What PSU do i need?

Leigh K

Leigh K

Leigh K

Associate
Joined
6 Jan 2008
Posts
82
Hi Guys

I have the following system and i require a new PSU as my current one is 420W and i guess it won't power my new system.

ASUS P5K-VM MATX
Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 2.4GHZ
4 GB DDR2 RAM
500GB SATA2 HDD
(No Graphics card yet)

Thanks,
 
As graphics card is usually one of the biggest 'draws' would help to have some idea as to your thinking in this area
and do you intend to overclock cpu?
 
A decent 420W PSU should be able to power that rig even with a pretty power hungry gfx card.
Personally I would try the 420W PSU you have too see if it can handle the rig rather than spending money on a new one that could very well not be needed.
 
Leigh K said:
Cool, how would i tell if it can handle it or not?
Click to expand...

Simple answer is you try it, if the PSU is decent it will work and be stable, if it isn't capable (but still a decent PSU) then it should just fail to power up properly but with no damage to the components.

Who makes the PSU and what model is it? Don't mention competitors though if it is an own-brand.
 
Leigh K said:
Cool, how would i tell if it can handle it or not?
Click to expand...

come on come on :confused:
Basic ohms law dude :p

The current in a circuit is DIRECTLY proportional to the applied voltage and INVERSELY proportional to the circuit resistance.

In laymans terms this means that if you try to draw more current then what the PSU is capable of supplying then the voltage will drop. When the voltage drops below spec the PC will crash. So you will know if the PSU cannot cope with the rig if it becomes very unstable and keeps randomly crashing when doing power intensive tasks.
 
With modern, normal systems like yours a good rule of thumb is
1 graphics card = 520 Watt
2 graphics cards = 620 Watt.

Plump for the Corsair PSU units. They are great.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom