I have a computer with a P3 933mhz cpu, 256mb pc133 ram, 1 hdd, 1 optical drive, integrated sound and lan and would like to put a geforce 4 graphics card in. It will be a fanless low profile card. I have an agp slot but i only have a 110w power supply. WILL IT WORK??!!

Maybe... maybe not. I would not recommend installing the video card, since you would be pushing your PSU to the limits when the system is at load. A fully loaded PSU generates more heat and is comparatively unstable to one that's running around 60-70% of it's capabilities.

Maybe... maybe not. I would not recommend installing the video card, since you would be pushing your PSU to the limits when the system is at load. A fully loaded PSU generates more heat and is comparatively unstable to one that's running around 60-70% of it's capabilities.

Thanks for that. I will not have any printer or scanners etc attached either. I wont have the internet aswel so lan wont be used. I will only have speakers attached. And only the fan on the psu and cpu. Oh and the cd drive wont be used much at all. Will it work now? It is a dell optiplex gx150 and i heard they use differnt psu sizes. So can i get a new PSU?

For the most part - attached devices draw their own power (they've got their own power cords). Printers, scanners and so forth don't need to be included in PSU calculations.

You might be able to get a new PSU... but the question here is - is it worth it? I'm guessing that the old PSU will cost you nearly as much as a new one will. Upgrading old computers really isn't worth it unless you can find parts second hand for dirt cheap (websites like CraigsList are great for that kind of thing).

I would not use it with less than 230-235W rated CPU PSU. Why is it an 110W PSU? Is this a slim case? Even a P1 case mini/midi tower model was 200W and up in most cases.

I would not use it with less than 230-235W rated CPU PSU. Why is it an 110W PSU? Is this a slim case? Even a P1 case mini/midi tower model was 200W and up in most cases.

For some reason alot of dells have low watt power supplys. It is smaller than a normal tower but isnt small form factor. I looked on the internet and you can get 160w psu for the SMALLER version of my computer! But 110w is the largest for mine. And because dell use weird shape psu that dont need screws I cant just buy any old thing. I have seen second hand optiplex gx260/70/80 psu on ebay for 20 bucks including postage but dont know if they will fit correctly.

It was quite normal for the GX150's to have 110W PSUs. The systems themselves drew much less power than that, using onboard graphics to help cut down on power requirements.

The easiest way to know if you're within limits is to get yoursell a Kill-A-Watt meter, or something of the sort. Plug the KAW into the wall, and then the computer's power cord (and only the computer) into the KAW. Start up the computer and then run Prime95 to stress the CPU. What model of Geforce4 do you have? My first guess would be that if the system as-is draws less than 60W at load, you should be fine to put in the video card.

The Kill-A-Watt meter is useful for other things as well. I've used it to track all kinds of power consumption. Sadly, my whole entertainment system still leeches ~10W when everything is off.

The GeForce 4 series draws about 35 watts. The lowest wattage cards are ATI Radeon 9500 and 9600 at 17 watts.