[NCLUG] power supply size

Jim Hutchinson jim at ubuntu-rocks.org
Tue Dec 2 20:49:15 MST 2008


On Tue, Dec 2, 2008 at 2:09 PM, Matt Rosing <rosing at peakfive.com> wrote:

> I need to replace my power supply but I want to get one that I can use
> in a new machine that I'll build in a few months. The last one I got
> was 450 watts and it was complete over kill at the time. Now I look
> and 450 watts is small. If I get something with an Intel core2 quad
> running 2.5-3Ghz with 2 GB DDR3 memory, two sata drives, and nothing
> special for a video card, what's a reasonable sized power supply? I
> can get a nice, quiet 450 watt power supply for a reasonable price but
> the price goes up fast for 600 watts and up.


A 450 watt PS or similar is probably more than sufficient for your needs. I
think people often go overboard, but I also think a good power supply is
worth the investment. I have a SeaSonic (this one I think
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151056) that is
very nice and the modular cables are great to help keep the case clean. I
have 3 SATA drives, 4 fans, 2 optical drives an moderately nice PCI-E
graphics card and a somewhat power hungry Athlon 64 X2 all on a 500 watt PS
and no issues what so ever. In fact, mine is probably a bit more than I
need. Many desktops only come with 250-300 cheap power supplies. I also had
a 450 FSP Group PS that was really nice but sold it a while back. Whatever
you pick, I would make sure to read up on it and go for something that is
known to be well built. I'd also check for something with 80% or better
efficiency.

-- 
Jim (Ubuntu geek extraordinaire)
----
Please avoid sending me Word or PowerPoint attachments.
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