Power Suppy?!?!?!?

[VERT]

I opened my case again the other day (i dont keep the cover off for l33t cooling, no) and remembered I had a 200W power supply eeeeeeek. What ya think, I need a higher rated power supply?
What i'm running off my power supply:
K7T Pro2-A mobo with T-bird 800 + lots of other goodies
30 gb 7200 HD
DVD drive
CDRW drive
Floppy
2 x case fans

a guy in shop told me ages ago that i did not need to upgrade my ps, until it ran out of plugs, well it has.
Although I have had no problems (i dont want them either) what sort of rated power supply should my system have?

[NDC]

Well, are you having any problems with the current power supply? If not, don't bother buying a new one just yet.

[VERT]

not having any problems, but 200Ws!?!?!?

[NDC]

Why do you want to spend money on a new PSU if your current one is doing its job?

[VERT]

hehe, i dont know, guess I was just worried that something bad could happen because of its low rating

[NDC]

Your system will let you know when it's time for you to go out an get a better PSU! http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif

[Sirch]

Most people appear to be under the disillusion that a PC needs a 400-watt power supply. This is NOT the case.

An average PC uses no more than approximately 90 watts.

What most people are getting confused about is the difference between wattage and quality of electrical supply from a PSU. It would appear that certain hardware is sensitive to a good quality feed (i.e. precise tolerances of voltage) from a PSU, and what tends to happen is people will upgrade the PSU to a 350/400-watt model and see their problems go away. I can assure you, in most cases it’s not the increase in wattage, it’s the better filtering of the newer PSU.

Regards,
Chris

[Bovon]

Sirch, I agree completely.

The one major thing most non electrical type of people don't know is, all of the output voltages from a computer power supply is in series. What this means is, take for instance, the +12 volt 'rail'. This has as its counterpart...a minus 12 volts as well..they are in series, and equal 24 volts. The plus and minus 5 volts is also a part of this 24 volt output. When a load hits one of the outputs, it can affect the others. If a psu is not filtered with high quality parts, it can then begin to introduce what we call 'hum'...or AC ripple that is not filtered properly when the load exceeds the supplies filtering components. Computers sensitive circuits do not like AC ripple, or 'hum' at all.

[YMK]

You have to know what the wattage rating means. my 300 watt power supply is rated to give 220 watts. 350 watt is the rating of how much ac power it consumes, not how much dc power it gives. My other PC has a 250 watt power supply, but has maximum rated power output of 140 watts. 200 watts of DC power is plenty.

[VERT]

thanks for the info guys, i feel much the wiser. what are good brand power supplys to get to avoid that ac ripple/ hum?
I dont think i am getting that, how would I know, would my ps be humming?

[Bovon]

No, VERT...AC 'hum' is an electrical term to indicate noise or AC ripple in the output of a DC power supply. Usually it can only be seen on an oscilascope or DB type of meter. Sometimes, if the hum is bad enough, it can be heard in an old AM type of radio, usually tuned down to the low end of the band around 600 kc or so, placed near the source of the hum...like near a computer case with the sides or cover removed. A very small amount of noise or hum may be acceptable depending on the circuits using the voltages.

As to which brand of psu is best, depends on who you talk to. Enermax are very popular with many computer builders, so is Antec. There are other brands that will give very satisfactory service...just stay away from the bargain basement types..these quite often have cheap components that will not last.

The main failure in any DC power supply are the filter capactors. They have a type of liquid inside, and they will dry out over time and sometimes short out, blowing fuses ect.

[DanU]

The Cadillac of power supplies is generally considered to be Power PC and Cooling's Turbo-cool series. Supposedly they use independently regulated rails, avoiding the problems Bovon spoke of. Unfortunately for the average joe, they're very expensive.

I've been very happy with the Antec 300W PS in my main computer... although I did modify it recently to replace the stamped steel fan grille with a chrome wire grille. The Enermax Whisper series seems very popular.

AMD has compiled a list of power supplies that they recommend. You can't go wrong by picking one from this list: http://www1.amd.com/athlon/power

[VERT]

Thanks http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif