What Size PS do I need ?

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Katmandu

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Can someone point me to a chart/graph or whatever that indicates the proper power supply size requirements for different PC setups ??

I have a desktop running an AMD XP 2000+ and the normal add ons (CDRW, Floppy, case fan, CPU fan, HD etc...)

It has a 350W PS that just blew out. I added a (2) Internal USB cards (8-ports total) not long ago and I believe I may have over tasked the PS.

What size PS do I need ?
 
The additional usb controllers simply revealed a weakness in the 350w supply there. A good 430w Antec or 420w by another good brand will easily power the system there. newegg is having a Thanksgiving special on the Antec Earthwatts 430w model seen at Newegg.com - Antec earthwatts EA430 ATX12V v2.0 430W Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CUL, FCC, TUV, CE, CB, C-tick, CCC - Retail

Besides price range one thing you may want to look at is the eventual upgrade to a newer build where you will want a heavier supply there. That's when the price will climb up from about $70-$8 to the $140 range depending on make and model.
 
My HP Pavilion originally had a 200W PSU. Originally, it had an AthlonXP 2600+, nVidia GeForce4 MX420, hard drive, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, and floppy drives, and case fan and CPU fan. I would think 350W would be plenty for your setup, maybe the PSU was just cheap or old.
 
I agree with that but a little larger one if it's on sale would be a good idea for future use.
 
With the prebuilt systems like even seen with the new HP models you will find a 301w supply often used in those. People are always asking about what larger supply they can use for the new DX10 compatible cards now seen like the NVidia driven 8600s and 8800s as well as the ATI driven HD 2900s.

The minimum seen for the new higher end cards is roughly 450w. For SLI or Crossfire setups then you are starting off in the 600-700w range. While moving from one case to the new build I went from an Antec TP2 550w model into the OCZ GameXStresm 700w model while not necessarily needed for the drives and mid range card used allows for further expansion.
 
I currently have a 500W in my HP (replaced the 200W when I got my Radeon board) and when I was planning my Compaq replacement build, I got a $13 300W PSU because I needed something that A: fit the case and B: had a 12V CPU power connector. It was cheap and it did the job.
 
Consider yourself fortunate if it lasted more then two weeks there. I once made the mistake of ordering a case with supply included. It didn't quite make the 14day mark. Apparently that was also a cheap generic supply then.
 
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