Power supplies

[imported_jediknight]

Putting together a new computer soon, and I want to do it as cheaply as possible, so I'm planning on sticking everything into my current case.

Now, the case I have is pretty cheap to begin with (I don't see the point of spending $$ for an aesthetically pleasing case, nor do I have plans to overclock my new machine.. at least not in the near future), and I doubt that the power supply it came with will be sufficient with today's power hungry devices.

A few questions:
1) How can I determine the power my current supply is delivering?
2) What would be sufficient for the following setup:

A643000+
Radeon 9800 Pro 256
(haven't made all my decisions for other components yet, but since these are - to my knowledge - the most power hungry components, it should give a good idea?)

3) Besides the power rating, what other parameters should I consider when buying a power supply? I've seen a price range of $20-170(CAN), for a 400W supply (I believe this would probably be sufficient?)...

4) Any recommendations? I'm not particularily concerned with noise (as in volume, not electrical interference), although my computer is near my bed, so I'd prefer it not sound like a jet engine.

 

[Zepper]

If you can find one, the Silverstone 400W is very good even the 360W Enlight would probably do it for you (the ones above and below in the Enlight line aren't as good).
.bh.

 

[xxichibanxx]

i would get at least a 400w, the new videocards are very power hungry. i 350w p/s is probably "enough" but i wouldn't risk it. get a high quality one such as Antec, Enermax, Sparkle, Fortron, Silverstone, ThermalTake, etc. If you can afford it, Fortron, and Antec are the way to go IMHO. you can get a ThermalTake w/ active PFC at a more reasonable price than those 2. active PFC just ensures that you're getting a constant power rail and you're using the full potential of your powersupply. there's a list on the web of how many watts each component in a computer system uses. try to google it, if i pass it, i'll tag it on. i think i also saw it in Maximum PC. some people say , the heavier the powersupply, the better the quality and generally that's true. don't go cheap on a powersupply, that's the life support of your system. you don't need active PFC but it's recommended. you might want ones w/ a few fans to keep your system cool as well. but my recommendation would be Antec, if you're strapped for cash get a TT, and get at least 400watts. i think the new Radeons require it. also go to newegg and read the reviews.

 

[Fern]

Here ya go

Power supply wattage calculator

 

[DaNorthface]

i would buy a 420 watt channel well power supply.. they aren't very expensive and are reliable.. channel well makes antec psu btw

 

[jhurst]

Enermax 460W.

 

[akira34]

I'd suggest a 430W Antec TruePower PSU for what you're going to be installing. I've been using 400W SmartPower PSU's in Athlon64 builds without any problem at all. They've also has the 9800 Pro (128MB version), two hard drives, two opticals, etc... Not a single issue with the 400W PSU from Antec. At the MOST, don't go over the 480W PSU. Even going that high will give the insides of your system more heat they will need to deal with. If your case is small, or doesn't have at least decent air flow, a 380W or 430W TruePower PSU will be more than enough. In fact, I was running a 380W TruePower PSU with an Athlon XP3000+ processor, two SATA hard drives, 9800 Pro, and two optical drives without any issue.

For the record, any decent PSU is going to cost you decent $$. Cheap PSU's are cheap for a reason and should be avoided.

 

[caz67]

Hi.

You can't go wrong with Antec 480W .

 

[RyanM]

Originally posted by: Fern
Here ya go

Power supply wattage calculator

That power supply wattage calculator does nothing but feed into the massive hysteria that surrounds the power supply industry.

25 watts per hard drive? 30 watts for an optical drive? And my ass is consuming 500 watts while I sit here, immobile, typing. Sure.

Enough hyperbole. Under real world situations, these are the numbers you can expect that are noticeably different than the website's.

7,200rpm hard drive..........5 to 15 watts
10,000rpm hard drive..........5 to 20 watts
CD/DVD Drive.........10 to 20 watts
PCI Card......3 to 5 watts

Now, according to their calculations, I need a 388 watt power supply, which makes my Silverstone 400w PFC PSU look almost as inadequate as......well, I won't go there.

