Help choosing a PSU to run my system

[Thomasj]

I was wondering what the the best bang for the buck PSU is.

My specs are

Athlon 4600+ x2
1GB DDR2 800
SATA 250GB 7200RPM HD
LG DVD/CDRW
1 80mm fan
1 120mm fan
ASUS EAX1950PRO

I know the graphics card says it needs 30Amps.

[RollingThunder]

I was wondering what the the best bang for the buck PSU is.

My specs are

Athlon 4600+ x2
1GB DDR2 800
SATA 250GB 7200RPM HD
LG DVD/CDRW
1 80mm fan
1 120mm fan
ASUS EAX1950PRO

I know the graphics card says it needs 30Amps.

CPU and card overclocked? What the recommendation of 30 amps means is a quality power supply with 30 amps 12v overall. This is generally somewhat exaggerated but it wouldn't hurt to have one anyhow.

[Thomasj]

CPU No

Card yes it will be. Once I get it installed. Not gonna go crazy on it tho. It looks like pretty strong card to start with.

My main concern is value for my dollar. With christmas shopping and all that stuff Im really low on cash right now. But I dont want something thats gonna blow in a few months either.

[RollingThunder]

CPU No

Card yes it will be. Once I get it installed. Not gonna go crazy on it tho. It looks like pretty strong card to start with.

My main concern is value for my dollar. With christmas shopping and all that stuff Im really low on cash right now. But I dont want something thats gonna blow in a few months either.

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10006428

Review:

http://www.jonnyguru.com/review_details.php?id=125

[Thomasj]

The card says I need 30 amps. When I look at the power ratings on PSU's what should I look for? I see alot will have 30 amps at a lower voltage but not 12. Does the 30 amps have to be at 12v?

How do I know what amperage and voltage the pce i connectors are?

[blackersabbath]

You will be looking for something with 30a or more on the 12v rail. That's what your cpu and gpu will run on

[RollingThunder]

The card says I need 30 amps. When I look at the power ratings on PSU's what should I look for? I see alot will have 30 amps at a lower voltage but not 12. Does the 30 amps have to be at 12v?

How do I know what amperage and voltage the pce i connectors are?

Thomas,

The two photos attached will show you what to look for on the power supply labels highlighted in red. They are normally shown on the outside of their boxes too. Don't be concerned with the other amp and wattage readings, quality power supplies build them in conjuntion with each other.

The first label is the Corsair recommended for your system, the second label is a big Silverstone used for much higher power requirements. Both photos are courtesy Jonny Guru's test results from the second URL I posted above.

[Thomasj]

The graphics card has an additional power connector on it. Does this mean I need a psu with at least two 12v rails with 30 amp?

[JamesXP]

No, A single rail 30A is fine, I favour single rail over dual/triple/quad becuasey ou dont have to worry about over currecnt protection.

[RollingThunder]

The graphics card has an additional power connector on it. Does this mean I need a psu with at least two 12v rails with 30 amp?

Thomas,

James is correct, a good single 12v is better because it prevents crossloading (distribution) over multiple rails. A single rail handles it all.

Don't be confused by all the technical parts of this, a good quality power supply today will cover your needs nicely. The Corsair models are good examples.

[Thomasj]

Just so I know, if you have more than one 12v rail do you combine the total amps from them for your total amps figure?

[RollingThunder]

Just so I know, if you have more than one 12v rail do you combine the total amps from them for your total amps figure?

Yes, the 12v rails can be combined for a total. If you have three 12v rails delivering 16 amps each, you have 48 amps 12v.

[Thomasj]

Well then. My Antec ea380 has 34amps. 17+17. So It is sufficient power?

[RollingThunder]

Well then. My Antec ea380 has 34amps. 17+17. So It is sufficient power?

Thomas,

Your Earth Watts 380 should be ok if you are not overclocking either your CPU or GPU and definately not both.

[Super Nade]

The card says I need 30 amps. When I look at the power ratings on PSU's what should I look for? I see alot will have 30 amps at a lower voltage but not 12. Does the 30 amps have to be at 12v?

How do I know what amperage and voltage the pce i connectors are?

No way man. No video card will eat 30A by itself. The recommendation is for the WHOLE SYSTEM, i.e a minimum 30 A 12V Rail PSU. :)

[Thomasj]

I just picked up a OCZ powerstream 520 used for 41 dollars on ebay. Is this a good quality PSU. Also, it says it has adjustable rails??:confused: What does that mean

[jonspd]

one of the better ones :D

yea it has adj rails 3 pots on the back of the psu I have the 600 version...

[ryanmartini]

I just picked up a OCZ powerstream 520 used for 41 dollars on ebay. Is this a good quality PSU. Also, it says it has adjustable rails??:confused: What does that mean

good find.