Member Avatar for tje210

i'm looking for a small form factor PSU that will still give me ~500W. I have a computer installed in a medium-large guitar amp, and it's not very deep. i don't have much in there, just the motherboard mounted to the front surface. i hook an optical drive up only when i need it... so other than the PSU, the HDD is the only thing in the amp. i'm just looking for the smallest thing possible, and exploring some alternatives. a normal ATX PSU is just slightly too big to fit in the top comparment (behind where the volume controls and microphone/guitar input/outputs would be). i'm thinking about stripping down an ATX PSU and making/acquiring a custom case for it so it'll fit, but that creates other issues (like choosing fans to use, and will it fry me someday?) that i wouldn't have to deal with if i just bought something.

  • 3 Contributors
  • 3 Replies
  • 189 Views
  • 2 Weeks Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by caperjack

Dani AI

Generated

Quick practical follow-up to and to the points raised by and .

A true, compact 500W drop-in is uncommon; small form factors that fit shallow cavities usually trade wattage for size. Practical routes that avoid pulling apart an ATX supply are: use a high-quality SFX or SFX-L unit if it will physically fit (SFX-L buys a bit more cooling headroom), move the full-size ATX supply out of the amp and run short, well-secured cables into the chassis, or use a DC-input solution (a small DC-DC board such as the Pico-style approach paired with an external high-current brick) so the heavy, hot mains conversion lives outside the amp. Before chasing 500W, add up or measure your actual peak draw — HDD spin-up and any discrete graphics are the main spikes — you may find a far smaller unit will do.

Checklist before buying or modifying anything:

  • Measure the available depth/clearance and note where ventilation and cable exits must be.
  • Confirm required connectors (24-pin, CPU 4/8-pin, SATA) or plan a DC-DC board that provides them.
  • Look at continuous 12V capacity and peak capability (spin-up and transient loads); allow headroom.
  • Prefer modular cabling for tight spaces and choose a unit with quiet cooling (larger, slower fans run quieter).
  • Plan cable routing so no fan or mains wiring sits next to audio signal paths.

Safety and audio notes: do not gut an ATX supply unless you are fluent with mains safety, earthing and double insulation — it voids certifications and is a real shock/fire risk. Inside a guitar amp you also need to watch for switching noise and ground loops: keep the PSU away from preamp circuitry, use shielded audio cables, isolate mounts to reduce vibration, and keep ventilation clear so both the amp and computer can shed heat. If a compact 500W solution still looks impractical, the simplest reliable fix is to house the PSU externally and run only low-voltage DC or signal into the amp.

Recommended Answers

All 3 Replies

Member Avatar for caperjack

i know it been 10 days ,but will post anyway ,its not likely you will find a sff cpu that has 500W, maybe a micro psu ,or flex sff psu ,they go to about 270w .

Edited by caperjack because: n/a
Member Avatar for computersx

Do you have another solution for "sff cpu that has 500W"? I can't use this.

Member Avatar for caperjack

I can't use this.

cant use what ?

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.