Sam
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Registered: 24th Dec 99
Location: West Midlands
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Does anyone know of a website where I could input some information about a PC spec and it tells me what size PSU I would need? I saw one ages ago but I can't remember the URL! 
Thanks.
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John
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Registered: 30th Jun 03
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Add up the requirements of all the components, otherwise it's a guess and you might as well just pick a 500w one that will cover 99% of systems.
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Sam
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Registered: 24th Dec 99
Location: West Midlands
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Well I guestimated something like a 700w or 800w PSU as it's going to be a gaming PC and will have one (possibly two) graphics cards in there amongst other things.
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John
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Registered: 30th Jun 03
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Go for 900w or a kilowatt then, graphics cards will push it right up.
Get figure for them, motherboard and processor, add an extra bit on for drives and other bits, then a PSU is about 80-90% efficient so add that on.
The PSU will be most efficient at 70+ percent load so will just waste energy if it's massively over spec.
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andy_mk3
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Registered: 18th Dec 11
Location: Peterborough
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What are the specs?
Whatever you get, make sure it's a decent one! A £25 750w power supply is not what you want. Corsair/Seasonic make some of the best PSU's 
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John
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Registered: 30th Jun 03
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Although I also agree with buying the best you can get, in practice I don't actually see cheap ones failing more often that expensive ones.
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Sam
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Registered: 24th Dec 99
Location: West Midlands
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Yeah I normally use Corsair PSUs in any systems I build as they seem to be quite reliable and are 80 plus certified.
I can't really decide on the spec yet and to be honest haven't really thought about it properly as I've been busy with work lately, but I was thinking of something along the lines of a minimum spec as follows:
Socket 1155 board with SATA III
Intel Core i-something CPU (haven't decided which yet)
16GB RAM (I also want to use VMs hence the high RAM)
128GB or 256GB SSD for OS and apps
2x my old 250GB SATA HDDs for data
1 or 2 graphics cards (need to spend some time looking into what's recommended)
DVD-RW drive
Windows 7
etc. etc.
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John
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Registered: 30th Jun 03
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Is it 2 graphics cards for gaming or for extra monitors?
Normal ones more monitors won't be as power hungry.
Have you seen what's available on dell outlet/ebay regarding a pre built one with warranty?
If I ever buy another desktop I'm not sure I'll bother building.
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Sam
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Registered: 24th Dec 99
Location: West Midlands
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Just for gaming really.
Ironically John I've stripped out an old Dell Dimension case which I'm going to modify slightly and use to house all this kit 
I know I could go down the pre built route and save some cash but I find it more fun building something myself from scratch.
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Neil
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Registered: 2nd Nov 03
Location: Newcastle Drives: E46 MSport Coupe
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https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=pc+power+calculator
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Sam
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Registered: 24th Dec 99
Location: West Midlands
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iFail at Google searching
First result was the site I looked at ages ago, cheers Neil 
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Sam
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Registered: 24th Dec 99
Location: West Midlands
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The eXtreme Power Supply Calculator website said I should go for a 550w PSU based on my rough spec a few posts back...
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andy_mk3
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Registered: 18th Dec 11
Location: Peterborough
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quote:
Originally posted by John
Although I also agree with buying the best you can get, in practice I don't actually see cheap ones failing more often that expensive ones.
It's not about them failing, it's more down to the fact that a decent one will run cooler, quieter and be a lot more efficient. Also the power output will be more stable, voltages within tighter regulations and there will also be less ripple.
All the above can make a big difference on a high end PC, especially with overclocking.
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John
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Registered: 30th Jun 03
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I've read about all that, but in my days of overclocking (admittedly years ago now) I didn't see any of the downfalls in practice.
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andy_mk3
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Registered: 18th Dec 11
Location: Peterborough
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Each to their own really, a cheap PSU may not do any harm at all, but I'd rather not risk £100's worth of hardware on a £25 PSU
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