[Beastman]

Hi, I'm hoping to install a 2nd hard drive in my pc. I know that usually the power supply wouldn't be an issue but the reason for my concern is, I've upgraded a few other things in the pc that I know draw some wattage. My stock power supply is a cheesy 250W max thing. My pc is a Compaq Presario SR1150NX. The upgrades that I've done are: Geforce 5500 / 256MB RAM video card, went up to 1 GIG system RAM, a wireless network card(linksys), and an external floppy drive (which I know only draws power when it runs but is still scary). I've had a few of my friends give me different answers, so I thought I'd ask people who "actually" know (BEFORE I tried the old "stick my tongue to it" trick) . And secondly, if it WILL work, should I make a power supply swap before I make anyother upgrades?

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if you're planning on doing any more substantial upgrades..i'd look into getting a better PSU...for today's equipment 250 max isn't quite the best....plus...it's 250 MAX...which means PEAK...which means in normal circumstances it's probably putting out less juice than that....the wireless card itself will draw a decent amount of electricity as it's a radio transmitter...i'd say if you're planning on making alot of upgrades to this thing that you should look into getting a good quality psu rated at least 400w max..

[dsenette]

if you're planning on doing any more substantial upgrades..i'd look into getting a better PSU...for today's equipment 250 max isn't quite the best....plus...it's 250 MAX...which means PEAK...which means in normal circumstances it's probably putting out less juice than that....the wireless card itself will draw a decent amount of electricity as it's a radio transmitter...i'd say if you're planning on making alot of upgrades to this thing that you should look into getting a good quality psu rated at least 400w max..

[Beastman]

See I have this hard drive sitting in my kitchen. Want to put it in sooo bad, I've been waiting for about 4 weeks to get the money to buy a new psu but doesnt look like its gonna get here very soon, so my A.D.D. a** is being driven nuts from looking at this thing in the kitchen . So I guess I'm asking if there's a way to put it in there for now? or should I just throw the HD up in the rafters so I dont have to look at it? lol (or maybe remove the floppy drive and ethernet card, dont know if that would help?)

Edited by Beastman, 23 May 2006 - 02:33 PM.

[dsenette]

you could probably get away with putting it in there...i don't think it would cause serious issues IMMEDIATELy...you may notice some issues later...OR your psu may be capable of handeling what you've already got installed...there can be long term effect by running too much stuff in a pc that's underpowered for too long...but generally...if there's not enough juice to run everything...then nothing works...

[Beastman]

I think I'm gonna have to try it. If my experiment results in the use of a fire extinguisher then I'll hop on my 98 machine and tell you all about it. If not, then I'll play with it until I get the cash to get a new psu (prolly clear with 'neato' blue lights or something hehe) Thanks for the help, and by the way THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS RULE!!!!!!

[dsenette]

if you start noticing problems...take the new drive out as that would probably be the cause...

and yes..they do rule..saw them at a free show here a week or so ago....it was awesome

[Beastman]

NICE!! I haven't heard of them playing any shows in a long time!! WHat kind of problems should I look out for, spontanious crashing or what?

[dsenette]

spontaneous crashing...weird noises or smells...if the system locks up more than normal....things that are out of the ordinary

[Beastman]

Scary. Very nervous.