Power Supply help needed!

[Flik]

Hi guys and girls, i dont normally post here much but would like some help with picking a power supply to run my pc!

I'm using this CPU (AMD Athlon64 X2 Dual Core 4200)

http://www.eclipsecomputers.com/product.aspx?code=CPA-A42D512B

This Graphics card - please, no bashing on its ability :) - XFX 1Gb GeForce 7950 GX2 (http://www.eclipsecomputers.com/prod...=GCX-XN795GX21

now without thinkinh (and research) i plugged them into a 400watt power supply, obviously things got hot quickly, and i turned it all off, i cant see why anything would be damaged as it didnt all get THAT hot, but definatly hotter than im used to.

I narrowed it down to the power supply, but ive NEVER baught one before, i have a BIT of knowledge in other pc bits, but none at all in a PSU.

I wanna know what i should be looking for, and if possible, a specific PSU :)

cheers a lot guys!

Ben x

[[STO] Killer Dragon]

Re: Power Supply help needed!

Whats your price range?

[<}US{>BlackHawkPilot73]

Re: Power Supply help needed!

i would get a 800watt PSU to makesure.

[Flik]

Re: Power Supply help needed!

price range isnt really an issue as such, as im sure the psu i need wont cost a stupid amount (300+)

blackhawkpilot, is that all i shud look at? the wattage? do all the other specs of the psu mean anything as such? or should i just go for any old 800watt psu?

cheers so far!

http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculator.jsp

i just found that website, so im sorted now, thanks a lot anyway!

[megawhompertoo]

Re: Power Supply help needed!

Anything above 550 from a good PSU company will keep you happy. Personally, I like Antec--they have a lot of different combinations of products, and they are usually more quiet and more efficient that the competition.

I like either of these antec 550W:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103932

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103933

But there are great products from other mfgs; I like this thermaltake:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817153029

or this OCZ 600W, for just a little more scratch:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817341001

Before deciding, you should type the model number you are thinking about buying into googe, besdie the word "review", and see what some of the pros have to say about them.

edit: dual 12v rails is something you should look for in good PSU.

[mlkmnz]

Re: Power Supply help needed!

i would get a 800watt PSU to makesure.

No. A good quality 450-500W from the likes of Antec or Thermaltake is what's needed. Most 800W PSUs out there are cheap crap. Quality is better than quantity.

[megawhompertoo]

Re: Power Supply help needed!

No. A good quality 450-500W from the likes of Antec or Thermaltake is what's needed. Most 800W PSUs out there are cheap crap. Quality is better than quantity.

i wasn't going to put it quite so bluntly, but you're right. For the price, though, there is scant price difference between 450-500W and 550W, and 550-600W gives you a little more future-proofing (thinking future dual core, sli/crossfire setups, with faster HD's).

[mlkmnz]

Re: Power Supply help needed!

550-600W gives you a little more future-proofing (thinking future dual core, sli/crossfire setups, with faster HD's).

Yes and no. Conroe (Core Duo 2) processors are more energy efficient and use less power than most CPUs over the last 4-5 years, DX10 cards are supposed to be radically more efficient too, so you could actually find PSU requirements may decrease over time.

[ThunderPimp]

Re: Power Supply help needed!

No. A good quality 450-500W from the likes of Antec or Thermaltake is what's needed. Most 800W PSUs out there are cheap crap. Quality is better than quantity.

First I'd like to see a good quality Thermaltake PSU, second I'd like to see most of these 800 watt PSU that are cheap crap. I can post a bunch in the 800 watt range that are excellent:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817341002

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817703002

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817101014

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817256007

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817812001

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817256006

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104015

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817812001

You can't lump all PSU's in a certain power range into one category as well all know its' the brand that matters most. There are quite a few good brands of PSU out there, and I wouldn't consider Thermaltake to be on that list.

PC Power & Cooling
OCZ
Mushkin
Fortron FSP
Antec TP II's
Tagan
Silverstone
Seasonic

That being said for a system like yours I'd recommend a 550-700 watt PSU from a good brand listed above with active PFC and at least 16-18amps per rail on a multi rail system.

[mlkmnz]

Re: Power Supply help needed!

You can't lump all PSU's in a certain power range into one category as well all know its' the brand that matters most. There are quite a few good brands of PSU out there, and I wouldn't consider Thermaltake to be on that list.

Correct, but you also can't take the wattage value of a PSU to equate to performance and quality, just like on crappy X1300 or 6200GT cards with 512MB of RAM, just cause it has a high number prescribed to it does not mean its going to give you performance. Always research what you're buying first, and if something is a lot cheaper, itll be for a reason.

[megawhompertoo]

Re: Power Supply help needed!

just like on crappy X1300 or 6200GT cards with 512MB of RAM,

*GASP*

Shhh...graphics card mfg's need to feed their children, too, and there are people out there that will assume adding 500 ATi's to their x800xt in order to bump it up to x1300 will make it oober fast. Some of these folks have money, some have college loans, but all will flock to Best Buy like lemurs to fork over the cash. Who are we to take food out of the mouths of the little nVidiites and ATitykes?

Besides, all the junior hackers know the secret is to always have more total "x's" in your case than your buddy at the lan party:

--e"x"treme edition
--x1900xtx "x"stasy card
--and so forth.