On Thu, 22 Feb 2007 12:51:56 GMT, Tomaz Cedilnik
<tcedilnik@ntlworld.no.spam.please.com> wrote:

>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

List all major parts in your system, including motherboard
make, model, and hopefully a link to the product page or at
least a (link to a) larger picture of it (need not be a
picture you took, only of same thing).

With this we can approximate a ballpark figure with at least
some margin. From the age of your CPU there were many
motherboards still using 5V power for CPU subcircuit so it
could make a significant difference what motherboard you
have, towards which PSU spec is the most cost effective,
then from there further narrowing down potential candidates.
Then there is the issue of whether there is any chance you
might want to reuse the PSU on your next system rebuild, if
that is the case then you may need a fairly high wattage
"IF" it currently uses 5V rail for CPU subcircuit, as it
would later need 12V rail for that, so a fairly high(er)
total wattage unit would be necessary to cover both
scenarios.

Avoid the lowest cost PSUs which tend to be quite overrated,
generally most people can use a median priced unit unless
their system was particularly well endowed, but some
prettied-up generics also sell for more than they're worth,
name brands can help but first you'll need to consider the
specific parts in the system.