Will it hurt if I install a video card into my computer that requires more power watts than my PC has?

I am asking because I would like to upgrade my GeForce 6100 video card to a GeForce 7900 card however the GeForce 7900 requires 350w of my PSU and I only have 300w. I am wondering if this will harm my computer and if its okay to go ahead and upgrade?



Thanks in advance|||You can upgrade it but you will be losing out on the full performance of the card by under powering it. Just upgrade the psu in the near future to at least 500w, it is recommended to have more psu power than what your system calls for. But yes you can go ahead and install it.|||Probably not.

When I upgraded to a 7950 GT, I paid eighty bucks for a 500 Watt PSU so I would be sure that there would be no power problems.

It would probably work, but at mak loads, the PSU won't give enough power for your graphics card. Bet at least a 400 watt power supply with at least 22 AMPs on the 12 volt rail.|||If your PSU only can dish out 300 watts of power , and your installing something that takes up 350 watts alone , not considering any other components...I'll let your think for a minute..



Minute..over. The Answer is no.



Go to newegg.com and get something with atleast 600 watts.



Also , make sure the 7900 will go into the correct slot.

PCI , AGP , PCI Express x16 , ect.



It has a good chance of being a AGP though , seeing as your PSU had such low power.|||Drawing more power than the power-supply is rated for will either shutdown the power-supply or worse it will run but have a much shortened life. You would be better off to increase the size of your power-supply before putting in the new video card. Remember Murphy's Law! It will fail just when you need it the most. Going larger on the power-supply is better. The farther from the maximum out put you run it the longer it will last and the better the power regulation will be. If you have to have the video card invest in the power supply too.|||no that 350 mean that that is what your entire system will take up ALL TOGETHER. so you might wanna get a new power supply because it can burn up that one you have now. It happened to a co worker of mine. he put a HD2900xt into his computer and it killed his psu. look on newegg.com for a cheap 400-500 watt psu. shouldn't be more that $30-40