What kind of power supply would I need for this system?

[Infohawk]

Okay, if I build my next system I want it to have the following components roughly. I also want to leave some room for upgrades:

AMD 64
Modern Graphics Card ($100-$200 range)
Combo drive CDRW DVD Reader
Basic hdd
1 gig ram


I want to leave some room (in terms of wattage) in case I want to add a tvtuner or some other components. What wattage should I be looking for at about what price range?

 

[CalvinHobbes]

That's not a very demanding load. You'd be find with something like an Antec 380 or a good quality 400W to allow for future growth. A well built PS is better than a more powerful cheaply made unit. The power rating is only part of the information. I tend to buy more power than I need because I end up packing more stuff in than I orginally thought.

 

[Infohawk]

Thanks. So how do I know if the power supply is good quality? How much are good power supplies at 380 or 400 W usually?

 

[akira34]

Don't even think about getting a PSU with less than 18A on the 12V rail.

I like Antec PSU's but thermaltake could be a decent budget brand for you. There are other high end brands, but you haven't mentioned what kind of budget you have for it. Expect to spend about $60 for a decent 380W PSU... 400-420W (I'd go 420 since 400 is too close to the 380 to make it worth thinking about) can run up to about $100...

Personally, I like the 480W Antec NeoPower that's in my rig... I wouldn't go any smaller, but I also have a lot more stuff in my case than you do.

 

[imported_marcosv]

I also would go with an Antec Neo Power if you don't have any more specifics on your current and future power needs. The reviews for it are pretty good, it's not that hard to find, and goes for a decent price.

Given how power hungry newer processors and video cards are, you want a decent one in the high 400W range at a minimum.

 

[jwarren68]

I have had a Thermaltake 480 Silentpurepower and an OCZ 520 watt (see my sig). The Thermaltake is LOUD. I would stay away if that's a factor. I have nothing but praise for my OCZ, however. My vote would be to spend a little extra and get an OCZ.

 

[Infohawk]

I'm not sure how to characterize my budget. I don't want luxury components or cutting-edge stuff. Just a solid powesource. I heard it's not wise to be stingy on the powersource. Also, I do want to leave some room for powersource but no too much since if it really came down to it I would just upgrade.

Do the powersources you guys mention ever come as part as cases?

 

[akira34]

The power supply IS one of the critical components in your system. Going cheap there (and I'm not talking on sale, clearance, or with rebates) is NOT a good idea.

As for the quality PSU's coming along with cases, sometimes Antec includes a PSU with a case. If you get one of those, make sure it's the TruePower PSU and has good spec's.

Think of the PSU this way, it should last at least a couple of years. factor in what you plan/expect to do/need within that time frame and buy accordingly. I figured a 480w PSU would do what I need for the next year or two... When I do my next round of [major] upgrades enough might have changed that I need a new PSU. Then again, my 480W NeoPower might just do the job...

 

[Wolfshanze]

Antec, Enermax, Enlight & Thermaltake* are all some good brand names that make good PSUs... I would trust any system to any of these mentioned company's PSUs.

I have three systems in the house, and each has either an Antec, Enermax or Enlight PSU.

My "main rig" has an Antec 480watt "True Blue" PSU (yes, it gloes blue neon out the back and inside... ghetto, but still cool).

If memory serves correctly, Enermax is the most expensive of the lot and Enlight is the cheapest... Antecs and Thermaltakes are somewhere in the middle... still, even the "cheap" Enlights are better then most no-name companies out there. So if an Enermax is out of your budget, any of the other three are just fine.

*EDIT:
I may be wrong on Thermaltake as I've never personally used one, I'm only going off heresay... I have been building systems for YEARS (since '93) and I have always used either Antec, Enlight or Enermax... I have NEVER had a PSU from one of those companies let me down.

 

[Insomniak]

Good quality 350W-400W PSU. I have to disagree with Wolfshanze though - I wouldn't trust a Thermaltake PSU. Antec and Enermax are great though.

