Q: I purchased the Dell Vostro 410 today and bough the ATI 4870HD graphics card a few weeks ago. I asked ATI if the motherboard on the dell was compatible with the graphics card and they said it was. However, i have an issue with the power supply. The dell has 350Watts and on the packaging of the ATI 4870HD card, it said it needs a minimum of 500Watt. What would happen to the components and the system if i do install the graphics card into the computer? Also, i have a spare Magna ATX 500W PSU and would like to know if i added that to my Dell, would the graphics card work fine with minumum or preferably no problems? Thanks
A: You need at least 500W to run it and the rest of your components, but depending on what else your running. 500 may not be enough. With that being said...what you have to look at is how many Amps you have running down the 12+ rail. With the HD cards you need at least 25 amps preferrably more running down the rail. If you do not have this you will start getting BSOD's. I know from experience. When it comes to video cards amperage is more important than wattage. These are things that are in the small print..lol. Good minimum specs for a PSU today are at least 550W of true power and 25+ amps on the 12+ rail.