Psu...300w Or 400w?

[razorsharp013]

Researching parts for a new machine and this is the only hang up I am having, I think I've pretty much settled on everything else.

So for a machine with these specs:

Asus A7N8X-X Mobo, AMD Athlon XP 3200 400FSB, ATI Radeon 9200 SE for now but may up to ATI Radeon 9700 Pro eventually, 3 case fans and of course the CPU HSF, and the standard CD-RW, floppy and HDD....

What power supply would sufficent? I don't want to waste money on a 400W PSU when 300W would be more than enough.

Power supplies I admit to knowing nothing at all about so if you need more info just say so.

Thanks.

[tesco]

First of all, i just want to say, don't go cheap on teh power supply. Go for a name brand: Enermax, Zalman, Antec, Thermal Take, a few other good brands but these ones are teh best.

for that system i'd say go for 400watt. 350watt may be enough (with a good power supply) but it would be cutting it pretty close... ;)

if you were to go for a cheap power supply, then...you know what, don't go for a ceap one; just cases headaches later on.

[clocker]

Read this. (http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=232592)
And this. (http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=252752)

Should give you some ideas.

[razorsharp013]

The 2 I am looking at are both Zalman's and from the research I have done on them they certainly do appear to be very good models. The 300 being around $50 and the 400 around $70. But all that technical stuff about voltage and amps and stuff like that is all Greek to me.

So I'm sure I am getting a quality, very reliable PSU....I just need to know how much power I will need. Don't want to over do it, and certainly don't want to under do it.

Links:
ZM400A-APF (http://www.zalmanusa.com/usa/product/view.asp?idx=3&code=015)
ZM300A-APF (http://www.zalmanusa.com/usa/product/view.asp?idx=2&code=015)

[clocker]

You can't overdo the PSU.

Only the reverse.

[razorsharp013]

Well I didn't mean over do like that....I meant it as in I don't want to spend the extra money if I don't need to.

[clocker]

I'd get the 400w.
It's only twenty bucks more and you'll have some extra headroom to play with.

[razorsharp013]

Ok. Thanks Clocker!

One more thing though.....both models are single fan I believe...is that a big deal?

[tesco]

Originally posted by razorsharp013@28 June 2004 - 00:25
Ok. Thanks Clocker!

One more thing though.....both models are single fan I believe...is that a big deal?
No, the PSU should be designed to handle its own heat. If not then Zalman would be in a lot of trouble.

Little excess case heat should ever even go through the PSU in a good fan arrangement, so nothing to worry about there...

[razorsharp013]

Great! Ok everyone, thanks a lot! :)

[clocker]

I actually think the single fan makes more sense.

Never could understand who's brilliant idea it was to hoover up the hot air from the HSF and send it through the power supply.

[tesco]

Originally posted by clocker@28 June 2004 - 00:35
I actually think the single fan makes more sense.

Never could understand who's brilliant idea it was to hoover up the hot air from the HSF and send it through the power supply.
Makes sense, also would make sense to have all cases with (one of your mods) a 120mm fan port above the power supply, and a 120mm exhaust fan on top. ;) (maybe have the back of teh psu as intake? leave that for another day...)

[Virtualbody1234]

Originally posted by razorsharp013@27 June 2004 - 22:50
Researching parts for a new machine and this is the only hang up I am having, I think I've pretty much settled on everything else.

So for a machine with these specs:

Asus A7N8X-X Mobo, AMD Athlon XP 3200 400FSB, ATI Radeon 9200 SE for now but may up to ATI Radeon 9700 Pro eventually, 3 case fans and of course the CPU HSF, and the standard CD-RW, floppy and HDD....

What power supply would sufficent?  I don't want to waste money on a 400W PSU when 300W would be more than enough.

Power supplies I admit to knowing nothing at all about so if you need more info just say so.

Thanks.

Something that pops out at me: There are a lot of members here that have puchased the AMD 2500+ chip and sucessfully run it as if it's a 3200+. You might want to consider that possibility. It could save you a lot of money yet you could get the same performance.

What memory are you going to use?

[razorsharp013]

Here is the list of parts I have compiled so far. I have bought NONE of these yet, still wanting to do more research before investing in anything.

Asus A7N8X-X Motherboard - $58 (New, Bare)
AMD Athlon XP 3200 400Mhz FSB CPU - $133 (New, Bare)
Lite-On 52x32x52 CD-RW Drive (Black) - $31 (New, Retail)
1 Stick Corsair PC3200 512MB DDR 400 Memory - $81 (New, Retail)
HDD - Done
Video Card - Done
Sony Floppy Drive (Black) - $9 (New, Bare)
Thermaltake A1745 Volcano 12 CPU Cooler - $30 (New, Retail)
Zalman Noiseless 400W PSU w/cables & cords - $72 (New, Retail?)
Monitor - Done
Keyboard & Mouse - Done
Sound Card - Not Yet
Printer - Done
Speakers - Done
Modem - Done
Network Card - Done
Thermaltake Tsunami VA3000BWA Case (Black) - $138 (New, Retail)
Cables/Misc. - $50?
Speakers - Done

Honestly VB, a machine with those specs is probably a hell of a lot more than I even need. But like I was saying the other day I was expecting to spend a grand so I figure if I can get all of this for $600, why not? I very much welcome your advice.

[Virtualbody1234]

Originally posted by razorsharp013@28 June 2004 - 04:34
AMD Athlon XP 3200 400Mhz FSB CPU - $133 (New, Bare)
Look for the 'Retail Package' version instead. It would come with a CPU cooler and a 3 year warranty.

The 'bare' one has no cooler and (I think) only 3 months warranty.

[razorsharp013]

I picked the bare one because I was going to get the Thermaltake HSF...unless you think that would be overkill. I don't have any intentions on overclocking it at all.

[Virtualbody1234]

That comes down to your choice but look into the warranty issue.

I am running a 2500+ at 3200+ speeds with a stock cooler. I did change the fan to a larger slower/quieter fan.

[razorsharp013]

What would the price difference be about for the boxed one? I wasn't thinking to much about warranties, just hoping for good luck!

[clocker]

Typically the price difference is just a few bucks.

The warrenty alone is worth it, but the HS is a nice bonus.
Can easily be adapted to work on a vid card or something.
The 60mm fan is handy by itself.