Need help deciding on power supply

[Kannibal25]

Hi there

I'm in the process of building a new computer, got all the components picked out and priced out but the last sticking point is the case and power supply.

The one I have is.. to say the least, too old to be upgraded, doesn't have good airflow (requires 3 fans to be under 50 degrees C) and is generally an eyesore.

I've been looking around local stores and have narrowed down the search to these 2 cases (both with power supplies)

1)Elite 0302SL with 350 Watt power supply
2)Raidmax Scorpio 868 with 420 Watt power supply.

First off, I'll state that flashy lights, multicolored fans and such mean very little to me, I'm looking for a good quality case that can accept upgrades in the future.

Next, the guts of my computer to be look like:

Asus A8V Deluxe motherboard
AMD 3500 Socket 939 processor
768 Mb of DDR Ram CA3 3200
64Mb AGP video card
16x DVD burner
52x32x52 CD/RW burner
80 GB 7200 rpm HD
160Gb 7200 rpm HD
On-board NIC (gigabit)
On-board sound (7.1 channel)

That's pretty much everything i can think of ATM (hopefully didn't forget anything).

What I need to know is, would a 350 watt p/s even be enough to power this rig? would a 420??

As to what i'd use this computer for.. I'd say a little bit of everything from browsing the internet, to using office docuemts (word/spreadsheets/powerpoint), to light online gaming (don't have much time), to fairly heavy offline gaming.

If you need more info, please let me know

Thank you




I expect nothing less than catastrophic failure, from this point on..

 

[poly4life]

The real question is will the PSUs in the cases listed hold up? The Elite case probably includes a house PSU, while the other uses its own company's PSUs. The problem I have with brandless PSUs is the lack of a track record; so, how does the typical user properly evaluate the stability of a mystery box PSU? The point is I'd take the RAIDmax over the Elite - that's my recommendation. Their cases are inexpensive and appropriate for said budget. For the record, a quality 350 watt PSU is quite fair for your configuration.

 

[Kannibal25]

Thank you for your prompt reply.

The Raidmax case is nicer looking than the Elite and only costs something like $5 more and if Raidmax p/s is indeed that much better I figure that case would be a steal comparing to the cheaper Elite with the smaller p/s.

I had a look at the internals of the case and it looks nice and roomy. Reviews for it are positive (those that I can find) whereas I'm not able to find much in the way of reviews for the Elite (or other brand ICute).

I expect nothing less than catastrophic failure, from this point on..

 

[poly4life]

Expect the worst, hope for the best.

 

[Kannibal25]

Ok..

Sorry for the ignorance on my part, but what video card size would warrant a higher power supply? 128?

I ask because I plan to upgrade it eventually (say in like 2 months or so)

I expect nothing less than catastrophic failure, from this point on..

 

[danizaken]

powerful graphic cards aren't only powerful because of memory, but now 128-256mb have become a standard of graphic cards.

 

[apesoccer]

6800, 7800 - 100 watts per
3500 - 80 watts
mobo - no idea...maybe 80w
cdrom/dvd - 10-20 watts
80mm fan - 5w
hd - 7200 10w

I have a link to a site...<A HREF="http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/Power_Supply_Calculator.php?cmd=AMD" target="_new">somewhere</A>...

It's not exactly accurate...but it gives you an idea of about what you'll need. After calculating what you use, add 35-45% of headroom. If you get exactly what you need, you'll overheat that psu in no time (ie if your computer is going to use 298w, don't get a 300w psu, get a 350+w).

F@H:
AMD: [64 3000+ (down)][2500+][2400+][2000+][1.3][366]
Intel: [X 3.0x3][X 2.8x2][P4 3.0x2][P4-M 2.4][P4 1.4x5][P4 1.3]

"...and i'm not gay" RX8 -Greatest Quote of ALL Time