Is 380w enough power for this.

[karma4jake]

Is an antec truepower 380 good enough for a A64 3000+ winchester, 1gb ram, eVGA 6800gt, 160gb Barracuda 7200, and a DVD burner. I assume yes but wanted to check.

 

[Lyfer]

Yes. QUality > quantity.

 

[Ike0069]

I have the exact same specs (except I have a 200GB HD), including PSU.
So, Yes.

 

[batmanuel]

Check the amps on the +12V rail. If it has 24A like some of the newer TruePower 380s (like the one in my wife's new Sonata), you should have plenty of headroom. I have heard of people running some pretty beefy rigs on the old 18A models, though, so either way you ought to be fine.

 

[Ike0069]

Originally posted by: batmanuel
Check the amps on the +12V rail. If it has 24A like some of the newer TruePower 380s (like the one in my wife's new Sonata), you should have plenty of headroom. I have heard of people running some pretty beefy rigs on the old 18A models, though, so either way you ought to be fine.

Good point. I have the 24 A model.

 

[Regs]

18 amp 380 Antecs will only last so long with such systems for so long though.

 

[MDE]

It'll be fine.

 

[karma4jake]

Originally posted by: batmanuel
Check the amps on the +12V rail. If it has 24A like some of the newer TruePower 380s (like the one in my wife's new Sonata), you should have plenty of headroom. I have heard of people running some pretty beefy rigs on the old 18A models, though, so either way you ought to be fine.

Actually the 380 truepower is coming with a Antec Sonata case.

 

[fireontheway]

Even a 350W can:

 

[slpaulson]

My antec true 380s didn't work with my Asus A8V. I'm not sure if there is a wierd incompatibility, or if it wasn't beefy enough. That power supply works in my old computer just fine. Either way the voice reporter would say "System failed cpu test." When I replaced the power supply with a 485W Enermax that problem went away. I'm running a 3500+ Winchester with a 9800pro.

The power supply was the older model with 18a on the +12V line.

 

[Deskstar]

Your 6800GT will not stress you power supply nearly as much as a 6800Ultra. So your selection will probably do just fine. I would recommend that you check and record the 12v line amps on whatever supply you get. Those 6800Ultras eat amps for breakfast, lunch and dinner. So if you ever upgrade your video, you will have to check that 12v rail spec at that time.
My 2 year old TruePower 480w only had 22a on its 12v. I have heard that new versions (same name) have substantially higher specs. A fully endowed rig with a 6800Ultra may need 20a on the 12v rail at start up (less later).

 

[James3shin]

damn i didn't know the new true380's had 24a on the 12v my true480 has 22a on the 12v i believe

 

[karma4jake]

Geez I sure hope they don't draw 24A cause its on a 15A breaker with about 1000W worth of aquarium equipment.

Actuall isn't P=VI
P being power in watts
V being volts
I being Amperes

Therefore 380=110*I
So I should only be 3.45 total amp draw maxiumum. I guess somehow they could manipulate the power source to allow 24A on just a certain line.

 

[Spikesoldier]

i bought an enermax 470W with dual +12V rails, totalling up to 31A on the +12V, just in case.

i will be running

A64/3000+ winchester
epox 9NDA3J
GF6600GT
1GB ram
2optical drives
2HD's
maybe a raptor
PCI firewire card & sound card


i plan to overclock.

 

[sirspotti]

no it is not enough. you need anything made by pcpower & cooling that costs at least $180. if not the psu will explode, taking out all of your hardware with it. and then it will impregnate your sister.

 

[karma4jake]

So what's the 12V rail exactily. Is it the mobo connector? Molex connectors? How do I check it when I get the PS in, I can borrow an ammeter from my college to test it. I think it will work, I highly doubt that dell and all those other guys use anything above 380w on their high end systems, if its unstable then I can repace it then.

 

[slpaulson]

You can't really just hook up an ammeter, because the current is going to be flowing through a bunch of different wires.

And for your other question, not all the amps are on the 12V line.
The current flowing into your power supply is going to be much lower than the total current your power supply is outputing.

Look at it this way, 10A with a voltage drop of 110V would be 1100W of power.
50A with a voltage of 12V would only be 600W.

 

[stevty2889]

Motherboard, hard drives and optical drives, fans, video card all use 12v rail, which is why you want a quality PSU with decent amperage on the 12v rail. I don't think you would have any trouble at all running that system on a 380w antec. I was running a 350w enermax, with my 2.8e overclocked to 3.5ghz, 1 gig of ram, 2x36gig raptors, and 6800GT@ultra speeds.

 

[karma4jake]

Thanks guys I'm gonna just go for it, if I have stabilty issues which I doubt I will then I will get a 430w or 480w PS.

 

[karma4jake]

So how do I measure the 12v rail.

 

[NesuD]

By my calculations based on what you have listed for hardware and assuming possible 3 fans You need roughly 330 watts to run that. That being said you should always figure in about 30% overhead for safety and future expansion and upgrades so something in the neighborhood of 420 to 450 would in my opinion be a good idea. Yes The Antec 380 should be able to run that rig just fine. I would recommend a little more though.

 

[karma4jake]

anyone

 

[batmanuel]

Originally posted by: karma4jake
So how do I measure the 12v rail.

Don't think you can really measure it. You generally have to go by the specs listed on the side of the PSU and hope they are reasonably accurate (Antec's usally are). It'll the on the chart that lists the DC output. Check the Max amps in the +12V column.

A note on the Sonata PSUs. Offically they are rated at 18A still, you only get 24A on the newer revisions, which usually aren't marked differently than the older ones if you are just looking at the outside of the box. Mine did have a SATA-ready sticker on the box, which lets you know that it has a pair of SATA connectors. I'm not certain if all the Sonatas with the SATA connectors are the new revs with 22A or 24A, though. I think it is still a crapshoot when you are buying one, as there still may be a lot of old 18A versions still in the retail channel. A busy store like Newegg that is turning over their inventory is probably going to be more likely to be sending out new revisions, though. Just keep in mind you are by no means guaranteed to get the beefier version when you buy a Sonata right now.

 

[ArmenK]

Yes, but get a quality unit. A good measure is the weight of the unit.

 

[karma4jake]

Well I emailed Antec and they said the 24A versions have been in circulation for 3 months now and I probably would get a new one. Zipzoomfly seems to be a pretty popular site so I think I'll get a new one. I'd hope it has a SATA connector because I'm getting a SATA Barracuda.