The Greek Series:
04-100

 
Power Supply: The power supply is one of the most important components in your computer, but it is also one of the misunderstood parts of a computer, the chart below will help you understand how much power it takes to power your computer components.

COMPONENT:                            POWER REQUIREMENT              LINE (S) USED
P4 or Athlon XP CPU                                    70-90 watts                            +3.3v or +12v
RAM                                                     16 watts per 256MB                      +3.3v
CD/DVD drive                                       10-20 watts                                    +5v and +12v
HARD drive                                           10-20 watts                                    +5v and +12v
FLOPPY                                                  5 watts                                           +5v
AGP videocard                                       20-50 watts                                    +3.3v
Typical (non-video) PCI card                 5-10 watts                                      +5v
MOTHERBOARD                                20-40 watts                                     +3.3v, +5v, and+12v
CPU/case fans                                        2-4 watts                                         + 12v
 

So from viewing this chart, you can now understand the power requirements when selecting a power supply. Most times it is  better to have more than less, When purchasing a power supply
try to purchase a 450 to 500 supply this should meet all your power needs... 

Installing a new power supply is not hard, But you must take special precautions, see grounding
straps first in the Tips Corner:  Then return here and click [Replacing Power Supply]

Click [Diagram] to see how to change a power supply:

Here are some good sites to obtain a good power supply:
PC Power & Cooling ( www.pcpowerand cooling.com
www.antec-inc.com
Enermax ( www.enermax.com.tw )