200W power supply good enough?

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billmurray22

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone thinks I can get away with using only a 200W
power supply with the following specs:

Biostar mainboard (integrated video and sound)
AMD Duron 1.3 Ghz CPU
512MB RAM
HDD1 4.3GB
HDD2 60GB (7200 RPM)
CD-RW
Floppy drive
6 USB ports

My gut feeling is that I should go at least 250W or maybe even 300W,
but I wanted your humble opinions.

TIA,

~Bill
 
you have your doubts, otherwise you wouldn't be posting. If you have the means to get another and bring it up to current specs, do
so...it MAY power everything...it may do it for a while...then it goes from strain and takes everything with it ...
maybe?..........i wouldn't chance it unless i was forced for some reason..
 
If a power supply is insufficient, then running a system
under full load and measuring with a 3.5 digit multimeter will
immediately answer your question. No reason for gut
feelings. The numbers make your answer obvious.

But here is the problem. Is it a 200 watt power supply?
Or for that matter, is the other supply a 300 watt supply?
250 watts is typically more than enough power. But too many
computer assemblers do not first demand specifications.
Therefore the 250 watt supply (bought only on the
specification called price) does not provide 250 watts. Then
these computer assemblers declare a 400 watt supply is
necessary!

Same with a recommendation that a failing supply will
destroy the other computer components. No power supply,
properly designed, damages any computer components. But
again, so many computer assemblers only buy on price, and get
supplies that are missing essential functions. Then when their
inferior supply fails, it also takes out motherboard, disk
drive, etc. IOW failure is directly traceable to the human
who did not demand a long list of specifications with his
power supply AND bought that supply only on price. Failure
directly traceable to the human who failed to first learn
fundamental theory and concepts; who failed to even demand the
long list of written specifications.

No long list of specs means the supply should be suspect as
defective.

And so we return to that 200 watt supply. Where are the
long list of specifications that say, for example, that supply
will withstand excessive load without damage? Where is the
spec that says the supply has overvoltage protection - a very
essential function routinely missing in many low cost
supplies? A failing supply must not damage the rest of a
computer. Essential functions that must be in all power
supplies but are too often not found in so many 300 watt
supplies being sold; even in CompUSA.

Will that 200 watt supply provide sufficient power? Simply
use a 3.5 digit multimeter to answer your question. If not,
then a replacement 300 watt supply should must include a long
list of specification - which is why it costs more.
Typically, a supply that includes essential functions should
cost about $80. Notice how the $40 supplies forget to provide
any written list of specs. Why bother claiming functions if
too many essential functions are missing?
 
& i`d go for a >350w quality PSU (antec, qtec, hyperpower, enermax etc) for
future upgradibility.

i`m running a 550w enermax for more or less futureproofing..... 1 month
later, PSU's come out with SATA power connectors - outta date already, dang
:P

tim
JAD said:
you have your doubts, otherwise you wouldn't be posting. If you have the
Click to expand...
means to get another and bring it up to current specs, do
so...it MAY power everything...it may do it for a while...then it goes
Click to expand...
from strain and takes everything with it ...
 
w-tom raises excellent points. the bottom line is get a good quality PS.
I've done benching with crappy PS's vs.. good ones and have found systems
actually perform better with high quality PS's. Also, it's been argued that
a good PS will help a system last longer because the components are getting
good power regulation across all the rails (3v, 5v, 12v, etc.). I can't say
if that's so, but I can say that one should not cheap out on one's PS.

PC Power & Cooling make what most reviewers, including Maximum PC, consider
the best PS's on the market (for your needs, that'll run somewhere around
$60 - $90). They have an online utility for figuring out what wattage PS to
get. Look here:

http://www.pcpowercooling.com/products/power_supplies/selector/index.htm

You can look up the max power usage for each of your components and
determine what's required, but the above link makes a good general
recommendation. And if you get, say, a 300W PS, it will keep you up and
running for several upgrades, most probably.

jim
 
Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone thinks I can get away with using only a 200W
power supply with the following specs:

Biostar mainboard (integrated video and sound)
AMD Duron 1.3 Ghz CPU
512MB RAM
HDD1 4.3GB
HDD2 60GB (7200 RPM)
CD-RW
Floppy drive
6 USB ports

My gut feeling is that I should go at least 250W or maybe even 300W,
but I wanted your humble opinions.

TIA,

~Bill
Click to expand...

I'm running a Barton 2500+ @ 3200+ on a used 200W Emachine PS I got
for $10. 1HDD, no floppy, no CD. But YMMV.
 
Just wondering if anyone thinks I can get away with using only a 200W
power supply with the following specs:

Biostar mainboard (integrated video and sound)
AMD Duron 1.3 Ghz CPU
512MB RAM
HDD1 4.3GB
HDD2 60GB (7200 RPM)
CD-RW
Floppy drive
6 USB ports
Click to expand...

Some people have run even faster CPUs from just a 180W PSU, but it was
a PSU from a major brand computer, not junk like the 250W of mine that
would run my 1.3 GHz duron for only 30 seconds at a time (no drives,
only a slow video card). PC Power & Cooling used show this PSU at
their website as an example of how bad a PSU could be.

In real life it would be a lot safer to get a good 300W or larger PSU,
and www.pricewatch.com lists a couple of dealers who have 300W
Fortron/Sparkle/Powerman/Trend/Hi-Q/Aopen for under $30, like
www.directron.com and www.newegg.com, both great dealers.
 
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