New comp - PSU question

[DB27]

Hi, all. While I've been OC'ing for several years now (thank you, P4 1.6 Northwood!), I'm kinda new at evaluating the power supply part of the equation. I'm building a new rig now, and I'm trying to decide if the power supply that comes with my Antec case is sufficient. It is listed as 350W, and the 12V rail is listed at 16A. I don't have a lot of stuff to run off of it, but I'm planning the following:

AMD64 90nm 3200+
ASUS A8N-SLI (although I will NOT be running an SLI setup)
2x512MB OCZ Plat Rev 2 PC3200 RAM
One SATA hard drive
NEC-2500A drive
Chaintech 6600GT video card (note: only ONE)

and that's about it for now....

Given the minimal components, would this power supply be sufficient for me to OC up to 2.3 or 2.4 GHz with the 3200+? I forget the name fo the case, but it's about $75 on newegg. I do have an XP90 and panaflo for the CPU, and the case will have 1 120mm fan in front and 1 in the back as well.

Thanks for any help you can give me.

 

[stevennoland]

If your going the SLI route start NOW with a decent psu. If you stick with the one that came with your case (yuk) you might not have enough juice when you decide to add the second vid card (wich would mean having to yank it and re-install a new one along with the second vid card). Save yourself some grief; get a 'quality' psu with @ least 22-24 amps on the +12 volt rail.

 

[DB27]

I realize that. I am highly doubtful I will ever use an SLI setup (I don't play graphic intensive games and such) but I am getting the board anyway given the minimal price difference at this point. That is already set. I'd like to avoid the additional cost at this time, and I'm fine with replacing the power supply later on if need be. I just don't want to have problems from the start with the above setup.

 

[Spike]

16a will be fine for now with that system. Here are the specs I run on a PSU with a 18a rail

Athlon XP 2500+ @ 3200+
Abit NF7-S
1024 MB PC3200
BFG 6800GT @ Ultra Speeds
Seagate 200GB 7200.7
Maxtor 250GB DM 9
NEC 2510a
Lite-On 48x12x48
2X120mm case fan
80mm YS-Tech CPU can

Runs my system super-stable. You *should* be able to run that system with overclock well enough, especially using an Antec, though this is not a garuntee. If you ever want to get another GPU, then it will definitly be time to upgrade.

-spike

 

[vaioman]

I would suggest getting the best psu you can afford and you can enjoy the knowledge that you have power in reserve.
You could do with a minimum of 18A for the +12v rail just for running a basic A64 system.....something like 28A and you know you are good for the long term.

Antec Trueblue is a good budget option.

 

[rforum]

Suggestion from MSI forum when building an AMD64 system. Make sure +12V rail has plenty of juice:

POWER SUPPLIES

No single component in a computer system is more important than the Power Supply.
With the advent of AMD's Athlon64 series of processors, this subject has to rank at the top
when it comes to component selection. In an effort not to influence or possibly mislead potential PSU buyers, it is felt that we should only provide the necessary requirements that are needed for these newer processor/motherboard combinations. Absolutely of utmost importance is amperage ratings - and especially on the +12v line. A suggested safe minimum of 24a on the +12v rail. There have seen some members that are satisfied with their 18 or 20amps on +12v....but as they add components to their systems, the requirement will likely change - and a bigger supply may be needed to power their system. While you don't need more than you will use, having a buffer that allows you to do some upgrades without having to change your PSU in the near future is always a good investment.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

rforum -- and that being said, I'm beginning to question the adequacy of my 12V rail's 20 amps . . .

I guess it's time to shell out some bucks for either a Turbo-Cool 510 or an ULTRA X-Connect (with the 32 amps on the 12V rail -- some of the 500-watter X-Connects have less.)