Power Supplies

[Patrick Wolf]

I don't know much about power supplies, so I have a few questions.

1. On the +3.3, +5.00, +12.00, is it better if these numbers are higher or lower on idle and load?

2. How can I found out how much wattage I need for my computer?

3. When it says, for example, +12V @ 23A, what does this mean?

 

[montag451]

if the numbers are within 10% of the voltages all should be ok. 5% is better.

for wattage, look at all the hardware - look for the power consumption on the hdd's, optical drives, add 80w for your vga, 150w for mobo/ram/psu/fans, add a little extra for any usb/firewire dev you want to use, add another 150w to be on the safe side.
12v @ 23A is a good 12v line.
Although, i personally have never heard of ultra-x, i might see if it were possible to upgrade to a dependable tagan 480

 

[CMar]

Research simple electronics and its formulas on the web.

Basically, Volts x Amps = watts, so 12V, 23A is 276 watts.

5% is standard deviation for most electronics in a computer.

 

[KoolDrew]

Power Supply Selection Guide