Good Power Supply for 1.4 TBird?

[thephew]

I've been told that 300W won't cut it for this powerhog with a normal amount of drives/PCI cards. Problem is, good 300W PSUs can be had for less than 20 bux, whereas 350-400W ones all seem to cost at least $50, with dual-fan AMD approved ones (like EnerMax) up in the $70 range. Since I just unloaded $205 on a Lian-Li PC-68+USB case, I am reluctant to fork out another $70 before even buying something with a single transistor (OK, maybe PSUs have transistors...what do I know). Perhaps someone can suggest a more affordable PSU that can handle AMD's beast. Or perhaps I should wait til August for an Athlon 4 chip, which presumably will use much less power? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[compucaineaddict]

The wattage rating of PSU is actually irrellevant to the CPU performance it delivers. The real statisic you should be looking for is a high amperage on the 12v lines. There are even some 250w PSU's that outperform 400Ws. About redundant cooling, it is neccessary for 350 watt + units but an extremely well cooloed case can eliminate the need. The last consideration is quality. It is usually worth the exta buck to get an enermax or antec above a generic.

 

[Mem]

I would spend the extra on a good quality PSU like Antec,Enermax.Sparkle also make good PSUs,go here for the AMD approved list for recommended PSUs for 1.4ghz Amd PSU list .

 

[Andy22]

BestBuy has the Antex PP303x 300 Watt PS so you could pick it up locally. It is an AMD approved PS and was even Anandtech's top pick to boot. It has seven 4pin molex connectors for plenty of connectivity.