Will my current PSU be enough?

Brexy

Reputable
May 3, 2016
17
0
4,510
I have a 400W PSU with the following specs:
+5V 14A
-5V 0.5A
+12V 5A
-12V 0.5A
+3.3V 10A
+5VSB 2A

Currently it's powering a PC with a Core 2 Duo E8400 and a GT 730 2GB GDDR5.
So I was wondering would I be able to upgrade to a Core 2 Quad Q6600 (and maybe eventually a GT 1030) without changing the supply unit?
 
Solution
Your proposed upgrades will take very little power.
But, that psu is abysmal and very old.
They were used when 5v was more important than the current 12v capability.
the psu can be no good and should be replaced.

A cheap PSU will be made of substandard components. It will not have safety and overload protections.
If it fails under load, it can destroy anything it is connected to.
It will deliver advertised power only at room temperatures, not at higher temperatures found when installed in a case.
The wattage will be delivered on the 3 and 5v rails, not on the 12v rails where modern parts
like the CPU and Graphics cards need it. What power is delivered may fluctuate and cause instability
issues that are hard to diagnose.
The fan...
Your proposed upgrades will take very little power.
But, that psu is abysmal and very old.
They were used when 5v was more important than the current 12v capability.
the psu can be no good and should be replaced.

A cheap PSU will be made of substandard components. It will not have safety and overload protections.
If it fails under load, it can destroy anything it is connected to.
It will deliver advertised power only at room temperatures, not at higher temperatures found when installed in a case.
The wattage will be delivered on the 3 and 5v rails, not on the 12v rails where modern parts
like the CPU and Graphics cards need it. What power is delivered may fluctuate and cause instability
issues that are hard to diagnose.
The fan will need to spin up higher to cool it, making it noisy.
A cheap PSU can become very expensive if it fails and damages your other parts.

Do not use one.
 
Solution