Power supply for Athlon 64?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Hank Barta
  • Start date Start date
H

Hank Barta

I'm looking to upgrade a system by replacing most of the guts with
a system based on an AMD Athlon 64. What is the likelihood that a
PS for an Athlon 850 will work for a newer MoBo? Do the Athlon 64
MoBos have different power requirements and different connectors?

thanks,
hank
 
I'm looking to upgrade a system by replacing most of the guts with
a system based on an AMD Athlon 64. What is the likelihood that a
PS for an Athlon 850 will work for a newer MoBo? Do the Athlon 64
MoBos have different power requirements and different connectors?
Click to expand...

My Athlon 64 3200+ (2 GHz) system (HP a530n) came with an overrated 250w
power supply which worked fine until I tried to upgrade video from FX
5200XT (would not even POST with 256 MB FX 5700LE). I am currently
running Antec SmartPower 350 with 1g RAM and 128 MB GeForce 6800 video
(which uses 130 watts max at wall outlet). My MoBo has standard ATX
connector (I think just Dells are different).

Not sure how power consumption compares with Duron, but 64-bit chips do
use less voltage and run cooler (and faster) than similar Athlon XP.
 
I'm looking to upgrade a system by replacing most of the guts with
a system based on an AMD Athlon 64. What is the likelihood that a
PS for an Athlon 850 will work for a newer MoBo? Do the Athlon 64
MoBos have different power requirements and different connectors?
Click to expand...
The 400W that ran my Athlon XP system wouldn't keep my A64 system running
for more than a few seconds after boot, if it made it that far. No doubt
that 400W was highly overated, so I bought 3 cheap PSU's, 500W $12, 550W
$15, and 600W $24. Each of these worked fine.
 
I repair pc's and would never recommend or use a cheap PS, tooo many pop
their caps.
If your current PS is a good brand over 300w it will do, assuming it has a
new P4-12 volt 4 pin connector
"If you but cheap you but twice" so never purchased one of those cheap
supplies they advertise 500w 21$
They do not have same quality parts and regulators and some will blow caps
under load or cause BSofD.
If PS was a car would you buy a Yugo? claiming to go 120mph or a Cadilac
which of the two could run full throttle cost to cost at top speed without
blowing a rod.
If it sounds too good .
A fool and his money.
But cheap buy twice.
Get an Enermax / Antec or other national brand. Never buy anything with pro
in the name. Made up examples: Maxpro, PowPro, Prowatt, VoltPro. or any
grand title GoodPow , BestPow, so on
Most all crap parts use pro to fool people into thinking the are
professional quality when if fact it most often a sales tool for junk.
 
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Stings said:
Get an Enermax / Antec or other national brand. Never buy anything with pro
in the name. Made up examples: Maxpro, PowPro, Prowatt, VoltPro. or any
grand title GoodPow , BestPow, so on
Most all crap parts use pro to fool people into thinking the are
professional quality when if fact it most often a sales tool for junk.
Click to expand...

Outside of Enermax and Antec (which I'm scoping out now) which
ones would you recommend that are major brands? I'm putting together 2
Opteron boxes, and know I'll need to swap out power supplies (I just
did on one of them, tried the Opteron, and it wouldn't even post; that
PSU was 450W). You have a good list of them anywhere?

BL.
- --
Brad Littlejohn | Email: (e-mail address removed)
Unix Systems Administrator, | (e-mail address removed)
Web + NewsMaster, BOFH.. Smeghead! :) | http://www.sbcglobal.net/~tyketto
PGP: 1024D/E319F0BF 6980 AAD6 7329 E9E6 D569 F620 C819 199A E319 F0BF

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Stings said:
I repair pc's and would never recommend or use a cheap PS, tooo many pop
their caps.
Click to expand...
Watch out for flames! "Those fools that pay so much .." etc.!
BTW, I'm entranced by Coolmax Taurus models. Heard anything bad or good
about them? They're the ones with the one big fan -- even a 140mm fan!


--
Ed Light

Smiley :-/
MS Smiley :-\

Send spam to the FTC at
(e-mail address removed)
Thanks, robots.
 
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Stings said:
Sparkle, HEC, Fortron/Source, PC Power & Cooling, FPS, Delta are a couple
others
*Avoid L&C like aids.

Here are some reviews good and poor supplies and remember most reviewers
never open and check part quality.

http://www.amdboard.com/psu.html
Click to expand...

Perfect! Thanks!

BL.
- --
Brad Littlejohn | Email: (e-mail address removed)
Unix Systems Administrator, | (e-mail address removed)
Web + NewsMaster, BOFH.. Smeghead! :) | http://www.sbcglobal.net/~tyketto
PGP: 1024D/E319F0BF 6980 AAD6 7329 E9E6 D569 F620 C819 199A E319 F0BF

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Ed said:
Watch out for flames! "Those fools that pay so much .." etc.!
BTW, I'm entranced by Coolmax Taurus models. Heard anything bad or good
about them? They're the ones with the one big fan -- even a 140mm fan!
Click to expand...
Check out the Seasonics. They have active PFC, 80% efficiency and a
very quiet 120mm bottom mounted fan. I use the 300 watt model with my
AMD64 o/c to 2.4 GHZ. Its stable no problems. The system only draws
about 180 watts from the wall socket (using Kill-A-Watt Meter) at full
load. Here is a review:

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article166-page1.html
 
mikep said:
Check out the Seasonics.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I just looked at them on newegg, but they all only go up to 30A on
the 5v, and I'm running right on that. Some of the Coolmax big fan ones have
lots of amps.


--
Ed Light

Smiley :-/
MS Smiley :-\

Send spam to the FTC at
(e-mail address removed)
Thanks, robots.
 
| BTW, I'm entranced by Coolmax Taurus models. Heard anything bad or good
| about them? They're the ones with the one big fan -- even a 140mm fan!
|
|
I just got one last week, Fan is noisy when cold, not from air turbulence
but sounds like bearing noise, after a couple of minutes it runs quiet.
Voltages are stable under load. The variable speed is a nice feature, but it
runs quiet enough on high so I just leave it there.
 
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