What makes a good PSU?

[charloscarlies]

I know everybody says go with a good brand name...but what exactly should I be looking for on the spec sheet? Do I want more current on the 12v rail or what? Do the new gen vid cards draw from the 12v rail or something else? Probably a pretty dumb question I've just never seen a really good answer on the subject.

 

[EeyoreX]

I am not a "PSU expert" but basically I think you don't necessarily want more power to any particular rail, but you want stable power to the rails. And as close to their rating as possible (so the 12 v should be as close to 12 v as possible, etc).

\Dan

 

[bluewall21]

Well, i am pretty new to PSUs, but I think you want at least 20 amps on the 12+ rail

 

[charloscarlies]

I was asking in particular to the needs of the 6800U and other high end cards. Do they draw power from the 12v rail?

 

[KillaKilla]

Originally posted by: charloscarlies
I was asking in particular to the needs of the 6800U and other high end cards. Do they draw power from the 12v rail?

anything over 4SO Watts should do... And yes, the card will draw from the 12v rail.



The biggest thing in a PSU is the stability of the current. If the amperage is good enough, then more amps really won't help. A small factor can also be noise generated by the fan, astheatics, etc...