Plugging the above worst-case-scenario numbers in, and counting my Raptor, I get a total of:

*drumroll please*

358 watts.

Not a big difference, you say. I'd disagree. I know I've got enough headroom to add not only another optical drive, but another hard drive as well, before I have to start worrying about the sh!t hitting the fan. With their estimate, the sh!t's already hit the fan.

Better safe than sorry, I'm sure you'd say - But these are the worst-case scenario estimates to begin with. It assumes that every device in your computer is drawing maximum power simultaneously - Something that will NEVER happen. Most worst-case scenarios are going to be in gaming, when the video card, CPU, sound card, data drive, and optical drive are going full-tilt. But in my scenario, that leaves a TV Tuner, 1 of the hard drives, 1 of the optical drives, and several USB accessories that are doing absolutely nothing. Those idle devices constitute over 50 to 60 watts. And that's assuming the hard drive is constantly being accessed - it isn't, that's what RAM's for - And likewise with the optical drive the game's running off of (assuming you haven't done the smart thing and made a virtual CD of it).

So to put it simply, if you're within 25 watts over or under the recommendation on that site, you're still pretty damn golden. You only have to begin worrying around the 50 to 75 watt mark.

As for people who run nutty lighted rigs, relax. You'd need a half-dozen 120mm fans and 4 cold cathodes before you start sucking as much power as your video card is gulping when you play Farcry.

 

[mdcrab]

I recent purchased one of the 420W Thermaltake PS's. $38 shipped. It is an excellent supply, very quiet, a best bag for the buck:
Thermaltake Silent PurePower, 420W ATX power supply

mdcrab

 

[imported_jediknight]

Wondering.. what would be the consequences of attempting to use an underpowered (I assume) PSU? Would this damage any hardware, or would the machine simply refuse to work?
I don't particularily want to spend any more money than necessary.. especially on a component that doesn't (or, shouldn't) affect performance of my machine.

I'm not planning to overclock (at least, not right away..)

 

[RyanM]

Overtaxing a powersupply will lead to voltage spikes, dips, and overall stress of the PS until it finally dies, and possibly takes some of your components with it.

What a lot of people don't realize is that power supplies are able to regulate and supply less power less effectively the hotter they get. So while a power supply that is inadequate for a system may start it up and run fine for a few minutes, as it heats up it will begin delivering progressively worse voltages and power levels to every component in the system, until it craps out or something else does.

You don't want to take that risk.

For 2 hard drives, 2 optical drives, the fastest processor on the market, the fastest videcard on the market, floppy, 3 PCI cards, 5 fans, and a cathode or two, 350W should be more than adequate. 400W to be extra safe and if you are overclocking.

Make sure, however, that whatever power supply you get has at least 150 to 180 watts on the 3.3V and 5V rails, and 300 on the 3.3, 5, and 12V combined.

 

[psiu]

I like Antec.

 

[RyanM]

Antec power supplies are solid, but they're far overpriced for what they deliver. I'm more than happy with my 400W Silverstone with PFC and damn-near-silent 120mm fan. I paid around $65, which while not cheap, would probably cost around $120 if Antec made something like it.

 

[CraigRT]

any decent quality power supply.
I had my new dual Athlon MP setup being powered by a 300W SPI power supply, and it didn't even break a sweat. it also had 2 optical drives, 2 hard drives, and a 9800 pro, without a problem.
right now I am running a Vantec ION power supply, IMO one of the best you can buy for the $.

 

[akira34]

You can get the Antec 430W True Power PSU for ~$69 (newegg.com)... I'd be very careful of low priced power supplies since I've seen (and had) those fail on me. I've not had an Antec PSU crap out, and I've been running with them for years. The jury is still out on Thermatake PSU's. They seem to be decent, but only time will really tell how well they hold up.