The PC Hardware Curve Is Mighty Steep...

[FlyingPhotog]

This is semi-related to (digital) photography as you need a video card in your computer to see what you're doing, right?

So there I was, looking to upgrade my video card (currently have a 256MB ATI but wanted 512MB) and I run across an nVidia GeForce 8800GT for a good price at Fry's Electronics but...

The box may say 400w PS required (and I should have done more thorough homework in advance...) but if you aren't cranking out closer to 800-1000w .. get ready for some real funkyness.

My USB and Firewire peripherals weren't registering, my mouse kept freezing up on me until I read some reviews and wouldn't ya know it, at 430w, I'm not making enough electrons.

So, lesson learned...

[Thenethiel]

I've had a bad history with power supplies. I won't buy anything under 600 anymore, even if that should be a lot more than I need. I actually have one computer right now running off of 2 different power supplies, which technically shouldn't even work.

[Moppie]

I just built a system for a friend with an 8800GT and a 430W power supply: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?item=PSUTHM4301

I would say yours is simply in need of replacement.

[GilesGuthrie]

I just built a system for a friend with an 8800GT and a 430W power supply: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?item=PSUTHM4301

I would say yours is simply in need of replacement.

Yeah, well, there's 430W and there's 430W...

Buy power supplies based on price and brand. So, decide how much you want to pay (in the UK, around £75 is enough for 1x dual core processor, 4x drives, 1x graphics card, plus a tablet, iPod/iPhone charger, external card reader etc), and buy the PSU with the lowest quoted wattage in your price range. I know it sounds weird, but the manufacturers of the best power supplies are not given to overestimating the amount of power they can actually deliver.

With PSUs, it is more important that the power being delivered is stable than the total amount of watts being supplied. Less scrupulous manufacturers will take the maximum amount of power that a single rail can supply, then will multiply that figure by the number of rails to get their rating. More scrupulous manufacturers will quote the actual maximum that can be delivered across all rails.

Hardcore gaming sites are good sources for information on the best brands. I think mine is an Enermax.

[Moppie]

That 430W powers a Q6600 with 2 SATA drives, 2GB of ram and the 8800GT, with USB a HDD as well.
So it is more than capable of supporting the system.

My own quadcore system however has an 800W Gigabyte power supply, which is total over kill :)

[smcclelland]

Best bet is to buy the biggest you can afford, nowadays building PC's you should always leave yourself room because when you start hooking up all your peripherals as you noticed it will suck more power. I run a 750W PC&C Silencer unit in my quad core station, runs like a charm and plenty of power to run my dual 3870x2's.

As a side note, always check the efficiency rating of the PSU, as Giles pointed out the PSU has to have a constant wattage delivery and your efficiency numbers will give you that info (all manufacturers have to print it on the PSU for energy ratings to be considered energy saver anyways).

[Colorblinded]

Yeah, well, there's 430W and there's 430W...

Exactly, not all power supplies are created equal.

[joeseph]

Strangely enough, powersupplies only deliver the wattage required by the bits attached to it. It's when the bits want more current than the PSU can deliver things get interesting - if the wattage stays the same, something's gotta give and that means voltage drop. Voltage drop means the bits attached to the PSU are then not going to perform as per spec. & lockups are likely result.
Better designed PSU's can handle sudden increases in current demand, whereas poorly or cheaply designed ones often don't do as well.
Best to have a margin of wattage avail to cope with peak demands, and have an efficient PSU that doesn't convert as much of the wattage into heat.

[Quad]

PC Power and cooling used to make great supplies, they have recently been bought out so maybe they will no longer make such a solid product but they are single rail supplies. Most supplies split the rail into many rails so you really do not have all the power you might think available. Also most power supplies are rated at some stupid low temperature and drop when the temperature goes to anything even normal.

On a side not when I get back from my trip I am thinking about rebuilding my machine, if it was today this would be the motherboard:

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=31555&vpn=S5397AG2NRF&manufacture=TYAN

The 85/1.2 of motherboards. Only if the PS4 comes out in 64 bit though. Ram starvation will be a thing of the past.

[timbernet]

I used to have a $15 500 watt power supply... and guess what? It fried hard drives and a few other things....

Now I buy $100+ Antec power supplies and I haven't had any drives fail. It costs me more - but losing data would cost me far more.

[Colorblinded]

Corsair's HX series power supplies are very good. I have their 520 watt model.

[sblais]

Exactly, not all power supplies are created equal.

Yeah, some power supplies are equaller than others! :D