PSU AND BRAND

[ballina]

I recently replaced my motherboard and didn't think about the psu when I bought a BFG Tech
maxcore GTX 160 overclocked to 896m - one website said I should have 700 to 750 psu
Another site said try with current psu and if the computer shuts down I need a new psu and then another
site talked about possibly having fried internal components. Should I try it with my current
psu and see what happens or should I have a new psu installed. I have the connectors
for a 4th drive in my system and thought I could use them with the new video card which came with adapter cables.
One site recommend TRX 750psu. I have used antec psu and cool max to date on my last 3 computers.


My psu is on the bottom of the tower with a metal slot over it and my hard drives are further up. The
current GT8600 is in the middle of the tower due to location of pci slot. The additional fans
do a good job of air flow.

How difficult is it to replace the power supply - I was thinking of have geek squad do it
and they wanted $49.99 plus the psu.

I sent the computer back to my clone builder
to replace the motherboard and add the new drive. Had not bought the new video
card or I would of had him replace psu.
I know how to put in hard drives
and memory etc., never tackled a psu.

How difficult to do? time frame?

Currently my computer build
P5Q Asus Motherboard -new
Raid liam li Tower with air flow Holes
two 120 and 1 140 fan's
8 gigs memory heat sink upgraded from 4 gigs - new
nivida GT8600 with heat sink
coolmax 550 psu
300 gig WD Raptor Dr 10K "c" with windows 7 New 64 bit
75 gig WD Raptor Dr 10K
120 gigs Sata drive
Connections for a 4th drive which I could use to connect to the new Video Card
Intel Quad core 2.4
DVD/cd Read Write 18 speed
Front card reader
built in June of 2007.
Forcefeel wheel thrustmaster Ferrari usb slot -new (love my aluminum plate pedal and accelerator)
I usually turn off all external hard drives before playing a game.

I have not played games much in the past couple of years - just using photoshop a great extent,
which should not have a effect on the current video card.


Thanks for your help

 

[JohnnyLucky]

how difficult is it? It's very easy to swap power supplies. Four screws and some power cables. That's it! Nothing to it!

The general rule of thumb is a high quality 500 to 550 watt power supply with sufficient current (amps) on the +12 volt rail(s) can easily power a system with any single video card made. A high quality 700 to 750 watt power supply with sufficient current (amps) on the +12 volt rail(s) can power a system with two video cards operating in dual mode. There are a few exceptions like the new ATI Radeon HD 5XXX series cards which use less power due to their energy efficiency.

A high quality 500 to 550 watt psu will have a +12 volt rail rated at 40 amps. A high quality 700 to 750 watt psu will have a +12 volt rail rated at 60 amps.

In addition the power supply should be at least 80+ Bronze certified for energy efficiency. There are some models available which have achieved 80+ Silver and 80+ Gold Certifications.

Before purchasing a new psu you will need to decide whether you will eventually have a pc with one or two video cards.

Corsair and Seasonic are two brands that have a reputation for high quality power supplies that consistently earn high marks in technical reviews. They are reliable, stable, and come with a 5 year warranty. Some of the newer models come with a 7 year warranty. Lately we've been seeing a few other brands offering some high quality units. One example would be the Antec Earthwatts and the Antec TruePower New models which are a major improvement over Antec’s older psu’s like the Basiq models.

 

[graywolf]

PSU calculator: http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculator.jsp

 

[jsc]

When you go to swap PSU's, make notes of every cable you disconnect, then check them off as you reconnect the new PSU.