psu question

[nick111]

How wasteful is having too big of a power supply? I will not be overclocking and will only be using one passive video card. Will a bigger power supply consume more electricity or only draw what the system requires? I have an Antec NeoHe 500watt, Antec earthwatts 500watt, Antec NeoHe430, Antec earthwatts 430watt, Antec earthwatts 380watt. Which one would you choose?

 

[delluser1]

A bigger psu will draw no more power than is required to power your machine. What comes into play is the efficiency of the unit, by staying at around a 50% load you get the most efficiency out of a psu, lowering your electric bill over time.
All of the unit's you mentioned are high efficiency, but without posting your specs, it's hard to say which would be best for your configuration.

 

[rgeist554]

A bigger psu will draw no more power than is required to power your machine. What comes into play is the efficiency of the unit, by staying at around a 50% load you get the most efficiency out of a psu, lowering your electric bill over time.
All of the unit's you mentioned are high efficiency, but without posting your specs, it's hard to say which would be best for your configuration.

I'm going to agree with this. A larger PSU isn't bad, but going way over your needs (like 1000W for a system that needs only 380W) is a waste of money. A good number to shoot for a pc with modern mid-range parts is 500-550W (with correct amps, of course)... that gives you more than enough power for all your devices and leaves you some room for expansion.

 

[aevm]

I would choose the Antec Earthwatts 500. It's guaranteed at least 80% high efficiency at any load.
The NeoHE 500 would be my second choice (between 76% and 82% efficiency depending on load). It's very close anyway, either would be fine. The other PSus you listed are also good quality but less power means less room to add disks or more powerful CPU/GPU so I'd avoid them.