375W PS enough?

[Halogen1212]

Hi, I'm thinking about upgrading my computer from an Athlon 1.2 to an XP 2000+. I will also be getting a new KT400 mobo and I was wondering whether I could still use my 375 watt power supply or would I need a new one? I'll also have a couple hard drives/cd drives in my system. Thanks for your help!

 

[brxndxn]

It really depends on actual power and not necessarily advertised...

You could try the 'feel' test.. Basically, put your hand outside the power supply fan while your computer has been running for a while and if the air is hot, the power supply is probby being taxed (or it's a cheap power supply)..

I currently have a 350watt power supply for an overclocked Athlon 1.33 (one of the largest power drain processors), 3 7200rpm drives, dvd, cdr, other random components.. and it works just peachy.

Unless your 375watt power supply is a piece of crap, it should be plenty.

 

[Alphazero]

375 is plenty of power, definitely more than that system requires. What matters is the quality of the power supply and stable voltages.

 

[dcdomain]

I'm also wondering the same thing since I saw some sick power supplies at CompUSA today. Had no idea they had 600watt PSU's.

Anyway, I have a 300watt Antec SmartPower supply powering the following:
1.1 Athlon
12x CDRW
1 7200rpm hd
3 5400rpm hd
Radeon 8500
usb card
firewire card
tv tuner
Live! 5.1 sound card
network card

I wanted to add a DVD Rom and perhaps another harddrive, but I'm not sure if the power supply will hold up.

 

[Halogen1212]

Thanks for your help!