is 250W enough?

[davesdaman]

here's my system specs:
1.33 Ghz Atholon
DFI AK-75 mobo
one 7200 RPM hard drive
512 MB 133Mhz RAM
DVD drive
CD-RW drive
floppy drive
ATI 7500 Radeon vid card
Sound Blaster X-Gamer sound card

I just replaced the 300W Hivision power supply with a 250W Antec power supply I had lying around. Nothing was wrong with the Hivision PS but I decided to switch it to the Antec because Antec is a better brand. was this a good move, or should I switch back to the crappy 300W Hivision just because of the extra 50 watts? also, by how much are my upgrading options limited to now?

P.S. so far my system is stable with the Antec PS but I noticed the PS itself is running just a little warmer then the Hivision was, but nothin to sweat over

 

[lhgpoobaa]

well if its working then its working.

bear in mind that the rated wattage of a PSU is not as important as the construciton quality and the current supplied for each voltage rail.

ive seen 300W enermax units spank 350W 'generic' crap units.

if your PC doesnt crash under extended full load you should be ok.

but there are ways to check to see if your PSU is "struggling" with the load.

1. PSU heat output at full load. if its pumping out the heat then its probably at its limit. my old 300W generic ran real hot. my enermax barely gets beyond warm.

2. fan speeds. with my 300W generic i could hear the fans change speed as the cpu/graphics went from idle to full load.

3. watch your voltages using Motherboard monitor, especially the 5v rail. a weak psu will give you lower 5v rail voltages under full load, possibly leading to freezes.

you are probably allright with that antec, they are a decent enough brand. but it may not last the distance being stressed to the limit all the time.
i personally prefer a PSU thats over powerful, so it never runs near its limit. (cooler & less stressed)

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