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how much power do I need for my new system?

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kent_b29

Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2002
Location
Minnesota
I going to be building a system and was wondering what kind of power needs i can expect. I want to get either a antec true 330 or 430. will i need the extra power? here's what's in the works

amd 2400+ processor
Abit kd7-raid motherboard
nec multisync fe700+ crt monitor
lite-on 40x12x40 cd-rw
5 thermaltake smart fan II case fans
1 generic side case fan
Chieftec matrix mid-tower case
Western Digital 80 gig special edition hard drive
Thermalright ax-7 heatsink
MSI Geforce 4 Ti4200 128mb video card
chieftec color matched wireless keyboard and mouse
1 floppy drive
512 mb crucial ram


thanks,
Kent
 
YES. especially if you OC, i would get AT LEAST 400w.. brand name Antec, Enermax, or Sparkle units would be your best bet. nice system btw. good luck
 
spazzkid said:
enermax sux, sum of then get low 5v readings, go with antec.

just because some users have had low 5v lines doesnt mean that every single enermax power supply ever produced "sux". they are a helluva lot better than some no-name POS.

that said, i've got on running in my secondary machine a 350w enermax, and it gets fine voltages, although, from now on i'll be buying Sparkle me thinks (i'm a cheap ***) :)
 
I just picked up a 480 watt True Power Antec from Newegg for 100 even including shipping. Running a P4 2.85 gig just fine and it is much quieter than my old one.

Both the processor and the video card are oc on this machine.
 
Yeah, i do plan on overclocking. So you guys think I should go with more power huh? That's kind of what I was expecting. So where's a good cheap place to get a 430 antec truepower?

thanks,
Kent
 
I often think that the need for a high wattage power supply is exagerated. I have a 350W Enermax, and it is easilly sufficient for my system.

I think when people start buying PSUs over 500W, it's more of an obsession than anything else. "more power, More Power, MORE POWER, MOOOORRE POOOWWWWER!!!!"

Anyways... Next time I buy a PSU for my next system, it'll be a 400W Antec.

-YB
 
the way i figure, 550 will work for a long time if things start taking more and more power. Also if i have 10+ fans in my case and a few cold cathodes , etc etc. (i dunno im just making myself feel better ab out my purchase :))
 
Mr. Chambers said:


just because some users have had low 5v lines doesnt mean that every single enermax power supply ever produced "sux". they are a helluva lot better than some no-name POS.

I need to second that. Sig is powered by a 431W enermax and I never got any 5v under 5 or any 12v under 12.30 (and I have the stuff in sig + 9 fans, and will soon be adding 2 green colds )
 
My PSU cost me 19 bucks shipped... manufacturer is "Duro", and my sig (above) has been for the last 4 months and is still running on it as I type @:

12V:12.25
5V: 5.10
3.3V: 3.38
2.5V: 2.57

BTW I recently replaced one of the 92 mm with a 120 mm
 
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