Power Supply requirements vs. the environment

[YoCheeseHead]

Does a 400 W power supply use 400 W/hr no matter what the computer is doing? That is, if the drives are powered down and I am using wincooler, is a computer with a 400 W PS using as much electricity as a 4 x 100W lightbulbs left on? Will a 400 W power supply necessarily use more electricity than 300 W power supply if the computer is "idle?"

I am looking to get a PS but I want to balance necessity with environmental concerns & electricity costs.

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I don't know if this is the right forum for personal recommendations, but if it is, can you recommend a good wattage for me?

I have:

2x 7200 HD (maxtor 40 GB)
2x 5200 HD (maxtor 20 GB, WD 60 GB)
ATI AIW Radeon (DVI to flatpanel)
SB Live
Maxtor IDE controller
Modem, LAN, Firewire
DVD, CDRW

I plan to upgrade to:
Lian Li PC60 case with 2x fans
1000 Mhz PIII
Twin Turbo bay cooler

Right now I have a 300 W compusa PS but am worried that I will need more power when I upgrade.

Is the 450 W Enermax Whisper a good choice? Underpowered? Overkill?

I use wincooler, set the drives to sleep after 15 min inactivity, and turn off the monitor whenever I am not using the PC.

 

[jamarno]

The 400W rating is the maximum, and the supply will consume less if the equipment draws less. Generally, supplies consume about 30% more than the equipment does.

 

[dowxp]

you are fun. currently, i run an smp scsi system with 2 addtion ide hd's off my 300w

 

[YoCheeseHead]

I am fun???

 

[natto fire]

<< Is the 450 W Enermax Whisper a good choice? Underpowered? Overkill? >>



VERY, VERY, VERY good choice. I have one and I absolutely love the thing. As jamarno said the power supply isn't always using its rated power and having an efficient (i.e. quality) Power supply will help cut down on how much power the PS wastes as heat. My enermax is a very nice PS and it is quiet just like they say it is. The fan even has temperature control so you can save a little more power by the fan slowing down when you are not using your PC.

Anyways I highly reccomend that Power supply especailly for all of those drives you have. so then you have overhead, and it is always good to have overhead.