 

[Mucker]

Guy on the FS/FT forum has a new Antec True 380s for $40. I had this PSU and it's the single fan version. Quiet and powerful. If you are not afraid of dealing with a trader this is a great route to go. This guy looks like a very good one to deal with. I picked up an Antec 550W True Control for $80 shipped from the FS/FT forum and it is like brand new. I saved $40 or $50. The thread is here: http://forums.anandtech.com/me...ght_key=y&keyword1=psu

m

 

[Operandi]

Inwin makes great cases, very well built and sturdy. Their power supply?s are made by Forton, one of the best names out there. I like this Inwin a lot, the included 430 watt PSU should be plenty.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

That Inwin midtower doesn't look bad at all. I'd scrap the little plastic fan-and-speaker cage, then dremel a hole for a 120mm fan to match the exhaust.

Maximum PC had an article last year -- somewhere between spring and mid-summer -- about choosing PSU's according to component-load requirements. It provided a list of wattages (and voltages drawn from the three basic rails) which you would add up for all the components to determine your worst-case power draw. You would want to pad this with whatever vision you might have toward additions and upgrades of hard-drives, optical drives, PCI sound and video-capture-tuner cards, etc. etc. The list in that article also included power requirements for PCI cards and AGP graphics adapters. Fans. Cold-cathode-ray lights. Electronic-sechshual-devices.

 

[zakee00]

Originally posted by: Infohawk
I'm not sure how to characterize my budget. I don't want luxury components or cutting-edge stuff. Just a solid powesource. I heard it's not wise to be stingy on the powersource. Also, I do want to leave some room for powersource but no too much since if it really came down to it I would just upgrade.

Do the powersources you guys mention ever come as part as cases?

Antec 1080 Plus
I strongly recommend this case if you are looking for a great powersupply (TruePower 430w) and a nice, big case. Get it from newegg.com, because even WITH shipping its cheaper then buying it anywhere else.
Good luck,
Nick

 

[Infohawk]

Thanks for the info.

I can understand needing a good power supply. But is there any reason to get a nice case? I don't really care about the looks.

 

[CraigRT]

Originally posted by: Infohawk
Thanks for the info.

I can understand needing a good power supply. But is there any reason to get a nice case? I don't really care about the looks.

reasons to buy a good case:

clean edges (to save yourself from getting cut)
comes with a quality PS
easy to work with (often tool-less, and thumbscrews galore)
often quieter, since it's better built, less rattles

 

[Infohawk]

Can someone tell me what the thing on the bottom front of this case is?

 

[Infohawk]

What do you guys think of this case/powersupply combo for approx. $100?

Model
# Sonata

Case Dimensions
# 16.75"(H) x 18.25"(D) x 8.13"(W)

Drive Bays
# - Front Accessible
# - Internal
# 9
# 3x5.25", 2x3.5"
# 4x3.5"

Expansion Slots
# 7

Cooling System
# Up to 2x120mm Fans
# 1 rear (standard)
# 1 front (optional)

Main Board Size
# 12"(W)x9.6"(L)

Power Supply
# 380Watt TruePower
# Single fan design
# ATX 12V for AMD? & Intel® systems

Weight
# 20.8/25 lbs (net/gross)

Motherboards
# Standard ATX

Special Features
# Internal drive trays with rubber grommets
# Individual drive trays

Front
# USB/FireWire Ports

Package Includes
# 1 Tower Case
# 1 380 Watt single fan TruePower
# 1 Power cord
# 1 set of screws and motherboard standoffs
# 1 Installation manual

 

[Insomniak]

Combo looks great, hell of a deal for $100. Go get it!

 

[imported_marcosv]

I like the Antec Sonata case and $100 is the going rate for it. Here's a review:

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article60-page1.html

This case only comes with one case fan. I would recommend buying a 2nd 120mm for the front air intake. This would ensure some air flow around the hard drives.

The only problem I had with this case was with hard drive cabling when you got four hard drives installed. At first the way the drives mount in the case (i.e., individual hard drive caddies, with the back of the drives facing out rather than to the rear of the case) seemed really cool because you can unplug/remove one drive without disturbing the others. Unfortunately I found that meant your drive cables had to snake around the side of the drive bay rack where there was little room for all those cables. I ended up running the rounded IDE cables and power cables between the drive bays in order to get them all to reach properly and still being able to close the door. That severely cut down on air flow between drives.

I ultimately had seven hard drives in this case, which is extreme. If you only put in two hard drives or so, that won't be a problem.

 

[beatle]

I highly recommend the FSP350-60PN-R1. Very quiet, very stable, relatively cheap. I agree that the Sonata w/its PSU is a good value for what you get.