Q: My computer currently has geforce 8300gs I'm planning to buy a Geforce 8800gtx, but I think my power supply is not enough. How mandy watts does my power supply needs to be. My current power supply right now is 350WATTS Specs: Regular Desktop Motherboard Intel Core 2 duo E8300 (2.83ghz) 2GB of PC2-5300 160GB 7200 HD DVD BURNER
A: Bear in mind that a lot of the big manufacturers lock the components and use odd sized gear in their machines (Dell & HP for example do this) If you have a dell/hp etc and go and buy a power supply from your local electronics retailer there is a good chance that: 1) it won't fit 2) if it does fit your computer won't boot because the system will see the change and no longer recognize the components 3) you have invalidated the warranty by removing the stock power supply If you have a big name computer you should check with them before you try to change anything to make sure it is possible and that you will not invalidate the warranty by making the change. These systems are not designed to be upgraded any further than adding new RAM and maybe a PCI card If you have a custom machine then I would recommend 450w as the minimum so you have power to spare fo future upgrades