Calculating power supply

[johnbr]

Sorry if this question gets asked a lot.

I'm considering upgrading to an AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ from an Athlon 64 3200+ and I'm just worried whether the power supply will be enough.

I'm using a 500w power supply and I have all the standard components in my pc, the main thing which uses a lot of power I believe is my Radeon x1950 pro which has a 500w requirement.

Is there a program which can tell me how much power all my components are using?
It would be nice if I didn't have to upgrade the PSU to upgrade my CPU but if I have to then I'll have to

 

[imported_Scoop]

I'm not an expert on athlon power consumption but I'd think a 500W should do the job if the power is distributed well on the rails. Some more info on the PSU wouldn't hurt.

You may very well be correct in that the Radeon uses the most power in your system. But you shouldn't really think much of those PSU requirements they put out. They are very, VERY, overestimated to cover their asses.

There isn't a program which can tell you how much power you are using. There are equipment such as the Kill-A-Watt which you connect between your PSU and the wall socket. It tells you how much power your PSU draws of the wall. Now, this isn't the amount which your components need. It's the consumption of the components after PSU efficiency takes a bite. The efficiency isn't a fixed multiplier and varies between PSUs, some are better, but to be on the safe side you could multiply this number with .85 to get the wattage requirement of your components.

 

[MarcVenice]

Crappy 500w unit, maybe not, but might do the trick, qaulity 500w unit, no problemo whatsoever.