PSU Power cord AWG does it matter?

[hogan773]

Hi - I got a new Antec 380D which of course doesn't come with a power cord. It appears that my old power cord is "3x18awg"

Not to be too obsessive about my new SandyBridge "baby" but is there any reason to think that I should buy a 16awg or 14awg power cord for a 380watt PSU?

I gotta assume that my current Dell PSU is in the 350-375w range anyway.

Monoprice has the cords and they're cheap, but I don't need to waste even $6 if there is no reason an 18awg standard cord is just fine (which I hope it is)

Any input?

 

[o1die]

Your old cord will probably fit if it is the standard 3 prong variety. If it goes on easily, it won't hurt anything to try.

 

[robert123456]

You just need a kettle lead, why the fracas?

 

[etk]

18 AWG is rated to 16A, @ 120V = 1920W, @ 240V = 3840W.

These ratings are ridiculously conservative, I would not hesitate to pull 5 times that.

So you've got some headroom.

 

[delluser1]

Hi - I got a new Antec 380D which of course doesn't come with a power cord. It appears that my old power cord is "3x18awg"

If you bought the 380 that comes with a cord, that's what you would have gotten.

 

[hogan773]

18 AWG is rated to 16A, @ 120V = 1920W, @ 240V = 3840W.

These ratings are ridiculously conservative, I would not hesitate to pull 5 times that.

So you've got some headroom.

Perfect - thanks guys. That was my gut feeling but thanks for making me comfortable with the math!

I love the quote "I've got some headroom"

 

[hogan773]

Best answer selected by hogan773.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey