need help picking a proper power supply...

[ThE B MaN]

I think it is time to upgrade my power supply, I now have a p4 3.0, 2 gigs of memory, a soundblaster audigy z2 card, a video capture card, floppy, 2 dvd-rom drives, 4 fans, dialup modem, lights, and now I just purchased a new 6800gs graphics card. I was hoping for some guidelines on how many watts I will need and how many amps on each of the 3 rails, there are 3 rails on a power supply correct? I have an old agp board so im guessing ill need a lot on the 12v rail.

My main concern really is how big of a power supply to get, not in wattage, but in dimensions. I really know nothing about power supplies and how to figure out what will fit in my case. All help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[bob4432]

the physical size should be somewhat standard with the mounting holes in the correct location. this is assuming you are not using a dell or compaq where they might change the sizes to make it harder to upgrade......

as far as W, get a forton 450 and you should be fine, again if it is a standard atx case

 

[LOUISSSSS]

yea the fortron 450 should be fine for your system

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Fortron fanboys, stop it.

Seasonic, PC&C

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: DLeRium
Fortron fanboys, stop it.

Seasonic, PC&C

seasonic and pc&p are good, they are just really expensive. the fsp(fortron) offer nice quality at a good price

 

[dfuze]

To find out how much power you need, you can download and use a program called
OverClockulator (google search). You click some boxes for components and it tells
you your wattage needed.

For the size of your power supply, if you have a standard ATX case, you can buy
an ATX power supply.

 

[t3h l337 n3wb]

He doesn't need a PC Power and Cooling PSU. It's way too expensive and overkill for his rig. A Seasonic S12-500, however, would be better, because it's cheaper (though still fairly expensive), and its high efficiency would probably end up paying for itself. However, if the OP doesn't have that much money to spend, the Fortron 450W is an excellent choice at only $50.

 

[ThE B MaN]

I forgot to mention, I also have 2 160gb maxtor hard drives. I am guessing im gonna need something with lots of oomph. Would that fortron power supply still work well for me?

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: ThE B MaN
I forgot to mention, I also have 2 160gb maxtor hard drives. I am guessing im gonna need something with lots of oomph. Would that fortron power supply still work well for me?

the 450W fortron will be fine.......

 

[Bobthelost]

Originally posted by: ThE B MaN
I forgot to mention, I also have 2 160gb maxtor hard drives. I am guessing im gonna need something with lots of oomph. Would that fortron power supply still work well for me?

OH MY GOD!!! 2 160GB HDS!!!1!! YOU NEED A 1KW PSU!!

Sorry, can't help it.

If you want to work out how much power you need check out the JonnyGURU thread at the top of the page. His numbers are rather conservative, but it's a good guide.

 

[ThE B MaN]

ok i need a lil more help... i did a newegg search on the fortron power supplies, and i see most of them say they are pci express, and i have an old agp board... the ones that arent pci they say some other mumbo jumbo and i have no idea what all those numbers mean, none say anything about agp... please help with which one i will need. I am guessing im gonna need around 35amps on the 12v rail, and the standard fortron 450 only seems to have 31...

 

[LOUISSSSS]

the pci express info would be irrelevant for your system then. with agp any recent psu would be fine. as for the guy above who said we were fanboys, sorry i'm a fanboy of quality? i chose the fsp over seasonic for the neater wires and the compatibility with dfi mb's. i chose the fsp over pcpc to save a few $ and to keep my pc noise level down
you do not need 35a on your 12v rail lol. the fortron 450 or 500 would do you very well