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I have a question about power consumption. I am reluctunct to replace my trusty old Tagan 480W as it still is doing a grand job. Would i need to upgrade it to run the following build
Q6600
Darkraider (Or similar)
4gb Ram
2 500Gb Hardisks
8800GT
I have done a bit of research and there seems to be conflicting views on this issue.
You should be fine with that PSU, no need to look at changing it. Tagan are a good, solid brand.
will there be spare capacity to add extra drives?
My ye olde Tagan 480W runs something a bit less power-hungry (P4 2.8HT, 2x 7200RPM HDs, 2x DVD-Rs, a few PCI cards), and the voltages are very stable even after a few years of 24/7 running. I have noticed that the low-speed fan inside the PSU does output very slow moderately warm/slightly hot air, but touching the cover while inside doesn't feel very hot. If the fans inside it were easily replaceable, I would probably put in some speedy Delta/Sunon fans during the summer months.
I would recommend getting an air can and blowing the dust out from in front of/behind the fans though - I thought the fan in front of my HDs was knackered until I took it out and saw the dustcake. Nice low HD temps now.
edit: I use 2x external drives (x1 24/7 storage, x1 monthly clone of main HD), just so I don't tax the PSU too much.
my spec is very similar except I run an E6600 instead of a Q6600, plus I run 4 HD's. I too have considered upgrading to a newer PSU as my trusty Thermaltake 480W does get a little noisey when its warm, but apart from that I have no problems running my system 24/7 including some marathon gaming sessions :)