Hi all!

Looking for some much needed advice. I'm just finishing building a new rig as follows:

ASUS P5k wifi Black Pearl motherboard
Q6600 G0 @ 2.4ghz (standard)
2 x 1gb OCZ DDR2 Reaper 8500 (1066) ram
500gb Hitachi HDD
MSI 8800GT gfx card
Sound card - yet to purchase
2 x dvd rewriters
3 x 120mm case fans
1 x 90mm case fan

My previous PC, an HP Pavillion had a PSU failure 6 months ago, so I installed a 500w psu. Would I be able to use the 500w to power the new rig initially, to get the OS installed etc or would I require a more powerful PSU to run the new rig stable?

I know I will have to get at least a 750w PSU later on to futureproof the rig and cover any upgrades etc, but I just want to get it powered up, install Windows etc.

I've tried the extreme psu calculator which tells me I'd need 550w - this sounds a little high however considering what's installed and when I compare it to friend's pc's.

Any advice would be appreciated, it's my first build

What is the brand/model and +12V amperage of your PSU?
A quality 500W PSU should be enough to power your system.
If it is a cheap POS PSU, however, it would be an excellent idea to upgrade now.

It's a Jeantech 500w, unsure of what the +12v amperage is (I'm at work atm so unable to check), I figure I will definately have to upgrade.

Wasn't cheap at the time however...today I'm now having to do a little research into decent PSU's. If I can get away with it, then fine however I don't want to risk the pc.

Go for a Corsair, Enermax or Seasonic PSU. These 3 brands make the crop of the cream PSU's.

Check this: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article699-page1.html

Many thanks.

So Im guessing the general consensus is that my Jeantech 500w ain't gonna cut it (which is what I expected).

What wattage should I be going for? I'm guessing around 750w ish?

Thank you for the link and recommending the 3 brands above - looks good.

Appreciate your responses

I don't know that brand, Jeantech. Here is a list of recommended power supplies.

Top Tier PSU:
http://www.tomswiki.com/page/Tiere [...] ngs?t=anon

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forum [...] p?t=108088

http://www.anandtech.com/casecooli [...] spx?i=3359

http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1460

Silent PSUs
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article699-page1.html

AMD Certified PSUs (Single+Crossfire):
http://ati.amd.com/online/certifiedpsu/index.html

Certified SLI-Ready Power Supplies
http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone_build_psu.html

I have never heard of Jeantech but their Product Page doesn't leave me with a warm fuzzy feeling.

Your rig should have no problems running on a quality 500W PSU.
A 750W PSU would be a bit of an overkill but it would keep you running for quite a few years.
Brands I would recommend are Enermax, Corsair, PCP&C, Seasonic and the Antec Earthwatts line.
If you are in the states, newegg has the Corsair 650TX on sale for $89.99 after MIR.

You guys have been brilliant - really glad I posted on here and really appreciate you all taking the time to post in response.

I know what you mean re Jeantech, I'm not feeling the warmth either...!

I'll source one of the brands suggested and leave the 500w installed in my old pc.

Again, many thanks for all your help!