Dead PSU. Need bigger one now?

[Psychic Penguin]

I know there is a post about seeing power requirements, but it makes my head hurt trying to decipher it. I know jack-crap about the technical side of electronics.

First off my antec 430w true PSU seems to be dying after only 6months of service. Some of you may have seen my post on the OC forums a few weeks ago. My hd was shutting off while in windows. And on boot if i had overclocked my cpu. It seems now that it was the PSU dying. Im currently using a spare powmax 400watt and not overclocking, things seem to be fine.

My concern is this. Im getting a bfg 6600gt oc soon (in the process of returning a defective one i got for xmas) and I was wondering if a 430w would be able to handle everything i have in my computer. If not Ill just RMA it and get a 550w antec or whatever is suggested.

my setup is:
a7n8x dx
xp2500 (hoping to oc again back to 3200)
2x 120gb WD SE
2x 256mb corsair xms
6600gt oc (when i get it back)
dvd drive
plextor 12x cdrw
3 or 4 case fans and an aeroflow heatsink

 

[larrymoencurly]

If a 400W Powmax can run all that, then you don't need a bigger Antec because Powmaxes are some of the weakest PSUs made, and in a test done by AnandTech several years ago, a couple of 400W Leadmans (parent co. of Powmax) couldn't run stuff that a 250-300W PSUs could (the 250W was by Heroichi/HEC, which made the Antec PP-xxx series).

I'd check the PSU for loose disk drive power connectors and pry them inward slightly between their metal tubes and the surrounding plastic. Those tubes have a slit down one side, and you should pry 90 deg. from the slit.

Maybe your Antec has bad low voltage electrolytic capacitors because I've heard that this affected some made even twelve months ago, and my 2-3 year-old 300W Antec developed some bulging caps a few months ago.