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New PSU Needed (need help)

I

Incinerator

Limp Gawd
Joined
Aug 31, 2005
Messages
252
I've had an X-Dreamer case for almost 3 years now and I have been using the default power supply this whole time, but recently I upgraded my video card that requires power (GeForce 6600) and whenever I turn on my comp it says that its lowering its abilities because its not getting enough power. Also, I'm planning on adding another hdd to the comp soon so I'll need more power definitely.

I think the default power supply is 350w but I'm not sure as I havn't looked at it since I built it and I was just wondering what kind of wattage would be enough for me. I'm not really looking to spend a ton of money on a psu, just something that will work.

The system is an AMD Athlon XP 2800+, cd drive, dvd burner, 3 hdds(soon), GeForce 6600.

Thanks for any help
 
preferably around $30 but I dont know what kind of quality psu I can get for that so maybe more.
 
Only $30???

Go for rebates then. You can NOT buy a decent power supply for $30 off the shelf.
 
I was just skimming newegg and I saw this and it seems pretty good, 500w for $30, good reviews. Anyone have any experience with this psu, or know about it?

Been reading the reviews on that one and looked for a different one, would you all say this is a good psu?
 
Incinerator said:
I was just skimming newegg and I saw this and it seems pretty good, 500w for $30, good reviews. Anyone have any experience with this psu, or know about it?

Been reading the reviews on that one and looked for a different one, would you all say this is a good psu?
Click to expand...

Neither one is good enough for modern rigs. Both of those PSUs have a very low amperage capacity on the +12V rail. In fact, the first one linked delivers only 15A on its single +12V rail while putting a lot of power (50A :eek: ) on the +5V rail! And even the second is rated at only 18A on its single +12V rail.
 
that Fortran psu is only 350w, and so is the default psu, that isn't supplying enough power already to the video card. So wouldn't that Fortran one have a problem too? or does wattage not really matter compared to the 12v rail?

I really have no clue about power supplies so I dont know what the amperage on the rails mean or anything like that so any insight would be great.
 
jonnyGURU said:
18A/16A. Good find.

Although, it's not 34A combined. It's only 25A. Multiple 12V rails are not additive. ;-)
Click to expand...

Correctamundo (25A, based on the maximum combined +12V output of 300W).

Some lines of some brands list neither the maximum combined +12V power nor the maximum combined +12V amperage - not even on the PSU label (Antec's SPII line, for example: The 350W unit of that line has only 20A combined, based on the 10A/15A rating for the +12V1/+12V2). Antec's TPII series does list the maximum combined +12V amperage - but you'll have to look at the label on the PSU itself in order to find that rating (e.g.: The TPII-480 has 33A combined on the +12V).
 
Incinerator said:
that Fortran psu is only 350w, and so is the default psu, that isn't supplying enough power already to the video card. So wouldn't that Fortran one have a problem too? or does wattage not really matter compared to the 12v rail?

I really have no clue about power supplies so I dont know what the amperage on the rails mean or anything like that so any insight would be great.
Click to expand...

350W on any power supply is a misconception of that power supply's capabilities.

Assuming the power supply can sustain 350W, how it gets to that 350W can vary from power supply to power supply. A power supply can have 25A capability on the 12V rail, or a mere 18A. Because the bulk of the voltage may be on the 5V rail where you don't need it.

And then you have power supplies that can't even sustain their maximum rated wattage. The ratings may be peak. Or even worse; peak at a voltage that's not even within 5% of spec.

So you can't just say, "this is a 350 and that is a 350, so they must do the same thing,"
 
jonnyGURU said:
18A/16A. Good find.

Although, it's not 34A combined. It's only 25A. Multiple 12V rails are not additive. ;-)
Click to expand...

I'll admit....I chuckled :p
 
ok, well I started looking into pricier psu's since there doesn't seem to be many good ones around $30 but I saw this one and in the sticky it says Fortron is good and I was just wondering if this would be able to power my system well.

or what about this one , its 400w as compared to ^ that one which is only 350w, and they have basically the same stats

or should I just get that Fortron psu since the amperage on the 12V rails are higher than both of these?

System:
Sony DVD-rom
3 HDDs
GeForce 6600
AMD Athlon XP 2800+
Abit NF7-M

thanks
 
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