How do you choose the right power supply?

Answer 1

You have to consider the power rating of the motherboard, processor and add-on devices such as video and sound cards. The video and sound cards, for example, take some of the load off of the processor but they consume more power than your typical on-board audio and video chipsets. The best way to go is to at least match the power rating of the old power supply, but you can usually go higher without much added cost. It's best to go higher if the customer had added components or is considering upgrading his motherboard, processor, et cetera but keeping the same case and power supply. Too small a power supply will cause problems such as poor performance and overheating; you won't run into a problem with "too much power" available from the power supply because the computer will only draw what's needed from it.

Answer 2

Basically, you are looking at how many SUSTAINED watts your unit can handle. Most of the time, for marketing purposes, they rate these things by the MAX they can handle for a minute or so.

The amount of watts you will need varies greatly depending on your setup.

Gaming computers with modern hardware and an expensive video card will need a minimum of 500W (go with one rated at a MAX of ~600). More won't hurt if you want to be sure.

Also, be sure to verify what kind of power you will be needing inside your machine. Most importantly, verify the motherboard's main ATX power connection. Is it 20 or 24 pin? Does the supply you are looking at have the option to do either?

For the things on the inside...does your video card need auxiliary 75W power? How many hard drives need power? Do they need serial ATA power or the molex type? How many optical drives? Do they need serial ATA or molex?

Answer 3

in order to choose the correct power supply. You need to know how many watts your system needs and the type of form factor your motherboard is. You also need to know if you need auxiliary power, such as a 4 pin or 8 pin connector, since some power supplies do,not come with one or both of these connectors.

Answer 4

The power supply has sufficient wattage to support all components inside the computer.