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Thread ID: 63050 2005-10-27 18:59:00 300W vs 400W PSU heni72847 (1166) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
399776 2005-10-27 18:59:00 thinking of getting a new case for my computer
and now the psu that comes with the new case are 300W or 400W+
the computer is running AMD AnthlonXP 2000+
planning to have 2 optical drive and 2 hdd in it

right now i doubt the psu i'm using has such high watt rating
no idea what exactlly it uses though..no stickers on current psu not sure why

if i had a choice of choosing between 300W and 400W
would it be safe to go with 300W?
and if i used 400W would that waste electricity or would it be the same because it won't reach its maximum load?
heni72847 (1166)
399777 2005-10-27 19:09:00 Depends a bit on what other hardware you'll be running eg video card, sound card. You'd probably be fine with the 300 if the other bits aren't too high end, but for the sake of peace of mind and to cover future expansion, go for the 400. Greg (193)
399778 2005-10-27 19:28:00 got onboard sound and graphics
this comp's getting old and not much future expansion can go on really

just not sure if 400 would end up wasting power
heni72847 (1166)
399779 2005-10-27 19:35:00 just not sure if 400 would end up wasting powerDoubt it, but even if so you'd probably never notice the difference. Greg (193)
399780 2005-10-27 19:53:00 if i used 400W would that waste electricity

NO

because the wattage is larger it simply means it is capable of suppling more power should it be needed..........it doesn't mean it'll use more power at all under normal usage.......however a word of warning.....i've seen a powersupply of the 300w range completely die on the spot in a system where the guy had two optical drives and two harddrives.....he'd just installed a dvd writer and when trying to copy from the cd drive to the dvd drive the psu suddenly died........coudn't handle the required load..........it is MUCH smarter to have the 400w...........300w is pushing it ......
drcspy (146)
399781 2005-10-27 20:23:00 drcspy is right. Go for the 400W.

Invariably your power needs increase over time as you add newer/bigger/faster/more stuff to your computer. And don't forget all those USB devices that are plugged in to your machine. The powers supply has to feed them too.
Mackin_NZ (6958)
399782 2005-10-27 20:28:00 if i used 400W would that waste electricity

NO

because the wattage is larger it simply means it is capable of suppling more power should it be needed..........it doesn't mean it'll use more power at all under normal usage.......however a word of warning.....i've seen a powersupply of the 300w range completely die on the spot in a system where the guy had two optical drives and two harddrives.....he'd just installed a dvd writer and when trying to copy from the cd drive to the dvd drive the psu suddenly died........coudn't handle the required load..........it is MUCH smarter to have the 400w...........300w is pushing it ......On the flipside to that... my crappy PC Company PSU ran 2 CD Drives, and 2 harddrives no problems for well over a year and a half. The only reason I replaced it was the fan noise was getting worse

However I would recommend 400W just to be sure :). It will also be usable should you want to upgrade your computer, just transfer the psu to the new comp (as I plan to do if/when I upgrade)
Myth (110)
399783 2005-10-27 20:35:00 also don't forget some wattage lables are just PR bull. some 400w are just 300w psu's with a 400w sticker. i would recomend a GOOD 400w, not some elcheapo crap thats going to blow up and take out the entire pc. tweak'e (69)
399784 2005-10-27 21:14:00 Another test for a good power supply is to feel the weight of it. If you have 2 400w psu sitting side by side buy the heavier one as it should be made useing superior components.

Trevor :)
Trev (427)
399785 2005-10-27 22:27:00 um..interesting..never thought about comparacent of weights
okay.. it's all settled go for 400W

and the weight..like..i got a mobile charger and compare that to other chargers it's like..weightless..doesn't feel metalish inside..well from the weight
wonder what that's made out of..
heni72847 (1166)
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