20A, +5V @ 20A, +12V @ 33A, -12V @ 0.8A, +5VSB @ 2.5A

The other post mentioned 10.1A on the 12V rail, leaving about 23 amps
remaining.

Some video cards are better than others, at balancing power and
performance. The 8800GT would be an example of a recent card, with
moderately high power. (One of the worst ATI cards used 165W for comparison.)

The 8800GT power is listed here, and varies depending on the card. The reference
8800GT is 78W, while I think the card being reviewed here was an overclocked card,
and it measured 85.7W. Taking the latter figure, 85.7W/12V = 7.14A

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/vid...-8800gt_5.html (scroll down)

So 7.14A of 23 amps, isn't using all of it. The supply has enough power.

Other things to consider.

1) Card dimensions. Some cards are 8" or 8.5" long, and on my current
computer case, the end of such cards would bump into my hard drive
bay. Find a measurement for the card, so you know in advance, how
much space it takes. And it cannot be an "exact" fit, because you
need to wiggle the card a bit, to get it seated in the slot.

2) Card interfering with heatsinks or SATA cables. Inspect your cabling,
to see where the card will go. Check the chipset heatsink, to see if
it will interfere.

3) Card thickness. Some of the high end ones are double slot cards,
and the cooler will overlap with an adjacent slot. If the computer
came with a tuner or other add-in cards, check if there is room.
Even if a card is "single thickness", the fan still needs to intake
air. And the exhaust vent, needs to dump hot air.

4) Find reviews for the card. If the reviews say "this card is noisy",
you've been warned. Don't expect there is a magic solution, like an
aftermarket cooler, that is easy to fit, and solves all the problems.
If you really want a quiet card, or more exotic cooling method,
then shop for a card that already has it.

As an example, this article mentions the Sparkle 8800GT card, with a
passive cooler on it. The cooling fins are located on the back of the
card, taking up space near the processor. Depending on the cooling
solution used by HP for the processor, there may not be any "spill
air" from the CPU cooler, to help cool the card. So this type of card
would have mechanical and thermal issues, but different issues than
regular 8800GT cards.

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3165&p=2

A final issue, is the PCI Express 2.0 standard interface on the 8800GT.
Revision 2.0 is backward compatible with the original PCI Express standard.
On most chipsets, an 8800GT auto negotiates link speed, and does the right
thing. On some chipsets (VIA maybe ? not sure), the chipset and the card
don't talk to one another properly. The solution is to reflash the
video card, with a different video BIOS. This is not a very convenient
solution, for the people affected. So you might want to check that
issue, and see if it affects you. You have an Nvidia chipset, and it
probably isn't an issue, but it is one more item on the checklist for
an 8800GT.

Ref: Another thread on A6200N computer.
http://groups.google.ca/group/alt.co...136fd9562c94d3

Before plugging in the new power supply, compare the connector colors
on the old and new supply. This document, has tables of info for
the connectors, near the back. What you're verifying here, is that
the existing HP supply is a standard ATX unit (it should be).

http://www.formfactors.org/developer...public_br2.pdf

Your computer case will now have to remove an additional 85.7W from
the video card (while gaming), and I hope whatever rear fans are
on the back of the case, spin fast enough to remove the hot air.

Paul