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SilentBobFlag for Hong Kong

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Power supply problems?

My PC has the following in it:
    Athalon 2400+, over-clocked to a 2600+
    Asus A7N8X-E DELUXE
    1 gig ram
    radeon 9500 pro
    60 gig 7200 rpm HD
    CD Reader/Writer
    DVD reader

Anyway, it occasionally crashes (bout 5% - 10% of the time), expecially when it is starting up, and I'm thinking it is because I don't have enough power.  This has been happening since I got my DVD reader.  My current supply is 250 W.  How much power would my system need?

Also, I'm putting together a PC for my sister, and if I get a new supply, I might be able to use my old one in her PC.  Would a celeron 2400 with embedded sound and graphics run ok with a 250 W supply?  The PC would also have a CD reader, a writer and a network card in it.

Thanks.
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forgot: You can try it in your sisters system, but you will probably want to get something bigger later. Heavy bootup loads will wear out a PSU that has just enough juice.
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Thanks for the advice guys.  I guess a new psu is on the cards now.
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buckeyes33

I will recommend an Enermax.  They are one of the best on the market.
An Enermax is a lot more expensive than just a generic power supply.  Is it worth the cost?  What (of consequence) makes it better?
>>Is it worth the cost?
You better believe it.  It is my belief, and I think coral will go with me on this, the most important part of a computer is the power supply.  And yes I did say the power supply.  A solid power supply will mean the difference between your system being stable and it not.  

With you overclocking you are stressing your CPU to the limit.  Because of this it can not take voltage fluctuations or the CPU will lock up, freeze, overheat, crash, fry, etc.   With a generic power supply you can get a wide range of fluctuations.  Where as a quality power supply will give you very reliable voltage out put.  So if you are to go with a generic power supply, you may be back on here in a couple of months because your computer is not working.

You may think you will be ok with a generic, because your old one was.  Well, it was probably made a lot better then any of the generic power supplies being made today.  Unfortuantly that is the case.  Computer products in general are not as robust as they used to be.  


I recommed an Enermax power supply because they are very good quality.  They have a high out put rating on their 12v rail, 26 amps on 350 watt model, 32 amps on 450 watt model.  You will not even get close to those ratings on a generic.  Their new models have two 12 volt rails.   I have 4 HD, 2 CD-Roms and I am overclocking and I see a fluctuation of less then 1% on my 12 V rail.
>>>Is it worth the cost?<<<   agree.  Spending a little more on a GOOD PSU, can save you lots of time, money, and headaches, down the road, if you need a rock solid system. If you are just messing around and want a chance to fix problems, anything will do. I know.   : )
Thank you much.    : )