Is a better power supply worth it?

Pythene said:

Would it be possible for somebody to either link or type up a short guide on how to choose a power supply? I understand the basic (number)w, and to check the comments, but I don't really know how to check for compatibility. Thanks!

I think compatibility is not an issue. What you want to look for is sufficient wattage and an efficiency of 80%+. And stay with the reputable makes.

Pythene said:

How would

THIS

Rate?

(With the HP Pavilion p6130y)

This is the one I posted earlier. I would buy it any time. As I said earlier, I put a similar one into my HP Pavilion ( more than a year ago) and never had any problems.
Here is a picture of when I installed it. As you can see, it was around St. Patrics day 2009.

Pythene said:

Would it be possible for somebody to either link or type up a short guide on how to choose a power supply? I understand the basic (number)w, and to check the comments, but I don't really know how to check for compatibility. Thanks!

See my previous post, I linked to a Very good guide.

stormy13 said:

whs is that the Antec in the case, or still the old one? If it is the Antec you have it upside down, the fan should be facing the motherboard to help with case cooling.

I know, but that way it was easier for me to manage all those wires. And my box runs very cool anyhow.

Some excellent suggestions so far.

Personally, I really like Corsair PSUs.

Something like the 400 or 450W Corsair would be a huge upgrade over your stock one.

While on the surface it does seem as it would, they are 32-35A 12V rails, where as most stock ones are around 300W 16A.

These 2 are in the $50-65 range, and more than enough power for your system with room to spare for future upgrades.
But it depends how much room for upgrades you want, and how much you are willing to spend.

Whichever brand you choose or prefer, remember to get a quality build.
The most important thing to remember, Watts advertised aren't nearly as important as the 12V rail amperage & effeciency.

stormy13 said:

To give an idea as to just how bad some of the cheap power supplies can be,

The Bargain Basement Power Supply Roundup Review

That is a couple of years old, but things haven't changed much since it was written.

That's a good read, and most likely still very much applies today.

Two thoughts: online "calculators" look at your component's power ratings and come up with a "you need this" figure. However, I like the analogy of a house service panel: 200A comes in from the pole but you have 300A of breakers. Fact is, you never use all of the lights/receptacles simultaneously so you don't need a 300A service.

So too in computing and many authors/test sites agree that there is a tendency to put too much power in one's case. What to do? Your mobo mfr might have a recommendation specific to your mobo (ASUS does for mine: 600W) How do you use your computer: photoediting, serious number crunching, games; does you gfx card require a power connector; do you or do you plan to run a SLI/XFire array; if you are tinkering around with your present machine now, any plans on putting a custom machine together; and, yes, what other PNP devices do you have or are you planning to install.

However, I get the impression that what you have now is OK, i.e., you do not state you are having problems or performance issues. As such, I would leave well enough alone UNTIL issues ensue: why fix what ain't broken? BTW, to question if you would have better performance, I ask, better how - what's the issue you are dealing with now?

If it were me (it's not) and if money is tight, I would add a second HDD for all sorts of important reasons, the least of which would be an improvement in performance (reduced seek times) and a place to store image backups in case your primary HDD bricks - and you lose all of your data AND your "recovery partition" (to me, a dangerous joke). But that's just me.

Monk