"Special" AMD power supply - a MYTH?

[VBboy]

Is it true that Athlon processors require a special power supply? I mean, if I have a 2-year old 300 Watt power supply from a P3, will that work?

I'm wondering if the special power supply requirement is bogus.
Any comments? Please let me know.

 

[Burn]

They don't require a special powersupply. However it is wisest to buy a known high quality ps, ie enermax, or buy one that is one AMD's recommended list. Also it doesn't hurt to try your luck with your old ps

 

[LXi]

The spread of misinformation again. There is no such thing as AMD special power supplies. As long as you get a brand name 300W+ PSU, you're set.

 

[VBboy]

Can a lower-quality power supply DAMAGE the CPU or Mobo, or will it just be less stable? Or will it simply not be able to provide enough power to the drives and other devices?

If you guys have any links (other than to the AMD site ), please let me know.

 

[Burn]

A low quality power supply can cause stability problems. I know... I work in a computer shop and when the Athlons first came out we had all kinds of troubles even though we thought we were using good 300w power supplies. When we changed to Sparkle 300w power supplies the problems disappeared. Just a warning, buying any "brand name" power supply is not always the solution. Do yourself a favor and look the amd approved power supply list. Also you can read Anand's powersupply test for some good information...

 

[Burn]

Anand's Article: http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.html?i=1128&p=1

 

[JJ8]

Burn hit the nail on the head. I too have experienced problems from an el'cheapo 300W PSU.

 

[graen drol]

Don't trust everything you hear about amd processors and power supplies. I am currently running a Duron 800@1ghz with 2 hds and 2 cd\dvd drives with several pci cards as well. By most people's logic I would need a big honkin power supply, but I am running off a 235W Sparkle power supply that hasn't given me the slightest problems. Its worked fine 24/7 for a couple months now. Try it with your old power supply before you blow money on a new one. It might just work.

 

[Burn]

Sparkle baby...

 

[Sloth]

There are 150W power supplies that are on the AMD approved list. It is not the wattage that you have to look at, but the amperage. A lot of the older PS do not put out a high enough amperage to drive the mobo/cpu and you get the stability problems.


S.