Another PSU question

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TheOtis

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Maybe a question like this has came up before, but i couldnt find one.

I have an allied 500W that im useing from an older systtem. My systems in my sig.

My quesiton is is 500W enough for it? I mean things seem to run stable. But for some reason under system itr says that my CPU is running at 1.94 instead of 2.00. I checked it in BIOS and set everything to default. I know its only a hundreths of a difference but could this somehow be effected by the power supply? I had to use the 6 pin converter for my vid card and the 20 to 24pin for my mobo. And a 4pin male to a sata power connection. Would it be worth it to buy a higher wattage PSU thats a name brand?
 
its not about wattage its more about the quality, and a bet that allied is pretty crappy. you should go with antec, OCZ, enermax, etc.

why has there been so many psu questions these days?
 
Wattage is not an accurate representation of a power supply or what it is capable of...when deciding on what is a good and bad PSU there are general three factors to consider

First being you PSUs 100% 24/7 sustained output...this means that if you buy a 500w PSU, it should have a sustained output of 500w under any conditions...many companies will advertise power supplies based on their peak 60 second sustained output, or in other words, the maximum output that your PSU can give out over a short amount of time...a real 500w PSU should have a peak output of around 600w, if it's 500 exactly then it isn't a true 500w PSU

Second factor is your rails...primarily your 12v rail...recommended absolute minimum for your setup I suggest would be no less than 24amps on the 12v rail...you can find this out by reading the label on the side of you PSU...another important factor with your rails is stability...you want them to maintain a steady output that is as close to what they are rated as possible...for example, if your 12v rail is only giving around 11v you risk undervolting and frying a part of your PC...general acceptable rule is within 5% of where it should be and not jumping around under load

Finally, the heavier the better...if your PSU feels light it's most likely constructed using poor quality capacitators
 
It says next to the 12V 20A. And it does specify a couple times 500W MAX. Yea I think this weekend i plan on getting a new power supply to be on the safe side. And its not very heavy from what I remember.

Since ive joind this forum you have all be really helpfull and I really appreciate it. I never knew how important it is to have a good power supply, i thought a power supply was just a power supply and the names didnt matter. This forum and my IT essentials class have helped me alot, ive learned so much.

I've noticed alot of power supply questions also.

I sadly cant do mail order and have to get parts from around here, and my choices are frys and PC club ( www.pcclub.com ). They seem to have pretty much anything id need. I just dont wanna spend more then 100 bucks on a power supply, since its my parents money and they alread paid for my whole computer.
 
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