The amount of power one requires for a PC has always been a source of great debate amongst PC enthusiasts.  On hardware oriented message boards, the regulars will often argue that one should never skimp on the power supply unit (or PSU) when buying or building a new system.  These "hardware gurus" will contend that it's absolutely critical to have a quality power supply that can appropriately feed todays most power-hungry CPU's, graphics cards, and other key components.  This same group will warn that reduced performance, malfunction or even hardware failure may result in an inadequately powered system, effectively selling folks on the virtue of buying the "biggest PSU you can afford."

While this line of thinking serves well as a general blueprint, there are at least a couple of scenarios that are outside of its bounds.  First, it's undeniable that an extremely large majority of consumer-class PCs are purchased from major system vendors.  With the exception of specific "power user" and "gamer" product lines, most off-the-shelf computers from Dell, HP, and Gateway contain power supplies that are designed to support the components that originally came with the PC, some minor hardware upgrades, and not much else.  For example, one may be able to add more memory or a sound card to the PC without much concern for potential power issues.  However, adding a high-end graphics card will often prove too taxing on the systems relatively limited power supply.  At this point, the user is left with the option of replacing the PSU to gain increased power.  Hopefully, the system does not require a custom (and thus, expensive) PSU upgrade directly from the system vendor.  Even if a stock PSU can be used, replacing the power supply is certainly not a novice task and can have even the most hardened PC builder scratching his head in regards to cable placement and organization.

Another scenario that PC buyers and builders can find themselves in is unknowingly underestimating the lifetime power needs for their systems.  Over the previous couple of years, nVidia and AMD have been making great strides towards increasing power efficiencies in their respective lines of video cards.  On a power/performance ratio, newer cards like the GeForce 8/9 and Radeon x3000 series have been much lighter on power requirements compared to previous offerings.  This has lulled many owners into a false sense of security regarding the necessity of high wattage, high amperage power supplies for their systems.  After taking a look at the spec sheet of nVidia's new GX series cards though, one will immediately see that power efficiency is being forsaken in favor of performance this time around.  With the flagship GTX280 requiring a system containing a 550W PSU with a minimum of 40amps on the +12v rail(s) plus both a 6-pin and 8-pin PCI-e power connector, even those who somewhat planned ahead may find themselves strolling down the PSU upgrade path.  In addition, predicting power requirements for systems that run multiple video cards (such as those supporting SLI or CrossFire) can also be a challenge based on similar factors.

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•   |Administrator |2008-06-17 05:58:37 Quebus - Power to price ratio?
  Very interesting product/article. In terms of "can't justify a complete replacement", I think that's very subjective. I might bristle at the notion of swapping out a "perfectly good PSU" because it isn't enough but at the same time, the amount of shortfall is relevant. At Newegg right now, $90 gets me a new PSU at anywhere from 500 to 630w (depending on brand/rebates/deals). It replaces my existing PSU but it might be enough and it's the same spend. Will people buy these just to keep older PSUs out of the landfill? They might and they might also recognize that it has a longer life than the 630w they bought instead because they can couple it with the next PSU too. Still I doubt I would buy one if I bought say, a new video card and found myself "just a little short".

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•   |65.164.192.xxx |2010-06-20 16:39:17 Mark - 4300S
  2 years later an likely to still be valid.
  
  You can't replace the PSU in a Dell Dimension 4300S. 210 watts is the max it can use because it is a low profile design. I'm looking at removing the CD drive and installing the Visiontek power supply in its place. I already have a CD-RW external drive that in istelf is an upgrade for the read only CD drive in the Dell. This looks like the only way to get above 210 watts and be able to power a quality AGP video card. The existing PSU is 180 watts so combining an additional 450 watts for a total 630 watts looks compelling.
  
  Now if you have the space available to simply replace the PSU, the price just might be justified. This is not the case with the Dell low profile.

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