Re: [gentoo-user] Re: [OT] Homebuilt Mobo bundles

[Volker Armin Hemmann]

On Freitag 06 November 2009, Harry Putnam wrote:
> walt <w41ter@×××××.com> writes:
> > One caution there -- newer computer hardware demands a great deal of
> > power, and older power supplies may not be up to the task. Don't try
> > to squeak by with a wimpy power supply.
> >
> >> I thought maybe a mobo bundle would be a good starting place...
> >
> > I've been building my own for years. and the choice of motherboard
> > has always been easy:  I buy the mobo and CPU on sale that day at
> > Fry's ;o)  (Do you know Fry's?)  But I buy the best RAM available
> > because it's worth the few extra bucks.
>
> Volker Armin Hemmann <volkerarmin@××××××××××.com> writes:
>
> [...]
>
> > that bundle looks ok, but you will need a new psu.
> > And with ok I mean the hardware, not the price.
>
> I kind of overpowered the original setup back when I bought it,
> somewhere like 200[12].  It's an antec 430 w.  But that is probably
> wimpy by now.  Back then it was well above the standard stuff, which
> were more like 230 w.
>

430W should be ok, The problem is that they are the wrong 430W. Back then most 
load was on 3.3V and 5V. Today PSUs have several 12V 'lines' just because the 
load on 12V is so huge. Also I am not sure that your old PSU has all the 
connectors needed (24 pin ATX, 4/8pin P8). 

So, while the output will be enough (I have a 955, 8gb ram, a 3870, several 
harddisks and a 450W PSU. Some time ago I measured loads with 4gb and a X2 
6000 which has the same TDP. Max load was ~300W - and I had to do stupid stuff 
to reach that. Max load compiling/gaming was around 200W), it is not the kind 
the system needs. No mobo today cares about 30A on 5V. But they want as many 
Ampere on 12V as possible.

So, you should think about a nice, non-cheap 450-500W psu.