reusing a power supply for new build

[Isaiah Banker Reynolds]

i have a delta 350 watt power supply that im using in my current build and i was wondering if i should switch it out for another one or just use the same im switching from a core 2 quad to and amd fx so saving 30 watts of power

 

[nikoli707]

if your not using a graphics card you should be fine. how old is the power supply and roughly how much work has it put in? on all day 24/7/365 for 7 years? on twice a week for 2 hours at a time over 7 years? othewrise.....

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $29.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-02 23:35 EST-0500

 

[digitaldoc]

Unless it is very high end, it generally is not worth it to reuse an older power supply. You are moving up from a Core2Quad chip, which implies that this PSU is at least a few years old.

Power supply issues down the road can be elusive and difficult to diagnose, and with new decent ones at affordable prices, I would just get a new one for a new build.

 

[hybird9012]

i have a delta 350 watt power supply that im using in my current build and i was wondering if i should switch it out for another one or just use the same im switching from a core 2 quad to and amd fx so saving 30 watts of power

You can but you want to make sure that if you upgrade other parts, i.e. video card, that it falls under the recommended requirements. For systems today I wouldn't recommend anything under 500W (quality one) unless you don't do gaming or video editing.

Also, since you are getting a new processor, this equally means that you are getting new motherboard along with your CPU (and possibly memory). Like others above, you may want to really consider and invest in a good power supply. PSU's are probably the most important part of your system and reusing older ones can cause issues that you may not have the knowledge or ability to figure out - BSOD's, system restarts, etc... You can also get power shorts, burns or under/over voltages which will ruin your new hardware.

Just something to consider

 

[Isaiah Banker Reynolds]

if your not using a graphics card you should be fine. how old is the power supply and roughly how much work has it put in? on all day 24/7/365 for 7 years? on twice a week for 2 hours at a time over 7 years? othewrise.....

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $29.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-02 23:35 EST-0500

well im only using a 750 ti sc the one thats does even need a power supply cable and draws 60 watts

 

[Isaiah Banker Reynolds]

Unless it is very high end, it generally is not worth it to reuse an older power supply. You are moving up from a Core2Quad chip, which implies that this PSU is at least a few years old.

Power supply issues down the road can be elusive and difficult to diagnose, and with new decent ones at affordable prices, I would just get a new one for a new build.

well im only using a 750 ti sc the one thats does even need a power supply cable and draws 60 watts

 

[Isaiah Banker Reynolds]

i have a delta 350 watt power supply that im using in my current build and i was wondering if i should switch it out for another one or just use the same im switching from a core 2 quad to and amd fx so saving 30 watts of power

You can but you want to make sure that if you upgrade other parts, i.e. video card, that it falls under the recommended requirements. For systems today I wouldn't recommend anything under 500W (quality one) unless you don't do gaming or video editing.

Also, since you are getting a new processor, this equally means that you are getting new motherboard along with your CPU (and possibly memory). Like others above, you may want to really consider and invest in a good power supply. PSU's are probably the most important part of your system and reusing older ones can cause issues that you may not have the knowledge or ability to figure out - BSOD's, system restarts, etc... You can also get power shorts, burns or under/over voltages which will ruin your new hardware.

Just something to consider

well im only using a 750 ti sc the one thats does even need a power supply cable and draws 60 watts

 

[digitaldoc]

Never cut the power close, and always have plenty of extra available from the PSU to avoid issues.

 

[hybird9012]

Unless it is very high end, it generally is not worth it to reuse an older power supply. You are moving up from a Core2Quad chip, which implies that this PSU is at least a few years old.

Power supply issues down the road can be elusive and difficult to diagnose, and with new decent ones at affordable prices, I would just get a new one for a new build.

well im only using a 750 ti sc the one thats does even need a power supply cable and draws 60 watts

True, but your 750Ti will consume more watts than 60W if you push it in games (closer to 70-80w max), let alone the power consumption on the FX's are huge while running off of a 32nm process and older technology than what is currently available. If you are building a new system it is more of a safety and reliability issue. You don't want to put an old battery in a new car Like what digitaldoc said, if you are cutting it close to the limit, the potential to encounter issues are even greater. Why risk it?

 

[Isaiah Banker Reynolds]

Unless it is very high end, it generally is not worth it to reuse an older power supply. You are moving up from a Core2Quad chip, which implies that this PSU is at least a few years old.

Power supply issues down the road can be elusive and difficult to diagnose, and with new decent ones at affordable prices, I would just get a new one for a new build.

well im only using a 750 ti sc the one thats does even need a power supply cable and draws 60 watts

True, but your 750Ti will consume more watts than 60W if you push it in games (closer to 70-80w max), let alone the power consumption on the FX's are huge while running off of a 32nm process and older technology than what is currently available. If you are building a new system it is more of a safety and reliability issue. You don't want to put an old battery in a new car Like what digitaldoc said, if you are cutting it close to the limit, the potential to encounter issues are even greater. Why risk it?

not pushing the card at all just running games at 720p 30-60 fps.. nothing untrla medium is good for me.. and i already have all the components coming tomorrow with no other money left to spend so just going to resuse the supply for now until i upgrade the graphics card

 

[Isaiah Banker Reynolds]

Never cut the power close, and always have plenty of extra available from the PSU to avoid issues.

not pushing the card at all just running games at 720p 30-60 fps.. nothing untrla medium is good for me.. and i already have all the components coming tomorrow with no other money left to spend so just going to resuse the supply for now until i upgrade the graphics card

 

[hybird9012]

Sounds like good planning Next time you build a computer make sure you budget for a good PSU. The irony of this will be when you assemble your system and you have a surge through your system which in turn fries your new motherboard. Now you need a new motherboard AND power supply. I was being a little facetious but when you ask us whether or not to recycle your PSU and all of us are telling you NO, then why did you even bother to ask?

I'm sure you'll be fine but really consider getting a new one next time you upgrade components - especially since you have a very old one to begin with