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Power Supply Advice

Lead82

Junior Member
I?m building a new computer to replace an aging Compaq I own. I?m going with a FOXCONN 6150BK8MC-KRSHN2 motherboard and an AMD 64 3400+ CPU. (A package dead from NewEgg.) My concern is the power supply. I need to replace my current power supply and I?m not sure just how much wattage I should get.
I plan to put in two harddrives and a DVD burner. I won?t be using the PCI-Express slot for a video card right away, but I?m considering doing so down the line. What wattage power supply should I get?
Thanks.
 
Well amps are more important than watts and you need good amps on the 12v rail. I would suggest that you search for a quality ps (enermax, fs, seasonic just to name a few) that has at least 30a on the 12v rail. Also look at the connectors they offer to make sure they have what you need because not all ps's are created equal. I personally run an enermax galaxy 850w but that's my preference because I'd rather spend a little bit more now and not have to worry later.
 
here are two good options. Both are very highly rated, clean power, very quiet, highly effecient and modular to boot.

520watt
http://www.buy.com/prod/Corsair_HX520W_..._Power_Supply/q/loc/101/203270716.html

620watt (I own this one)
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=373110


One thing of note on these units is the 12V rails will "join" amperage if and when needed. I purchased a AGP x1950 pro card that required 30A on the 12v rail. According the Corsair's own tech-support, the 620watt can provide upto 40A peak and 38A continous on the 12V.

I purchased the 620watt unit and have been VERY satisified with it.


My $.02



Another option if you need high-amps on the 12v rail is the Silverstone Olympia series that have a single 12V rail....and reviews show them to be ROCK stable despite load.
 
I have this PSU and I couldnt be happier with it. It has great rails, and great features, such as cooling your system up to 2 minutes after you shut it off with ALL of your computer fans (CPU, GPU, case, and whatever other fans).
 
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