How to choose a PSU?

[gingermark]

Hi,

I've trawled the net and can't find a suitable guide. I was hoping maybe some of you kind people could give me some pointers.

I need to purchase a power supply for a computer I'm putting together, but don't know much about this sort of thing, and kinda get the feeling it's pretty important.

I've chosen everything so far off eBuyer.com, so it seems to make sense to get the PSU there too in order to save postage costs, unless there is a good reason not to.

I need to power: an AMD Athlon 64 3200+ processor, an ASROCK 939NF4G-SATA2 motherboard, one SATA HD and 2 IDE HDs, 2 Optical drives and one floppy drive. I'd also like to be able to power extra SATA drives that I may add in the future.

eBuyer themselves offer a 500W ATX PSU at £12 - with about 6 pages of very positive customer reviews. Still, I know you probably get what you pay for most of the time, but hopefully I won't have to fork out more than £40.

Any advice on how to establish my requirements or recommendations really would be appreciated.

Thanks for reading,
gingermark.

[Derek Djons]

Sorry I can't post much more info about your request (I was just heading to bed :)) but it's always a plus to choose from well known brands such as:

1. Enermax
2. Zalman
3. AOpen
4. Asus

These brands have good quality PSU's on which you can really rely. Often they also have enough extra connectors.

[rfruth]

Your right the power supply is important, the better ones have better cooling are quieter etc, this one at ebuyer (450 watt) looks pretty good.
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=184346
Tom's has a good review, check it out ! http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/07/11/stress_test/

[WildTangent]

I can vouch for Enermax and Antec power supplies personally, Ive used both, and they're both excellent brands. There are a few other brands I've heard good things about, but I cannot remember all of them, and I haven't tried them myself. Enermax are usually cheaper than Antec by the way. For your system, you could do well with a 400W PSU, that way you have plenty of power for upgrades.

-Wild

[gingermark]

Your right the power supply is important, the better ones have better cooling are quieter etc, this one at ebuyer (450 watt) looks pretty good.
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=184346
It appears this link doesn't work for the UK site - what PSU was it?

[rfruth]

The link works for me (even after deleting ebuyer cookies) (in US dollars/measurements though) here is a 550 watt PS in UK measurements http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?rb=15918339138&action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=102993

[Virogenesis]

Have a look @ Chosing a power supply (http://www.firingsquad.com/guides/power_supply/)

I have a Hiper Type-R (http://www.hipergroup.com/English/products/hpu-4b580.html) and its a fantasic power supply has enough power to last you for some time.
Its great no more messy case looks ace and is extremely quiet nor does it got too hot it offers more features for than most pricey power supplys.
I'd suggest one of these to anyone living in the uk no doubt about it.
Shop around pick a decent one I won't buy any old one these days after experiencing a psu of melting itself to my mobo.

[o_fortuna]

The easiest way is to get a case with a PSU already inside. I got a Sonata II, which has a 450W PSU, and it's very quiet. Also, you won't need a huge amount of power. From what I saw, at most you'll need a 400W PSU, although overkill doesn't hurt.

[ekarni]

Don't skimp on the watts! I started out with the 350W Antec PSU that came with my case, and my system wouldn't even boot. (system=AMD64 3000, 1 IDE HDD, 1 DVD-ROM, Floppy drive, video card, cheapo sound card) Bought a 430W Enermax and everything's great now.

The only good rule of thumb I came across is that PSU quality is roughly proportional to weight, so if the one you're eyeballing is light, it might be worth thinking twice.

The only advantage to buying locally is that PSU's can be heavy (2-3 kg), so it's a trade against shipping costs saved vs. your time and mileage.

[poofyhairguy]

Buy more WATTS than you need. You need 400? Get 500.