Will a 300W HP Power Supply Work with a GTX 1660 Super?
Asked by
PixelProwler99
I'm looking to upgrade my HP Pavilion 550-225ng, which currently has an i7-6700, 16GB of DDR3 RAM, and a GTX 1650 Super. It originally came with a GTX 960, which has a TDP of 120W. The power supply is only 300W, but since HP managed to include a GTX 960 in the setup, I'm wondering if it would also be alright to upgrade to either a GTX 1660 Super or a GTX 1660 Ti, which have similar TDP ratings. The PSU has external connectors for GPUs and two +12V rails (12.0A and 16.0A). Is it safe to plug in one of these higher cards, or am I risking hardware problems?
Answers
In principle, running a GTX 1660 Ti should work fine, especially since the GTX 960 ran without issues for years. HP clearly thought a 300W PSU could handle a 120W GPU. You could always downclock the GTX 1660 if you're worried, but I wouldn’t invest if you’re gonna upgrade your whole system soon anyway. Just keep in mind your PC is nearing end of life, and consider jumping to a better system when you can.
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Theoretically, you should be okay, but I wouldn't completely trust that power supply. The i7-6700 should consume around 85W under load, while the GTX 1660s are in the 120-125W range. If you take into account motherboard power and more, you're looking at needing close to 100W for everything. If you're on a tight budget, it could work, but I wouldn’t risk it. Plus, you should consider that your PC is getting pretty dated—Windows 10 support is ending soon, and you might want to think about upgrading to something newer in the near future.
OldPCEnthusiast: Totally get where you're coming from! I think playing it safe with power is wise, especially with older setups. But it's a good plan to start saving for a newer model.
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RebelCoder90: Good points! It’s definitely worth considering how much longer you’ll be able to rely on your current setup. You may want to make the jump to a newer GPU if you’re able to afford a larger upgrade soon.