Can my power supply be to powerful?

The_Bill88

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I'm looking now into a new power supply, i haven't chosen the other components yet, all i know is that i'm going with some sort of ATX motherboard.
My question is, would i be safe with buying a power supply that exceeds my requirements in power for my components, or can too much power damage my computer in any way?
 

No, you can not damage your system by having a powerful PSU and a small load.
The PSU will still output the same 12v, 5v or 3.3v regardless of the load (up to the maximum it can handle).
Having a higher wattage PSU means only that it can output higher amperage at these given voltage values (Watts = Volts x Amps).
The more amps it is capable of outputting, the more hardware it is capable of running.
 

BurningIce

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A powerful power supply can't damage your computer in any way, your safe :) A too small power supply can however burn out things like your CPU and graphics card so its better to play it safe with a large as possible power supply.

Most people estimate their load and then buy a power supply according to their load
 

banthracis

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A unnecessarily big PSU won't dmg your components, but it's a waste of money both in purchasing and in efficiency.

Any PSU is most efficient from ~40%-60% LOAD. You want a PSU that will handle your systems normal use power in that range.
 

The_Bill88

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ok so i tried this link, its very cool for what it does, but i don't know all that info to put into it. I have a 420w power supply would that be ok do u think?
 

masterjaw

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^ It would depend on the quality of that 420w PSU of yours. Most PSUs out there are overrated and cannot deliver clean and enough power. That's why it is always recommended to buy PSUs from the following

Corsair, PCP&C, Seasonic, OCZ or Antec PSU

That's why I told you to gather the parts for your build first. Then insert the details there to see how much power would you need.
 

It really depends on which 420w PSU you have and what system you end up running.
If you could post a rough estimate of what your new system will look like along with the brand and +12v amperage of your current PSU we could give you a yes/no estimate.
 

awZomePIG

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- how about a silverpower psu? Ive read so far its good quality, any other opinions?