+3.3V@18A,+5V@20A,+12V1@17A,
+12V2@17A,-12V@0.8A, +5VSB@2.5A
 
The 12Vs seem pretty strong for the wattage and the PSU is from a good top tier company.
So, what can safely run on this puppy?
 
People have been asking me quite a bit for a parts list for a new computer. The problem is that I have a little trouble deciding a power supply when they want to spend less than $400 on parts. This PSU is the one that mostly jumps out at me as a quality, cheap PSU.
 
Given the wear and tear of about 2 years of work, what could this sustain? Obviously, you wouldn't want to run an overclocked C2Q with an 8800GT SLI and 5 HDs on this, but what could potentially run on this?
 
Thank you.

The 8800 requires about 22 amps minimum on the 12v  rail. With 34 total on the 300w seasonic, you only have about 12 amps leftover for everything else. I would look at the 450 or 550w corsair instead. And some antec earthwatts ps are made by seasonic. Antec is the brand I use. Newegg and Fry's carry them with rebates on some models all the time.

Good points, good points.

For the price range, the Antec Earthwatts 380W is a great choice, too. I've seen that article about how it theoretically could run an 8800GTX and OC'd E6600, but I doubt anyone is going to want to do that on a regular basis. With that in mind, is an 8800GT with an OC'd E2160 out of the question for an EW380W?

The 8800GTX @ stock speed consumes about 134w under 100% load. The translates to less than 12 amps.
 
The 8800GTS 512MB @ stock speed consumes 99w or 8.25 amps under 100% load.
 
The 8800GT 512MB @ stock speed consumes 86w or 7.2 amps under load.
 
The 9600GT 512MB consumes 60w or 5 amps under load.
 
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While the Seasonic 300w PSU may state "12v1@17A, 12v2@17A", those are peak amps provided individually by each 12v rail, or peak voltages of 204w. You cannot simply add the amperage on both rails together 'cause that would mean this 300w PSU would output 416w on the 12v rails, or 34 amps.
 
Seasonic PSU are great and I highly recommend them, but they can't magically create at least 416w in a PSU rated for a total of 300w.
 
I would say that the real maximum constant output on the 12w rails will be 240w or 20 amps. That's assuming no more than 60w on the 3.3v and 5v rails 'cause you cannot exceed 300w total. Since it is not recommended to max out the amperage on any of the rails, I would look not to exceed 16 amps because spikes in power consumption can occur during normal operations.
 
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Based on the information I provided, I would recommend:
 
1.  Nothing faster than the 8800GT. The 9600GT would be a better option, but it is slightly slower at higher resolutions.
 
2. Do not get a quad core cpu, stick with a dual core like the E8400, a small overclock should be doable. But don't overclock until you know your PSU can handle everything at stock speed.
 
3. No more than 3 drives whether hard drives or optical drives.

 
Yes, that should be fine.

EarthWatts EA380 ~27A
SS-300ET/ES ~24A
http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=205763
 
 

Thanks for your thoughts.
 
It's been a while since I've had to think about the amperage on the 12v.  
 
Quick question, though. Is PC&P still the king of the PSUs?

I would say it is Seasonic and PCP&C since PCP&C outsources some of their PSUs to Seasonic to be built.