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Is 300W enough?

J

jaguar_22

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 19, 2001
Messages
225
Getting a cheap case with a 300W power supply in it and upgrading just mobo and chip to a socket 754...
I'm going to have my 3 hard drives, 1 cd-rw, 1 dvd, and tv tuner in there, also probably gonna get one or two 120mm fans for the case.

I don't really know anything about power requirements when it comes to hardware so I'm wondering how much power I'll really need - so if I need to get a better PSU i can
 
No. It will not be enough. Pick up a better power supply. Something like a Fortron 450w from Newegg for about $50 and you will be pretty happy with it.
 
the power supply is accurately rated. Look here for typical power draws. None of them are close to 300w.

In the long run it will probably be more economical to buy a decent case + ps, such as an Antec Sonata 2 or 3800bqe, which would save you the cost of upgrading.
 
It is not watts that are the concern it is proper amp distribution. It is likely any PSU that comes with a "cheap" case will be better employed as a door stop.
 
Spectre said:
It is likely any PSU that comes with a "cheap" case will be better employed as a door stop.
Click to expand...
Such a PSU might not be heavy enough to hold a door open. :(
 
_Korruption_ said:
Such a PSU might not be heavy enough to hold a door open. :(
Click to expand...

I was thinking more of the stop that goes behind the door to keep it from hitting the wall. :D
 
I found a better use of a cheapo 300w psu: Shooting range.
 
jaguar_22 said:
Getting a cheap case with a 300W power supply in it and upgrading just mobo and chip to a socket 754...
I'm going to have my 3 hard drives, 1 cd-rw, 1 dvd, and tv tuner in there, also probably gonna get one or two 120mm fans for the case.

I don't really know anything about power requirements when it comes to hardware so I'm wondering how much power I'll really need - so if I need to get a better PSU i can
Click to expand...

Regrettably, that cheap 300W unit is nowhere near enough. Most such units are outdated designs which put far too little power on the single +12V rail - as little as 8A to 10A maximum +12V capacity. Furthermore, they often cannot sustain anywhere close to their "rated" wattage without allowing the voltages to fluctuate severely. Put them both together, and you'll have the equivalent of only a 180W max PSU.
 
I am running the following on an Antec Phantom 350W PSU with no fan:
Athlon 64 X2 3800+
ECS KV2-Lite MOBO
2x 512MB DDR400 RAM
ATI AIW 9800 Pro AGP 128MB card
Seagate 160GB Sata drive
Plextor PX-712A burner
Crapass floppy drive
120mm fan + 92mm fan + 80mm fan

...and it is more than adequate for what is in my system. Don't get sucked into buying a 450, 500, or 600 watt PSU by people who don't even know what is in your system just because they read in some magazine review or forum that is what you must have..

(BTW: your original post doesn't say much about what is really in your system).
 
Frank4d said:
...and it is more than adequate for what is in my system. Don't get sucked into buying a 450, 500, or 600 watt PSU by people who don't even know what is in your system.

(BTW: your original post doesn't say much about what is really in your system).
Click to expand...

Antec Phantom!=cheap PSU with unknown amp distribution that came with cheap case ;)
 
Spectre said:
Antec Phantom!=cheap PSU with unknown amp distribution that came with cheap case ;)
Click to expand...

I bought it (a year after I bought my Antec Sonata case) after carefully considering the advantages vs disadvantages of using a totally silent (fanless) PSU in my PC which runs 24/7 less than four feet from my bed. As I said, it is perfectly adequate to run the hardware in my computer. And I have no problem sleeping with it in the same room.
 
Part of the Antec Phantom 350W has *only* 350W because it has a heavy distribution of amperage on the +12V and less flab on the +5V and +3.3V. You don't really have any power-hungry components.
 
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