Ok tell me if I have this right...

[pro2a]

After previous threads and making sure I have this right, I think I've made up my mind on what I'm going to do. Basically I'm in the process of upgrading my PC. I want to upgrade to this power supply... so I can run this video card.

I feel confident that all that the specs will match up... my concern is that some time ago I think I shorted a motherboard on a PC I bought from Staples trying to upgrade the power supply. So in short, I guess I am a little gun shy from that experience and don't want to mess up this PC trying to install a new PSU (which I had custom built, and a lot nicer I might add).

My current system specs are as follows:

PSU: Allied ATX 300W Switching power supply (I also think it's going bad which is another reason I want to replace it.)
MoBo: ASUS M2N68-AM SE2
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 5000+
RAM: 4GB DDR2 667 (2 sticks of 2GB)
HD: 2TB (half internal and half external)
Video: 1GB GeForce 8500 GT (Want to upgrade to a 1GB GeForce 9800 GT so I can play Starcraft 2 w/o the lag).
Sound: On board
Ethernet: On board

Now I've heard that the various hardware will only draw what power it needs. Currently they are just fine with a 300W PSU. I don't think upgrading to a 500W PSU will make too much of a difference, it'll just allow me to run the video card I want, which is all I really need.

My question is, what do I need to do in order to ensure the PSU I want is compatible with my MoBo and other internal hardware? I don't want to get it an end up shorting out my MoBo because of a compatibility error. Are most PSU's mostly universal or is there something I am missing here?

 

[patonb]

If you purchase any new/current model, youre pretty much garrenteed to be okay.

You have a "moddern" mobo, so any modern psu is fine.

Now, updating to a 500-600W quality psu will be a good long term investment.

Psu aren't changing like cpus and gpus, so getting a bit more than you currently need will allow multiple updates to your setup.

 

[Yami]

My question is, what do I need to do in order to ensure the PSU I want is compatible with my MoBo and other internal hardware? I don't want to get it an end up shorting out my MoBo because of a compatibility error. Are most PSU's mostly universal or is there something I am missing here?

PSUs are mostly universal, yes. To help yourself check, the PSU you get will need to have:
1 x 20+4 pin, or 24-pin - This plugs into the motherboard.
1 x 4+4 pin, or 8-pin - This also plugs into the motherboard - this is the CPU's power.
4 x SATA plugs, minimum - This is to power HDDs, SSDs and ODDs (hard drives, solid state drives, and optical disk drives) - you'll want at least four, probably; most decent PSUs will have more than that.
1 x 4-pin Molex, minimum - Used to power pretty much everything, now generally used only for fans not connected directly to the motherboard.
1 x 6-pin (or 6+2 pin, or 8-pin) PCI-E - Used to power GPUs mainly. You'll want at least as many as the GPU you're getting requires (if any), double that if you plan on doing SLI or CrossFire in future.

Get the right kind to fit your case - undoubtably ATX. Get a decent brand, and make sure it has enough wattage and amperage to power everything you have.

That should be everything you need to know and more.

Edit: Ninja'd by paton

 

[patonb]

Yours is much more informative though.

 

[Slaymate]

I would not buy the power supply you have linked, it's not worth $92. FSP is a decent power supply manufacturer but their far from the best. This is a much better power supply, it's even a little more powerful at 550 watts and it costs less.
Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply

And this looks like a better deal on a video card.
Newegg.com - MSI N250GTS Twin Frozr GeForce GTS 250 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

 

[Njord]

Never mind my post. others explained it in much greater detail

 

[Yami]

Never mind my post. others explained it in much greater detail

Don't worry about that. We get used to being ninja'd or outdetailed pretty quickly

 

[pro2a]

PSUs are mostly universal, yes. To help yourself check, the PSU you get will need to have:
1 x 20+4 pin, or 24-pin - This plugs into the motherboard.
1 x 4+4 pin, or 8-pin - This also plugs into the motherboard - this is the CPU's power.
4 x SATA plugs, minimum - This is to power HDDs, SSDs and ODDs (hard drives, solid state drives, and optical disk drives) - you'll want at least four, probably; most decent PSUs will have more than that.
1 x 4-pin Molex, minimum - Used to power pretty much everything, now generally used only for fans not connected directly to the motherboard.
1 x 6-pin (or 6+2 pin, or 8-pin) PCI-E - Used to power GPUs mainly. You'll want at least as many as the GPU you're getting requires (if any), double that if you plan on doing SLI or CrossFire in future.

Get the right kind to fit your case - undoubtably ATX. Get a decent brand, and make sure it has enough wattage and amperage to power everything you have.

That should be everything you need to know and more.

Edit: Ninja'd by paton

I think this meets all that and then some... Antec TruePower TP-550 550 Watt Power Supply

I know I have 2 physical SATA HD's and a DVD-RW/CD-RW Drive. I also have a multi-media (SD card, USB, Micro SD etc...) drive thingy.

I'll only need the PCI-E for the GPU obviously. The CPU power and MoBo power looks standard. I have a 24 pin on mine. It has plenty of molex and SATA connectors. I'll look at these other links you guys posted, but at a minimum does this one seem good? Now all I have to worry about is will it fit... which I have no clue

 

[pro2a]

Ok so this is what I got.

Newegg.com - ZOTAC ZT-20402-10L GeForce GT 240 1GB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
Newegg.com - Antec TruePower New TP-550 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply

Hopefully these will be sufficient

 

[patonb]

Yha, those will go good.

The corsair is a better quality, but antec is a decent brand too.