Is it a good idea to get a bigger power supply than recommended?

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awesome_dood_123

awesome_dood_123

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So I am making my computer on pcpartpicker.com and the estimated power supply was 374W and I added a power supply of 400W. Will that fry my circuits or anything like that? I'm 14 so I apologize if I sound stupid. :) Thanks in advance!!



Thanks for all the answers, so here is the build:
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/awesome_dood_123/saved/3zd6

So you guys can recommend what power supply for me to get. And again thanks so much!! :)
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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Not necessarily true, depends on how well it's built and who the manufacturer is. A solid 450W from Seasonic or Super Flower would handle 374W with no problems whatsoever. A Corsair CX430? That's a different story altogether.
 
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Wolfshadw

Wolfshadw

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@awesome_dood_123

Having a power supply that exceeds your calculators recommendations is not going to blow anything up, but you don't want to go overboard as it is a waste of money and electricity.

If your calculator says you need 374 watts. Look for a quality 450-550watt power supply. Quality being a power supply from Antec (non-Basiq), Corsair (non-CX), FSP Group, PC Power and Cooling, or Seasonic.

-Wolf sends
 
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aevm

aevm

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Just to clarify: the number of watts displayed on the PSU is a maximum it can deliver before things go wrong. A higher number doesn't mean you will pay more in electricity bills. How much you consume depends on the GPU and CPU, not on the PSU.

 
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Adroid

Adroid

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Don't skimp on the power supply. For any single graphic card PC a good brand 650 watt PSU is a safe bet, I recommend seasonic because they are the best.

A couple things to know:

PSUs are most efficient when they are running at approx 50% of their max capacity. Not that you care about saving the electricity, but they run cooler and quieter generally speaking in the range.

If you push a PSU too hard, PSUs can sometimes have a nasty tendency to destroy other components when they fry. Pushing 400 watts through a 400 watt PSU until it gives out it not a good idea.

Lastly, PSUs have been known to degrade over time so buying a PSU slightly bigger than what you need is never a bad idea. This also gives you the option to buy a better GPU in a few years without having to replace the PSU.

Have fun with the build!
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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Good job with the spam Adroid! lol

Can you edit it out?
Click to expand...

That's actually the forum advertising software. It's annoying I know, but if you have Firefox and Ad Block Plus you can block this feature.



If I had to ball park, probably around the ~200 - ~250W range, which would be enough for a motherboard and CPU with onboard graphics. I tried running one with a P67 motherboard and a EVGA GTX 550, it shorted out, and the replacement Corsair sent wouldn't boot either. Switched to a Seasonic, booted on first attempt.
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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Yeah it's not malware, it's just the forum software. It's annoying and we're trying to convince the developers to get rid of it but no dice so far. :lol:
 
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