Upgrading -- will my 480w thermaltake suffice?

[btsdev]

Hi guys,

I'm upgrading everything I have besides sound card, chassis, and cd-roms. I want to see if I can keep my PSU, but I don't want to push it... cause I know running a stressed psu can damage hardware.

You think my thermaltake 480w silent purepower will be able to power my new system? If it matters, the PSU is 3 years old.

Quad Q6600 on Intel 975X, 3 sata drives, geforce 8600 gts, 2 gig ram

Thanks in advance!
brian

 

[John]

While it may work, that psu only has a single 18A 12V rail and was designed for older systems that didn't require a heavy load on the 12V rail. Efficiency should also be lackluster on that particular unit as well. To put things into perspective a quality Antec EarthWatts 380 has 27A available on the 12V rail. The 430W version is actually cheaper after rebate. Another solid choice would be the Corsair VX450 for $50 AR. Both the EarthWatts and Corsair VX450 are built by Seasonic and based on the S12II platform. The VX uses better capacitors, runs quieter, and comes with a 5 yr. warranty vs. 3 yr. on the EarthWatts.