PSU max limit advice ?

[Apotter]

Hi folks,

Not long ago I assembled a nice PC semi-monster. I chose a good and reliable PSU because i use a lot of hard drives, midi controller via usb, other usb devices, a few phones from time to time (also via USB) and an audio interface (Presonus) via Firewire... Some of my hard drives are powered by USB, some are not, the rest is usb-power only.
My problem/question is - Will i need a better PSU since I'm planning to install 2 more usb-powered midi controllers (my choice for now is again Emu Xboard 61), 2 more WD usb powered hdds and a second external audio interface... if possible.

My PSU at the moment is 1100W if I remember correct.

 

[Jonathan_King]

1100 Watts is very powerful. I wouldn't suspect you'd need anything more than that.

I have a 430w PSU, and while I am wondering if a 500w might be a better idea, the bottom line is I have not had any problems.

 

[smarteyeball]

It's not the total wattage that counts, it's the amps per rail that is important.

That PSU has 6 12v rails with 12v1 and 12v2 rated at 22a each and the other 4 rails at 20 amps. USB/SATA devices don't use a lot of power individually.

However, try to distribute the load evenly across the rails so you aren't overloading any particular rail.