PSU help

[xXAnnihilateXx]

im looking to buying a new psu as the one i have now is only 308w. Can someone point me out to a good one, at least 500 w. I have a dell e510 if that makes a difference.

[Shamus]

Re: PSU help

There are many brands but try to stick with a name brand like Enermax, Fortran etc. The most important thing is to ensure you get at least 30 amps on the +12 volt power rail.

[LoD]

Re: PSU help

There is no reason to upgrade a Dell's PSU in my opinion. Unless windows is crashing or not posting and your 100% sure its the PSU, dont mess with your Dell.

[Shamus]

Re: PSU help

Yikes, I ovrelooked the part aabout it being a Dell. I agree that if things are stable you should not worry about it. The acceptable tollerance is +/- 5% for any of the power rails.

[xXAnnihilateXx]

Re: PSU help

i have a x600se and i dont think i even have the minimum for it? how come i cant buy a new one?or like if i wanted to get a new video card i wouldnt even have the minimuim

[Shamus]

Re: PSU help

Some Dell models come with a propriatary PSU that has differenct connectors to match their custom motherboards. Some don't.

If you have an inadequate PSU you will experience random rebooting but not a CTD (in general). Besides, I don't think the x600se demands very much amperage. It's the amps that matter - not the wattage.

A PSU could have a 500W rating but that's no good if all the amps are reserved for the +3.3 and +5 volt rails instead of the +12 volt rail. That is how cheaply made PSU's get away with claiming high wattage yet the PSU still sucks.

If you have any other questions about PSUs, just ask.

[xXAnnihilateXx]

Re: PSU help

So if i where to upgrade to a like a 7800 it wouldnt bottleneck it and is there anyway that i can check and see if i have a propriatary PSU ?

and i still dont know y i got a dell

[Eddy01741]

Re: PSU help

Some Dell models come with a propriatary PSU that has differenct connectors to match their custom motherboards. Some don't.

If you have an inadequate PSU you will experience random rebooting but not a CTD (in general). Besides, I don't think the x600se demands very much amperage. It's the amps that matter - not the wattage.

A PSU could have a 500W rating but that's no good if all the amps are reserved for the +3.3 and +5 volt rails instead of the +12 volt rail. That is how cheaply made PSU's get away with claiming high wattage yet the PSU still sucks.

If you have any other questions about PSUs, just ask.

Ya, i got a case (crappy case), with a 450w powersupply. It had 15a on teh +12v rail, me being a total overlooker of PSUs thought that was enough, After 1.5 months, the thing completely died, and my room smelt like soot all over. Now i got a 500watt Antec Smartpower 2.0. And i upgraded my case to a Thermaltake Tsunami with Side Window.

[Shamus]

Re: PSU help

I just installed a 7800 GS (AGP of course) on my heavily loaded and overclocked system. My PSU is a "350W" Enermax. Everything is stable as it ever was. One reason is that the 7800 series of cards uses much less power than does the 6xxx series of cards.

At peak load, my 7800 GS draws only 75W - thats only 6.25 amps. Not bad.

[Eddy01741]

Re: PSU help

I just installed a 7800 GS (AGP of course) on my heavily loaded and overclocked system. My PSU is a "350W" Enermax. Everything is stable as it ever was. One reason is that the 7800 series of cards uses much less power than does the 6xxx series of cards.

At peak load, my 7800 GS draws only 75W - thats only 6.25 amps. Not bad.

How do u know how many watts ur GPU is drawing in?

[xXAnnihilateXx]

Re: PSU help

so i dont have to upgrade? thanks alot guys:)

[Shamus]

Re: PSU help

How do u know how many watts ur GPU is drawing in?

I used my multi-meter to monitor the amperage over several days while the PC was running at idle and while gaming. After recording the variations in the amperage I averaged a sum based upon two catigories: Idle and Loaded.

I took the average from each day for each catigory to determine the amperage.
Finally, using the totals I applied the formula of A*V=W to arrive at 75 watts under load and aroudn 45 watts at idle.

[Eddy01741]

Re: PSU help

I used my multi-meter to monitor the amperage over several days while the PC was running at idle and while gaming. After recording the variations in the amperage I averaged a sum based upon two catigories: Idle and Loaded.

I took the average from each day for each catigory to determine the amperage.
Finally, using the totals I applied the formula of A*V=W to arrive at 75 watts under load and aroudn 45 watts at idle.

You seriously used a frickin multimeter, wow, i thought u were just using a program to monitor it, talk about hard-core man, that's kinda dangerous, and if u were using say a X1800XT in ur rig (X1800XTs are notoriously known for high power usage) u mighta blown the 10 amp fuse on the multimeter.

[Bio_Terra]

Re: PSU help

sry to hijack the thread but how can i find out how many amps my psu has on the 12V rail, my PC was pre built and is a compaq, this is all i can find out about my psu,

• AC input voltage (47-63Hz):
  • 100-127V/8A
  • 200-240V/4A
• DC output wattage: 300 Watts

[redearedslider]

Re: PSU help

sry to hijack the thread but how can i find out how many amps my psu has on the 12V rail, my PC was pre built and is a compaq, this is all i can find out about my psu,

• AC input voltage (47-63Hz):
  • 100-127V/8A
  • 200-240V/4A
• DC output wattage: 300 Watts

lol that's all that it says on a dell psu too.. it doesnt say anything about the 12 volt lines lol :P