300W or 400W PS

[spitzaf]

I'm building an Athlon 1.4 GHz system with 256 MB DDR, 64 MB GeForce2 MX400 video card, 15 GB HDD. I may overclock in the future, but i don't think there'll be a need with this kind of speed. Should I get a 300W or 400W power supply? Also, how important is it to have it be AMD certified?

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Celeron II 633 (66 x 9.5)
Intel 82810 chipset
15 GB HDD
128 MB SDRAM

[diurnal]

Go with the 400, nice system, with the bigger power supply your cpu will be more effiecient, make sure to get a good heatsink with that 1.4/
Is that a runon sentence?

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Sledgehammer will save the day!

[mjc]

I would consider 300W a bare minimum for a 1.4...also how many drives do you plan on having? What video card? How many cooling units (case, cpu, graphics)? I might even think of getting a 450W...just for some extra "wiggle" room....

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mjc
Links list:Computer Links (http://www.dreamwater.org/tech/mjc/index.htm)

Celts are the men that heaven made mad, For all their battles are merry and their songs are all sad.

[BigBlue66]

Absolutely agree with MJC on this one, as usual. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

When it comes to power supplies, more is always better. Not only does a larger PS provide reliable service to the components, but it provides for future expandability.

Cheers,

BB 66


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Life = Karma, or is it, Karma = Life?

[Robert Sutherland]

Originally posted by mjc:
I would consider 300W a bare minimum for a 1.4


What would be the bare minimum for a 900MHZ CPU?

[mjc]

300W....more or less what I consider a minimum for any thing over 750MHz, because that speed or higher will be around longer than lower speed processors and more likely to be upgraded/added to. And when you start climbing into the range of 1.5Ghz I think an over400w is the way to go...it is always better to have a power supply that can handel more than you need rather than not enough. Power supplies are not static like a light bulb but are dynamic and put out how much power is needed, an over built (higher rating than needed) one is not going to work as hard, will problably be more efficient in the range that it will be putting out, and quite possibly last longer. Besides giving you the knowledge that you can go ahead and add that DVD drive, second hard drive and the GeForce3 (with cooling fan) without overloading something...

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mjc
Links list:Computer Links (http://www.dreamwater.org/tech/mjc/index.htm)

Celts are the men that heaven made mad, For all their battles are merry and their songs are all sad.

[andyswork@beci.net]

I agree with mjc and Big blue. I am electrician by trade and the national electric code says you always install and allow for future expansion. I have found that rule works real good for computers because you never know what you are going to install. So a 400 or 450 watt power supply is good thing. Me has 450.

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One day I will be a pro, Thanks Andy

[This message has been edited by andyswork@beci.net (edited 11-11-2001).]

[Whyzman]

Cannot get "Tim the Tool Man Taylor" out of my mind while perusing this thread! I can hear him making that gutteral monkey noise he does as he considers the possibilities at hand.

I see external power supplies in our future...full size cases that sit side by side to one's computer tower...where you plug your computer into your power supply. We're not going to be confined any longer trying to pack all this potential power into a small corner of the computer box!

Stickers on that "bad boy" displaying it's raw power capabilities...LEDs and other "eye candy" should abound along with easy access power boost slide controls. Multiple fans with the capability of AC for the whole room if you so desire...

No more...simply the power supply, rather we'll see names like the INTIMIDATOR POWER GRID, SUBSTATION, THE WATTAGE HOUSE, and THE NUKE!

Remember the computers with the TURBO button? I see power supplies with TURBO buttons...the light dimming kind!

Tim would be proud!!!!

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May all your dealings in life be win/win!

Whyzman

[This message has been edited by Whyzman (edited 11-11-2001).]

[ranchdog]

I can see Tim pushing the Turbo Button after the tweaked the PSU. POOF!! Soot and smoke (black) all over his face and index finger!!

It's gotta be a BIG power supply the direction things are moving.

Luck.

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......Indecision may or may not be my problem......
...... Kickin' A Rock....

[iisbob]

Interesting to note however that as CPU's and other electronic components are refined; ther power supply necessities actually decrease-example: the new Athlon XP ( palamino's) requireless power than the older T-birds, and run cooler at higher clock speeds. Ditto for the new Geforce3 Titanium series cards.

The same is going for other peripheral's in your system, Harddrives are actually running quicker, larger and requiring less wattagethan before.

So i see in a few years a system where a 150 Watt power supply maybe considered " overkill ". And Techies then consider the " Bad old days " of our power hungry hogging systems. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

However, in today's systems a 400 watt would be a realistic minimum from a reliable PS vendor. And remember, it doesn't really supply power ( despite it's name ) it actually channels power from your Home lines-converting AC to DC current that your internal PC components actually use. The better models also condition the power supply, keeping it at a steady voltage level so you don't get spikes or sags.



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iisbob
"Bachelors should be heavily taxed. It's not fair that some men should be happier than others."
-- Oscar Wilde

[Whyzman]

Good point iisbob, however, these things seem to go in cycles (not an AC current joke). http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif I mean, like what will happen as things get refined and consume less power? First they'll find a way to add IRQs, and then we'll begin daisy-chaining as far as the eye can see and start the problem all over again...insatiable power mongers! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/tongue.gif

Oops, and then there will be, as there exist today, the sophisticated "Bose" type computer systems...pure form and function v.s. the "vibra cars" with back seat systems and magnets large enough to pin road metal debris to the undercarriage.



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May all your dealings in life be win/win!

Whyzman

[This message has been edited by Whyzman (edited 11-11-2001).]