What PSU do I need?

[Sayyid]

OK, basically, I know next to nothing about PSUs. I know that what it says under "watts" means next to nothing, and amps+efficiency are what counts. But no one really advertises the amps part, from what I've seen... And even then, whether it's the same rail inside the PSU or not matters and all that jazz, from the little I've read. Can someone here help me? I need one that will run:

E6400 CPU
Sapphire X1950XT (needs 30 amps down one PCI-E rail according to box)
A couple of hard drives (1 SATA, 1 not), a DVD burner, and ~4 USB devices.

Anyone have firsthand experience with that GPU and want to comment on your personal PSU? Theoretical data is nice, but nothing's as useful as real-world experience after all.

 

[Valtiel]

I know that what it says under "watts" means next to nothing, and amps+efficiency are what counts

You know a helluva lot more than some people with this simple fact

This should help.

Pick out a PSU with 32-36A out (they are at the bottom of the page)

P.S please don't modify.

 

[jaguarskx]

The 30 amps "requirement" is merely a recommendation and it is for the entire PC, not just the GPU. The X1950XTX uses 125w of power, so I'm guessing that the X1950XT uses about 110w at most, or 9.17 amps.

In general a good PSU with 30 amps on the 12v rail will be more than enough for your proposed system even if you overclock, and will provide plenty of room to upgrade.

If cost is a major factor then get the Fortron 450w PSU for $54 + shipping and handling. It only has 29 amps, but it is still more than enough for your system.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104954

If you want a very efficient, high quality, and very quiet PSU then look at the Seasonic S12 430 PSU. This PSU also only has 29 amps onthe 12v rails but again, there is more than enough room for some decent upgrades.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817151023

You can check out some other good line of PSUs if you want like the Antec NeoHE series, Enermax Liberty, Corsiar, etc. If you think a 430w or 450w is "too small" for your taste then look at 500w+ versions of the PSU I mentioned.

 

[Sayyid]

Thanks for the input, guys. Supremely helpful. For a related question, if I were to go for something like this, I'd have more than enough for both now and more than likely a future upgrade 2nd GPU and/or overclock, yes? Now that I know the minimum I need to weigh it against the other options.