Enough PSU power?

[paddys09]

Hello,

Just uprgraded my pc a little bit, Don't have too much knowledge on the subject, but basically used
biostar A880G+ motherboard
phenom x4 955 deneb
2gb ddr3 sd with another 4gb on the way.
radeon hd 4550 graphics
1 sata 7200pm hard drive
1 ide dvd rw

I did these upgrades so I could do some video editing. Used my old case which is a slimeline and has a 300w psu. Question is the psu going to be enough? Checked a few of the psu test sites and they varied from 277w to 308w.
Going to upgrade anyway but am I ok in the mean time,

thanks

 

[008Rohit]

What brand is that PSU?

 

[paddys09]

Probably crap I assume it came with the case says EVO LABs 300U

 

[spp85]

Seems to be okay. Since you are using a graphics card without the need of a PCI-E Power connector you are okay.

 

[monkeysweat]

you should be OK, the CPU is ~ 125 watts, and the most a PCIe slot can provide is ~75 watts,, still leaving you with at least 70 watts for the MB, HDD, & DVD drives,,, and they should only average at most 10 watts each and that's with everything at full tilt (which doesnt typically happen)

Most slimline cases will have similar specs to what you have (except for the CPU) but you should still be good as long as you never try to upgrade to a video card that will require an additional plug.

 

[paddys09]

Cool, Yea graphics were not really an issue for me, its more of a multimedia pc, sits under my tv. Seems to be running stable but im sure thats not always the case. Any other comments are appreciated.... also anyone recommend a good psu upgrade?

 

[monkeysweat]

not many options to upgrade PSU on a slimline case,, stick with what is working for you now and just look if it seems to not be working for you,, you most likely won't find any that will supply much more power

 

[paddys09]

Thanks for all replies, big relief! Yea tried searching for a 400w didnt have much luck, the cpu was abit overkill for my uses but was on offer not much more than the x2 or x3s. probably not great in a slimline case but temps seem unusually good 36-44c. Jumped up to 51c at nearly full load for 45 min but not bad for stock cooler in cramped conditions, bit noisy though.

Anyways thanks again. Much appreciated =)

 

[monkeysweat]

try a scythe low profile cooler, may not help much with case temps, but for a HTPC, will definitely help on the noise factor,, factory coolers can sometimes be cheesy and/or loud.

 

[008Rohit]

That wouldn't work, dear. It can probably deliver upto 200-250W in reality.

Antec Earthwatts 380
Corsair CX430

 

[monkeysweat]

^^^ paddy doesn't have room for a regular PSU,, it's a slimline case,, which needs a slim PSU - options are limited...

I can almost guarantee if paddy put a Kill-a-watt meter on the plug, the entire system is probably not pulling in much more than 180 watts at full bore.

 

[paddys09]

Thanks for the comments guys, like the look of the scythe cooler. It shall be orderd next pay check. A friend had one of the kill a watt meters, borrowed it off him. Builds up to 160w on start up, then will idle around 80-100. Performed a few stress tests, the most wattage I could get out of it was 181w. So cheers monkeysweat hit the nail on the head! Thanks for the concern though 008Rohit better to be skeptical sometimes. The PSU is a year old so Im sure it has suffered some degradation but im pretty happy with the power consumption and would say its fairly safe, so at least this posts here incase anyone was thinking of doing similar upgrades to a slimeline case.