10 replies to this topic

[Jmixmaster]

I am looking to rebuid a desktop with this bundle, which includes a Motherboard, Processor, RAM, and graphics card. I am not looking to replace the power supply or any other major component. I just want to know if it will work with a 300 watt power supply before I shell out the $250 for the parts

Thanks in advance.

[Mindovermaster]

That is really cutting it. To say best, it might?

[+jamesyfx]

Judging by the spec I would say 300W is comfortable.

The processor will be the biggest draw, at 125W. The graphics card shouldn't draw a lot. Under 30W. So on that basis I'd say you'll be fine.

However, just to be safe.. is it a decent power supply?

[+remixedcat]

550-600w to be sure. Also depends on upgrades you may do later and also if you plan on having a lot of HDD or optical drives.

[sagum]

Jmixmaster, on 20 December 2012 - 00:18, said:

I am looking to rebuid a desktop with this bundle, which includes a Motherboard, Processor, RAM, and graphics card. I am not looking to replace the power supply or any other major component. I just want to know if it will work with a 300 watt power supply before I shell out the $250 for the parts

Thanks in advance.

Some older ones that are 300w don't have the extra the 4pin 12v CPU power connector that the bundled motherboard requires. You might want to ensure it's a 24pin power connector too. Lastly, the board is SATA only, so you'll need to ensure it has SATA power connections for your drives (or use adapters).

If it has all of the above, you should be good to go.

[threetonesun]

remixedcat, on 20 December 2012 - 02:01, said:

550-600w to be sure. Also depends on upgrades you may do later and also if you plan on having a lot of HDD or optical drives.

In crazy land. I don't even have that and I have three hard drives and a GTX 660.

FYI, here's a calculator. http://www.extreme.o...n.com/PSUEngine

300W (assuming, as noted above, it has all the necessary connectors) should pass until you do another upgrade.

[LaP]

threetonesun, on 20 December 2012 - 02:16, said:

In crazy land. I don't even have that and I have three hard drives and a GTX 660.

FYI, here's a calculator. http://www.extreme.o...n.com/PSUEngine

300W (assuming, as noted above, it has all the necessary connectors) should pass until you do another upgrade.

It's gonna past probably. But not sure it's a good idea to use 226$ of new hardware on an old probably cheap generic PSU. Also PSUs work best when they are not loaded. The PSU can be a cause of hardware failure. The older they are and the more loaded they are the more chance you have for them to fail and kill almost the whole machine. Doesn't happen often with high brand PSU like Corsair and OCZ but i've seen many computers killed by cheap no brand low wattage PSU.

Unless it's a high quality 300W PSU to be safe i would try to buy a new 30-40$ 400-450W PSU by Antec, Corsair, OCZ, Thermaltake, ect ...

[hjf288]

remixedcat, on 20 December 2012 - 02:01, said:

550-600w to be sure. Also depends on upgrades you may do later and also if you plan on having a lot of HDD or optical drives.

Overkill, I'd go with 400 - 450W Max if you aren't planning on putting a more powerful graphics card in.

[+remixedcat]

Antec HCG620m is what I got!

[Mikeffer]

Remember, a quality 300w will be more stable and just plain better than a cheaper 500w

[+metal_dragen]

Mikeffer, on 20 December 2012 - 11:49, said:

Remember, a quality 300w will be more stable and just plain better than a cheaper 500w

This can't be stated enough.

Sizing a power supply and choosing a quality unit are the MOST important things to do when building a computer. Think about it - every other component in your system connects to the power supply - every single one. And a bad power supply can cause all kinds of havoc with your components.

The most common mistake people make is choosing a power supply that is over-rated for their needs.

This is bad for several reasons:

1) Running a power supply at half it's rated capacity is very inefficient. On the flip side, running it at near full capacity for extended periods is also bad. Aim for somewhere in the 70-90% range (at load) depending on how much headroom you want. You should look for units that are 80+ certified. Though there are issues with the 80+ certification (which you can Google for more info), this certification from a quality manufacturer shows they've put the development time and effort into producing a quality power supply that will maintain certain efficiencies across its load range.

2) Often someone will choose a supply that is over-rated for their needs and wind up buying a cheaper model. Now not only do they have an inefficient supply, they have also purchased one made with cheaper components that, if they're lucky, will simply die, if not, could take other components with it when it does die.

Use a power supply calculator to rough out the size of supply you need given all the components you have. You may not be able to account for everything, or choose the exact components, so add maybe 50W to the calculated value. The biggest factors to account for are going to be the CPU and GPU.

Then buy a quality unit at that value (Seasonic, Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, Enermax) and don't spend the same or less for a higher rated, but cheaply built unit.