Member Avatar for lorry_11

im about to invest in an amd fx 62 with 4 gigs of ram around 600 gigs of hard drive space a dvd burner and an nvidia geforce 7950 1 gig vid card only problem is i need a huge power supply and i have no clue how big or what kind of power supply to buy.
i would appreciate help on this issue

also im going to have a lot of fans and probably some lights in the case so that might factor in.

i would also prefer not to spend over a hundred dollars

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Member #107373

Dani AI

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For a system like described — AMD FX-62, 4GB RAM, ~600GB of drives, an optical burner, a 1GB GeForce 7950 and extra case fans/lights — the PSU decision is about more than a single wattage number. The critical things are sustained +12V capacity, the right connectors, and solid protections. Cheap units often inflate peak wattage but fail under sustained GPU/CPU load; that reliability risk is what and were warning about.

Quick, practical sizing steps you can follow:

  1. Make an itemized parts list and look up each component’s maximum power (CPU and GPU TDPs are the biggest draws).
  2. For parts powered from +12V (GPU, CPU via the EPS/ATX12V plug, drive motors, many fans/lighting) convert watts to amps with amps = watts / 12 and add them together.
  3. Choose a PSU whose combined +12V amperage rating exceeds that total by roughly 20–30% to allow for startup spikes, aging and (if you plan it) overclocking. Finally, confirm the PSU has the native PCI‑E and CPU power plugs your card and motherboard require.

Shopping checklist and cautions:

  • Prefer a reputable unit with an 80 PLUS efficiency rating, explicit protection circuitry (OVP/UVP/OCP/OPP/SCP), good electrolytic capacitors and a solid warranty.
  • Modular cables help airflow; check independent sustained-load reviews rather than marketing specs.
  • Avoid relying on permanent Molex→PCI-E adapters for high-power GPUs.

Tying this back to the thread: and are right to stress quality, and ’s calculator suggestion is useful as a sanity check. If budget is tight, meet the +12V amperage and connector needs first — a reliable PSU protects the rest of the build. After install, run a stress test and watch for reboots or voltage droop; those are the telltale signs of an undersized or failing supply.

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Member Avatar for jo2995

I really dont think that you can spend less than a hundred dollars on a power supply to supply that. And if your willing to spend so much on the computer parts, why dont you spend the same on the thing that powers them?

Member Avatar for goldeagle2005

I agree. Considering you're putting together such a beefy system, it'll be worth your while to invest in a high power and good quality PSU. Im not sure of a model, but PSUs from Antec are really good. I suggest you get a 550 Watt PSU at the very least for your system...

Member Avatar for philbobilbo

I have a 550W Coolmax in my system. Very happy with it. It runs quiet and fairly cool, plus has a manual switch on the back to control fan speed. It replaced the giant (and very hot) Antec I once had. I'd recommend Coolmax. Mine cost around $80, and they make even higher-end power supplies than that.

Member Avatar for Member #107373

Try this calculator:
http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculator.jsp

It lets you work out what supply you will need quite easily.

As for buying a PSU i would look to spend as much money as you can afford, building an amazing system only to have it get fried by a $40 PSU is an experience we can all live without! :rolleyes:

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