Bob said:
Win XP Pro SP2
How do I find out the brand and the wattage of my installed power
supply?
You have to look at it because there's no way the computer can read
that information the way it can with a hard drive or graphics card. If
the label doesn't show a familiar brand, check its UL (under the "9U"
or "RU" symbol) and CSA registration numbers and look them up at:
http://directories.csa-international.org
http://database.ul.com/cgi-bin/XYV/template/LISEXT/1FRAME/index.htm
If the PSU doesn't have either number, it's guaranteed to be a piece of
junk, but even if it does, it can still be junk.
And, (I'm building a new computer - home use, single user, mostly
games. Good video card) What size power supply is slightly above
what an average user would want?
600W, but 300W is actualy what's needed.
http://takaman.jp has the
best power estimator because it doesn't overestimate as much as most
and it gives amp numbers as well as total wattage. However it hasn't
been working for the past few days, but there are also
www.jscustompcs.com and
http://extreme.outervision.com/index.jsp. All
estimators are so conservative that any PSU that meet their wattage
recommendations will be far more than adequate, unless it's absolutely
horrible junk, like Powmax, Deer (several brands, including Codegen,
Logic, Allied, L&C, and several animal names), or anything without a
real UL or CSA registration number.
BTW, Any guess what I should pay for a no frills case, power supply
(and does the power supply fan come with it?)
Check the "hot deals" forums at FatWallet.com and AnandTech.com, Fry's
ads (Ultra is often featured -- PSU is OK but not great, sometimes
Antec is featured). $30, shipped, is common, but usually for that
price any included PSU is junk. OTOH it sometimes costs less to buy a
cheap case with junk PSU and get a separate high quality PSU than get a
quality case & PSU together. But avoid cheap cases that have a thing
that sticks out at the rear where the card brackets screw in because
that makes the rear really flimsy; on better cases the cards instead
sit back about 1/2" from the rear. If your mobo measures more than
about 8", from front to back, look for a case that's at least 19",
front to back, or the DVD and CD drives won't fit in front of the mobo.
Also with cheap cases avoid tool-free access because the latches used
are often junk
Fortron-Source is the biggest bargain in PSUs, about $25 for 300W to
$40-50 for 400-450W, and their quality is first-rate and their ratings
very conservative. A 350-400W Fortron can do what a lot of 450-550W
competitors often can't OTOH a 500W piece of junk may not be as good
as a 250W Fortron -- see
www.jonnyguru.com's adventure in blowing out a
couple of 550W Powmaxes with 200-300W loads. The only way to find
something as good as Fortron at a similar price is through a rebate
deal on an Antec or shopping the used or surplus markets for OEM PSUs
with unfamiliar brand names.
Be sure that the PSU you buy is designed for your mobo (20 or 24-pin
main connector, 4 or 6 pin auxillary connector), drives (SATA power
connector), and graphics cards (some high performance models need their
own connector).
