Higher the wattage the better?

[dsuh]

I know that overheating is a very bad problem. So to avoid that, I'm probably going to get a case with a 400w power supply. The higher the better right?

 

[zerozero]

Short answer YES. Long answer Yes but.... As with everything else, PS come in different quality. The rating is the max power your PS is capable of providing. The resources (HDD, CD etc... will then take what they need up to the max). I'd prefer having a high quality lower PS (still powerful enough to power up my system) than a cheap overrated PS wich will do one of the following:
1- Work wonderfully no problems
2- Break down 1 day after the warranty expired
3- Be so bad that the regulated voltages will fluctuate enough
to blow my computer in the long run.

In all cases, your PS has nothing to do with overheating. If your system is overheating due to OC and such, the only thing you can do is add more fans to your case to dissipate heat. Since these require power, then you need a PS with a high enough rating to power them up

 

[Kangaroo]

Asus description of a good PSU (Power Supply Unit):

Under-rated POWER SUPPLIES

If the max amps on your supply are less than:

28A +3.3v, 32A +5v and 16A +12v then you need a better one IN MOST CASES. This is not always true and is dependent on how much hardware is in your rig. You may not have an issue now but overdrawing a power supply that is working today can lead to problems down the road and if/when that supply fails it can and will take out other components with it when it dies.

 

[jblaze725]

the only way a higher wattage psu will help your overheating problems is if you use the extra wattage to connect more fans or a water cooling system but of course more power cant hurt.

 

[xotix]

dsuh they are all correct.

 

[dsuh]

thank you guys. High quality PS + high wattage = answer