which 400w power supply?

[j511180]

Looking for a 400w power supply to replace a failed unit in an old s754 system. It's for my sister's pc. She want's a new pc, and I've almost convinced her to build her own, so hopefully it would be able to power a low/mid-range AMD X4 rig with (at most) a GTS 450 (or ATI equivalent).

Anyway, I assume one of these would work? Any compelling reason to get one over the other? They're all more or less the same price

Antec NEO ECO 400w
Antec Earthwatts 380
Silverstone Strider 400w ST40F-ES

 

[VirtualLarry]

All of those are decent lower-end solutions, although I don't know if the EarthWatts 380 would be strong enough for a 450 if you overclock it heavily.
I'd probably pick the Neo Eco myself.

Edit: Scratch that, I'd probably go for a decent 500W PSU myself.

 

[Blain]

The GTS 450s that I've seen call for a minimum of 400W.
You should give your system a little buffer by going with a good quality 500-620W model.
The Antec 380W doesn't have the minimum 22A 12v rating.

Why should your sister build her own PC vs buying a Dell?

 

[j511180]

Hmm, looks like I misread the power requirements of the gts450. My fault, although she could probably get away with a lesser card, I'll step it up to 500-550w.

She doesn't want a Dell. She was considering a custom pc by a local shop anyway, so I suggested she just build her own. I'm confident she could do it. She replaced the original failed psu (Fortron) herself...with a Dynex (worked for a few days) And she likes her case (old Wavemaster) and wants to use it.

 

[VirtualLarry]

If she replaced a failed PSU with a Dynex, I question whether she is qualified to pick out parts for a new build. Better get some help on these forums, or hire a professional.

 

[Zap]

The GTS 450s that I've seen call for a minimum of 400W.
...
The Antec 380W doesn't have the minimum 22A 12v rating.

The graphics card manufacturers always overestimate because they know all about the shoddy PSUs out there.

The EA380 should have just under 30A combined. The original had 27A, don't know what the EA380D or the Green version has off hand. It should be sufficient for a GTS 450. The graphics card is incapable of drawing more than 12.5A (75W through PCIe slot, 75W through solo PCIe 6-pin plug).

 

[theAnimal]

The Antec 380W doesn't have the minimum 22A 12v rating.

The recommendation is for the total 12V amps, not just a single rail.

The EA380 should have just under 30A combined. The original had 27A, don't know what the EA380D or the Green version has off hand.

The EA380D Green has 28A.