so much has changed...

[option141]

Hey all,

SO i am upgrading my computer, and its been a decent 4-5. I stopped by this section of the forums, only to find power supply has become a very complex subject.

Currently, I have an Antec SL400 power supply (400 Watts).
I run a 2.8C P4, 1 GB of XMS Ram, 9800 Pro, Sound Blaster somethin, Memorex DVD-R/RW/DL/CD-R/RW, and 1 80 GB SATA, and 80 GB ATA drive.

I was going to upgrade the processor, ram, mobo, video card to:
Athlon X2 3600+ 65W brisbane (tryin to shoot for 2.6Ghz on OC)
2gb Geil ram
7800 GT PCI-E 256MB
Abit NF-M2

obviously, i dont think my antec power supply is going to cut it for this stuff.

SO, i'm looking for some friendly advice on a PSU that fits what i need, and is not overkill.

so... any suggestions?

 

[equalme]

Hey all,

SO i am upgrading my computer, and its been a decent 4-5. I stopped by this section of the forums, only to find power supply has become a very complex subject.

Currently, I have an Antec SL400 power supply (400 Watts).
I run a 2.8C P4, 1 GB of XMS Ram, 9800 Pro, Sound Blaster somethin, Memorex DVD-R/RW/DL/CD-R/RW, and 1 80 GB SATA, and 80 GB ATA drive.

I was going to upgrade the processor, ram, mobo, video card to:
Athlon X2 3600+ 65W brisbane (tryin to shoot for 2.6Ghz on OC)
2gb Geil ram
7800 GT PCI-E 256MB
Abit NF-M2

obviously, i dont think my antec power supply is going to cut it for this stuff.

SO, i'm looking for some friendly advice on a PSU that fits what i need, and is not overkill.

so... any suggestions?

Any Corsair HX or VX series. The HX series has modular cables, and the VX series does not. I first purchased a Corsair HX520 for my HTPC, I was so satisfied with the performance and quietness, I ended up purchasing the HX620 for my gaming rig.

 

[BillParrish]

Wow, I believe you are the first person I have seen in the last year+ go from Intel to AMD.

Cant disagree about the corsair advice just recently got a VX-550 and love the quality and low noise.

I started to write that you might could get by with what you have but a quick check
http://www.antec.com/specs/sl400_spe.html
indicates you have at best 18A on the +12 and that is pretty marginal if you intend to OC. So it is not so much the power rating but the fact the supply is of the older design when computers used much more 3.3 and +5 than they do now.

The corsair VX450, about $70, does not sound much like a step up from your current supply however most of the corsair output is available on the +12 which is where you need it. It has 33A of +12 (396W) available. It would do the job just fine.

However since you specifically mentioned OCing (and you might some day upgrade the video card) I would recommend the VX 550, about $100 with 41A of +12 and you probably would be set for life unless something really weird in new standards for computer power supplies come along. The VX-550 is powering the machine in my sig without breaking a sweat (literally, exhaust is cool, fan running so low I cannot hear it over my other low speed fans). No way you are using or going to use anywhere near as much power as I am with your new setup. 5 year warranty and a rep that watches this board and absolutely does his best to make things right if for some rare reason you have an issue.

And as a running gag with the Corsair rep that haunts these forums I would be remiss if I did not mention that, unlike Corsair memory products : You get a very high quality case badge and the supply comes in a nice cloth like drawstring bag that many uses can be found for. VX bags are white and the HX bags are black.

If for some reason you hate Corsair ( :eek ) the OCZ powerstream products are well regarded too. And to be fair they have a helpful rep in the forums as well, but no drawstring bag . I am sure there are lots of others but I looked as soooooo damn many while researching my purchase it has all become a blur once I settled on a winner.

There are some lower cost alternatives but you have to be very very carefull not to get pure junk. The only one I have seen a decent review (tested on commercial load tester) that I can remember is http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182016

References:
http://www.anandtech.com/casecoolingpsus/showdoc.aspx?i=3146&p=15
http://www.jonnyguru.com/review_details.php?id=135
http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTM3NSwsLGhlbnRodXNpYXN0
http://www.jonnyguru.com/review_details.php?id=125
http://www.jonnyguru.com/review_details.php?id=48&page_num=1
http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTM5MCwsLGhlbnRodXNpYXN0

 

[MrGuvernment]

what is your budget?

i wouldnt bother with the old AMD stuff. a low end intel would beat the AMD you choose for like $130, how long do you want this system to last....

 

[option141]

what is your budget?

i wouldnt bother with the old AMD stuff. a low end intel would beat the AMD you choose for like $130, how long do you want this system to last....

what intel were you thinking of?

and BIll Parish - you are an awesome educator. thank you!

 

[fss69]

The upgrade system isn't that power hungry. If that 400W PSU is anywhere near decent quality, you should be able to power it just fine.

 

[MrGuvernment]

i think it is the 4400 or it's replacement can be had for around $130....

 

[Oh4Sh0]

You should be able to run that system on the SL400. However it wouldn't be a bad idea to get a newer psu. I wouldn't go overkill and purchase something really expensive due to the nature of the parts you're running and depriciation of computer parts. (IE if you got a corsair hx620 it would be a waste of money because you wouldn't come close to needing it's full output.. and if you only upgrade every 4-5 years - by that time it won't be worth much / have the proprietary connectors needed)