Athlon approved power supplies

[daveshel]

What's up with these? What does it take for a unit to be approved, and, more important, what happens if I try to use a non-approved power suppply? Will it damage my other hardware?

 

[Gunther]

No its just that since the athlon requires so much power you really need a good solid power supply, so that your computer components will have enough power to run, the most critical time is when you turn on your computer, it draws a lot of power and if your power supply can't handle it then you will have problems. Also if the power supply is not listed on the amd approved list I would hesitate in using it since it is probably bad. And when people say you need a 300 watt power supply min HA my a$$ I used to run my system on a 250 watt 1.85v perfectly stable... then I got my 450 watt power supply for the hell of it... But I would still "recommend" you getting a 300+ watt amd-approved power supply. BTW don't get deer they suck I had one that went pop and a lot of smoke came out

 

[LXi]

For it to be approved, it first of all, has to have adequate power to supply to a fully loaded Athlon/Duron system, second it should be high quality and reliable. Usually only brand name makers are able to produce AMD approved power supplies. But that doesnt mean a non-approved PSU wont work, and to think that a non-approved PSU can damage other hardware is just ridiculous. In the worst case, you'll just lose stability, or in some case, you wont be able to boot up.

 

[RossGr]

A critical point not mentioned here is that the power stability. When the load demand on the power supply changes how much does the voltage change? AMD wants the power to be very stable in this respect. A PS can provide plenty of power but not be very stable. This is a function of the power supplies regulators and is a sign of a good power supply design and quality components.

 

[SDTom]

Not only does there need to be a steady supply of good clean power, but the timing / initialization of the 3.3v and 5v power rails is important too.
There are many 250 watt supplies that will work. But with so many good name brand approved 300 watt supplies that are reasonably priced, it is a good idea to just go ahead and get a good 300 or better.

Tom

 

[ledzepp98]

my $.02, if you have a 250watt already, it will probably work. if you have to buy one anyone, shell out the extra $20 bucks (give or take a bit i guess) and get a good 300watt (i hear sparkle or antec is good)

 

[FluxCapacitor]

Well, I have a 275W Silencer, PC Power & Cooling PS. Their 300W Turbo Cool model is AMD approved, so I figured this one could handle it too. Nope. Tried to use it for my new 1.2GHz fully loaded system (1 HD, 2 CD/CD-R, 256MB RAM, 3 cooling fans (2x80mm, 1x120mm), GeForce DDR, SBLive, NIC, modem).... It was a NO GO. System booted fine, but not stable during Sandra memory benches or 3DMark, and during CD installs of games (like UT) my system would reboot.

Better watch it if you plan on getting a 1.2GHz+ TBird with a GeForce, cause those 2 together suck up some massive wattage.

Shouldn't damage anything though. Worst you should experience is random lockups, reboots, or your system failing to boot.

 

[zbose]

The list only seems to be for athlons. If you have a duron, does the PS not matter?

zbose

 

[Vyle]

There is a list for approved PS for Durons, too. Durons draw less power than Athlons. In fact, AMD has approved some 145 watt PS for mATX Duron systems. I'm using a 250 watt non-approved PS for my Duron and haven't experienced any problems (knock on wood).

 

[daveshel]

Thanks all. I got a deal on an ATX case that has a PS identified simply as an L&C Technology LC-300ATX. My search showed that the same company has an Athlon-approved unit, but this one is not.

 

[peemo]

Using a non-approved unit with a T-Bird is like getting a pig's heart for a transplant. It might work for a while but if you put too much load on it, bye bye.

 

[Vyle]

<< Using a non-approved unit with a T-Bird is like getting a pig's heart for a transplant. It might work for a while but if you put too much load on it, bye bye. >>



BS

 

[peemo]

OK Vyle, you got lucky did you? Oink, oink.

If you are shopping for a PS, get an approved one. If you have one already you can use it, of course, and see whether everything is stable. If you have system problems, it could take a lot of messing around to rule out everything except the power suppply.