Hi, I've got an expensive heavy duty 550W PSU inside my tower unit and am currently running the following with no problems: C: 20GB Maxtor (6L020J1) D: 40GB Western Digital (WD400JB-00ENA0) E: 20GB Western Digital (WB200EB-11BHF0) F: Sony DL DVD+/-RW (DW-D18A) G: LG CD-ROM (GCR-8521B) SoundBlaster Audigy Platinum 2 eX PNY Verto GeForce 128MB That's seven items. What I'd like to do is add another larger drive. Unfortunately finances are tight at the moment and I can get a cheap 120GB drive second-hand from a friend. I've already blown up two PSUs in the past which is why I'm being a little more cautious this time. Any help greatly appreciated.
run this program & add 30% to the total. http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/Power_Supply_Calculator.php?cmd=INTEL
"Your Recommended Minimum Power Supply is 341 Watts!!" Plus the 30% that makes it to be 443.3 watts which is 100W less than my current PSU. Many thanks for that link
Be sure to get a good name brand power supply. I always get Antecs and haven't had any trouble with them, running them in 3 computers here now and more in the past. I find the cheap power supplies that are bundled with cases are the ones that blow (literally and figuratively). Consider yourself lucky if they don't take out some motherboard components or ram chips when they go too. hehe, ddp, that's the same link I always give out when people ask about power requirements.
