Tom's Hardware > Forum > CPU & Components > Other Components > Is a 300 W Power supply enough 3 years from now ?

Is a 300 W Power supply enough 3 years from now ?

Forum CPU & Components : Other Components - Is a 300 W Power supply enough 3 years from now ?

Tom's Hardware: Over 1.4 million members in 6 different countries available to answer all your high-tech questions. Sign up now! Its free!

Ask the community Add a reply

Bottom Search this thread

I have read THG's test of 21 PSUs. THG recommends Verax PSU. My question is: The verax PSU is a 300W. Is this enough power 3 years from now ? I mean do the next generations of computers require more power then 300W ?

Another question: If a computer only requires 300 watt but you have a PSU with 450 watt, does this mean that you pay for 450 watt in "power tax" ?

Last question: When will THG do a new test of new PSUs ?

Add a reply

I'm no pro but I don't think 300 W is gonna cut it, even for the next year if you plan to upgrade. By the next upgrade you would probably run short on power. You would want to get at least 400W. I think Antec's True Power series is kinda cool, and it comes with the case that I'm getting

Reply to MegaCharger

CPUs and GPUs and everything keep needing more and more juice to run, and the fans cooling them keep getting more and more powerful, so yes, you will definitely need 450 to be safe, especially if you have more than one hard drive and one CD drive. Go for 450. It's the safest bet. And I'm not sure what you mean by "power tax". Call it insurance.

XP 2500+ Barton @ 2235Mhz
A7N8X Dlx
2x512MB Corsair PC3200
MSI GF3Ti 500
16x DVD-ROM
2x80GB 7200RPM Maxtor
Onboard audio

Reply to umheint0

As long as you don't overload that system with TONS of new components and a new processor you should be fine.

<A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/community/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=28752#28752" target="_new">THGC meeting? Would you go if there was one?</A>

Reply to bum_jcrules

Probably not. It really depends on what you expect your config to be in 3 years.

Granted maybe the whole industry will try to go for power savings or rather try to do as much or more while using less power. Otherwise they'll have to water cool everything.

However for many systems today 300-350 is fine, especially if you're not overclocking.

3 years ago though it was hard to find a PC power supply over 300 watts. In fact it wasn't until about July of 2000 that we introduced our first PSU over 300 watts.

AntecRep

Reply to AntecRep

if your computer is only using lets say 250 watts and you have a 350 watt psu...it will only consume 250 watts, remember watts are voltage x current (volts x amps) with that said your psu will always draw the same voltage however your components don't always require a consistant amount of current (amps).
I think this is what you mean by power tax...

Reply to pIII_Man

I agree with these guys. A 300w could be ok in 3 years, but you might as well spend a little more and get a rock solid guarantee on a 400 or 450w

It's all good ^_^

Reply to namek0

Ask the community Add a reply

Tom's Hardware > Forum > CPU & Components > Other Components > Is a 300 W Power supply enough 3 years from now ?

Go to:

Help |
Forum rules

There are 946 identified and unidentified users. To see the list of identified users, Click here.

Page generated in 0.536 seconds

Please mind

You are about to answer a thread that has been inactive for more than 6 months.
If you still wish to proceed, please ensure that your posting is original and does not duplicate or overlap any prior responses to this thread.

Add a reply Cancel

Focus On

Is a 300 W Power supply enough 3 years from now ?

Forum CPU & Components : Other Components - Is a 300 W Power supply enough 3 years from now ?

Please mind