"Tomaz Cedilnik" <tcedilnik@ntlworld.no.spam.please.com> wrote in message
news:MlgDh.11059$fa.4855@newsfe1-win.ntli.net...
> I'm a bit confused. Looking on dabs.co.uk they cost anything between 15
> and 150 pounds (ok, the top end are those that output 700+, but even
> exactly 500 can cost anything between 20 and 110 pounds).
>
> Seems there is much more to a PSU that the wattage... What do I need to
> look for in a PSU so it will work with my machine? I've got an Athlon XP
> 2000+ (1.67 GHz).
>
> About wattage - it only draws as much power from mains as needed
> considering the components that have to be powered at that moment, doesn't
> it?
> How do I find out what wattage I need?
>
> Tom

There are various wattage calculators online. But any Athlon XP system
should be happy with less than 400W. In looking for a power supply, name
brand is most important, but also make sure it has the right connectors for
your mainboard. For example, an Athlon XP system probably has a 20-pin
power connector. SOME newer power supplies have a 24 pin power connector.
Most are "20 + 4" (modular connector, 4 pins slide off if not needed), so
those would work, regardless. Looking at dabs in particular, the only
decent brands they carry are tagan and enermax. I'd recommend tagan, and
something around ~400W. -Dave

BTW, be careful using the wattage calculators. They are good at adding up
watts your system will probably use. But your power supply should only be
outputing a percentage of maximum rated wattage at any given moment.
Example: online calculator says your system uses 150W. That does NOT mean
you buy a 150W power supply. Not only would your system run unstable, but
the power supply would fail quickly, as it is running near maximum output,
constantly. More realistic would be a 450W supply, so that the system will
draw a maximum of about 33% of what the power supply can handle. But I've
had systems much more powerful than yours running off 380W! Name brand
helps. Many no-name 600W power supplies wouldn't perform as well as a good
380W supply.