Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.overclocking.amd (
More info?)
"Steve Wolfe" <unt@codon.com> wrote in message
news:2qbo1uFt7i2hU1@uni-berlin.de...
>> You can use this power calculator to get a *rough* idea of what size PSU
>> you need.
>> http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/
>
> Wow. Interesting that the place selling the parts is the one telling you
> how big of a PSU you need. Their numbers for some devices is a lot higher
> than actually needed. I took some small machines we have at the office,
> and
> plugged their config into the calculator, and it said that I needed a
> minimum power supply of 195 watts. These machines came with *100* watt
> power supplies, and work just fine.
>
> So, for fun, I plugged in the specs for the machine I'm on right now.
> Yep, it came out with a figure significantly greater than the power supply
> I'm currently running on - and I know for a fact that the power supply I'm
> on still has some room left in it.
>
> But wait, there's more! I plugged in the specs for my file server, and
> it
> came up with a figure pretty much equal to the P/S that's in the machine -
> but that machine doesn't come anywhere *close* to using the full potential
> of the P/S.
>
> As always, question advice from people who stand to make financial gain
> from your decision.
>
> steve
>
>
There is a lot more to consider than just the total wattage of the power
supply.
Soltek SL75-DRV5.
(this board uses more amps from the 12v or from the 5v lines and how many
amps from each?)
Athlon XP2400+.
(i know for a fact that the AMD XP will consume most of its power from the
12v line ~68w under load that's about 5amps)
2 memory modules (512+1024).
(you can figure about 5w to 7w per 128MB's again under load most of the
power will come from the 5v line ~10amps)
AGP - radeon 8500
(if I remember correctly the older ATI cards draw about 50/50 from the
5v/12v lines mem/cpu under load ~ 4amp/4amp)
PCI - 4 cards: rj45 card. 802.11b card. SCSI card. 5.1 sound card.
(i dont know what voltage line the above cards use you will have to look it
up and use Voltage * current(amp) = Power (watts) and determin the amperage
draw from each line.)
No floppy
3 hard disks - IBM 10GB + Maxtor Diamond Max 60GB
(most hard draw there power from the 5v and 12v lines with the majority
coming from the 12v line)
DVD drive
CD writer (scsi)
2 case fans + 1 zalman 90mm fan.
(power requirements for fans are written on the back of the fan and pull all
there power from the 12v line ~ 0.3 amps per fan)
You need to determine the following,
amperage draw on the 12v line
amperage draw on the 5v line
amperage draw on the 3.3v line
and then determine percent of usage as i am sure that you will not be using
all the HD at the same time or be constantly stressing the CPU at full load.
Will you be overclocking the system (cpu, fsb) overclocked system will use
more power (increased voltage increases power req.).
Once you have determined the power on each voltage line select a PSU which
will provide the needed current to each voltage line at a stable rate
because not all power supplies will produce what they are rated for look for
a good name brand.
Just a quick look at the system you have it appears that you will need at
least 16amps on the 12v line and 18amps would be better. The key word he is
stability, fluctuating voltage destroys electronic components and produces
instability although it may not be evident at first. It may take a few
months to appear as system components start to breakdown.
AMD web site has a power cal sheet that could help.
http://www.amd.com/us-en/assets/content_type/white_papers_and_tech_docs/26003.pdf
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