[pete21]

hello every one
first time iv askd a Question on here

at the min my rig has a 350 or 400w psu..i dont no exacly as its a cheap unit and no were can i see it printed on it

i want to upgrade this as its just stupid trustin a cheap psu with expensive components
i'm looking for sumets like a 550watts maybe 650watts

can i just plug a powerfull psu in eney motherboard or is there a watts limit to each motherboard?
iv checked the manual but did not mention eneything about this

i'm runing a
AMD 2800 just over 2GHZ xp socket a
256 gb G-force graphics card
2 harddrives-due to add 2 more
1 gig ddr 400
2 dvd rw 2 cd rw
6 120mm led akasa fans
4 cathrods
windows vista ultimate

if eneyone is interasted iv done a quik video of my rig to give people some idea
of wot my first build tern'd out like
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zL5sdAWVDk4

if i can upgrade can some one recoment how high i shud go with the watts?

thanks

[Mike0001]

The PSU supplies power directly to components so, no, there isn't a MB restriction. There is no point in going for too much power. Think about it: 500w is a small electric fire: do you really want your PC to consume that much? Go for a smooth supply voltage rather than an all-out maximum supply.

[alex]

Originally Posted by Mike0001

The PSU supplies power directly to components so, no, there isn't a MB restriction. There is no point in going for too much power. Think about it: 500w is a small electric fire: do you really want your PC to consume that much? Go for a smooth supply voltage rather than an all-out maximum supply.

Not correct.

The pc will only draw as much electricity as it needs and adjust load dynamically. Just because you've got a x wattage psu doesn't mean the pc is always taking that amount of wattage.

I agree there's not much point going to far though as it's just more cost in the initial purchase.

It's always better to get a higher powered psu than you need because then it doesn't need to run at peak or near peak output, and it then runs quieter.

What he really needs to be looking for is a stable, efficient psu.

[Elijah]

If you do buy a new power supply, I would recommend this one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817103941

550 Watts will be plenty for your computer. And if you upgrade anything inside you'll have the power to do it. You could find cheaper 550 watt psu's, but in the long run it's not worth it. I have experience with Antec psu's and you get more bang for your buck with them.
About 1 yr ago I got a 650 watt antec for my brothers comp and it's still running strong, not a single problem.

[Mike0001]

Originally Posted by alex

Not correct.

The pc will only draw as much electricity as it needs and adjust load dynamically. Just because you've got a x wattage psu doesn't mean the pc is always taking that amount of wattage.

I agree there's not much point going to far though as it's just more cost in the initial purchase.

It's always better to get a higher powered psu than you need because then it doesn't need to run at peak or near peak output, and it then runs quieter.

What he really needs to be looking for is a stable, efficient psu.

I didn't mean that it would use that all the time, I was just arguing against running a PC that might even consume anything like that much power!

I am not sure about the "big is better" argument, as I was under the impression that PSUs were less efficient at the low end of their range. However, the case is far from clear.

http://www.efficientpowersupplies.or...Study_Ecos.pdf

Quietness is to do with efficiency, not maximum power, since the fan will only be on when heat is being generated and that will only happen when power is being wasted. Go for a large PSU fan that is thermostatically controlled to cut noise down. In a well designed PC the noise from the PSU will be inaudible compared with the other fans in the case. Most of the time its fan will be switched off.

I would guess your PC is consuming 150-200w BTW. One of those £15 power monitors from Maplin would confirm this. I also think you have too many fans!

[pete21]

you can never have too many fans hehe.. there not runing at 12v there runing somewere around 9v so there almost silent..:)

i'm goin to go for a 450w power supply that should do nicely :)

[Mike0001]

Originally Posted by pete21

you can never have too many fans hehe..

Oh yes you can...