Altec,
Due to the importance of the 12V current for P4 system and some recent nfoce2 system (such as the NF7-S you have), I have done quite a bit of thinking and calculations, ... and is summarized in the follwing post.
Try to read it and see whether it helps your decision. That post does not require detailed knowledge about how to calculate those numbers, .....
Some thoughts on choosing PSU for overclocking recent motherboard, CPU, GPU, ...
Basically, it says one would need at least 20-24A on the 12V line for a typical overclocking system (since beginning of this year, for Tbred B and P4). When I did the estimation and calculation, I took into account various variations (due to specification change, part difference), number of components (HD, fan, video card, ...), whether a high performance video card uses 5V or 12V. I took into account there are different ways to do estimation of current, power, ...
Within that post, there are links to four related posts on
- some experiences with a 330W, 430W, 550W PSU for overclocking
- how to estimate current for typical overclocking systems with high power and current CPU such as P4 and Tbred B at high level of overclocking (if you like to look at numbers and calculations)
- importance of higher rated PSU to eliminate overclocking uncertainty for high level of overclocking
Brief summary for some basics:
I, V, R, C, L, P, f, ... are current, voltage and resistance, capacitance, inductance, power, frequency respectively. More basic concepts about I, V, R, C, L, P, f and their relationship requires some understanding about principle of electricity.
For a brief summary,
V = I R (voltage V across a resistor with resistance R and current I)
P = V I (power dissipation P in an element with current I and voltage V across)
Q = C V (charge Q stored in a capaictor with capacitance C and voltage V across)
I = Q / t (current I equals to the flow of charge Q per unit time t)
Here are some links to some basic terms involved in this post (also some more in the first post of this thread):
What is cycle time and frequency
What is the active power of a CPU at frequency f and voltage V
Relationship of clock, die temperature and Vcore