Power supply question...

[couzy]

I'm building a new computer with AMD2000+ and GF4-4200, and I'm wondering if my current power supply is up to the challenge. Other periphs I'm re-using are CD/RW, DVD-ROM, (2) IDE hard drives, 3Com NIC, Santa Cruz sound,

Current PS specs are +5v=30A, +12v=15A, +3v=20A, Apollo 300watt (5+3 combined=180watt). New power supplies seem to have a higher +3v (25A-28A), but +5 & +12 are about the same.

I don't plan any overclocking, yet... What do you guys think? Can I get by for a while with these specs?

 

[billyjak]

Look for at least 30A at the 3v rail
Look Here for a reference, in that setup I would go for a 400w minimum 450w preferable.
Don't skimp on the power supply or you'll be sorry. Take it from experience.
Antec, Sparkle, Ethermax or PC Power supply is all I buy.
Here

 

[microAmp]

Originally posted by: billyjakHere

I'll agree with billyjak, get a quality power supply, like the ones he mentioned above.

 

[Bullhonkie]

As long as it has quality components and isn't lying about any of the ratings, I'm sure you'd be able to get by with it ok. To be sure, get everything plugged in and see how your voltages are with a monitoring program.

I ran an AMD Tbird 1.2 system with a GF3, 4 10krpm drives and 1 7200rpm drive, sound card, scsi controller, network card, Plexwriter 12/4/32, 32x Creative cdrom, Pioneer 105F 16x DVD, and a plethora of case fans all on a Sparkle FSP300-60GT 300W PSU. It has 14A on the +3.3v, 30A on the +5v, 12A on the +12v, and the +5v and +3.3v combined is 150W max. I never had any problems in the 9-10 months that I had that setup, and the voltages were always right around where they should've been.

I recently upgraded to a overclocked P4 setup where I used this very same PSU. The +12v rail was a little lower than I liked though, but still well within operating margins. I ended up getting a 400W Sparkle PSU just for the peace of mind (which actually only gave a tiny improvement - but that's another story), but my 300W has been and still is rock solid all the way.