Minimum power requirement for a P4 system

Hi all

I've got a spare P4 Celeron 2.4 sitting on the shelf, and could do with another machine for development purposes, etc. However, I don't want to hang it off of a big 400W PSU as I'm trying to be a bit "greener" these days and not just suck up power for the sake of it.

Also, I don't want to pay through the nose for some funky Shuttle-like SFF setup, so I was wondering what the minimum power requirements are for a basic P4 system. It'll be on a motherboard a bit like this one using on-board graphics, etc., with a hard disk, etc.

Any suggestions welcome.

Mike

It PSU will only use roughly as much power as the computer actually draws.

The watts rating on PSUs is the maximum power, it does not mean they will draw that much power by default :).

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Originally Posted by turkster

It PSU will only use roughly as much power as the computer actually draws.

The watts rating on PSUs is the maximum power, it does not mean they will draw that much power by default :).

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Sure...I realise that. So, what's the maximum peak power requirement I could expect from a P4 system that's not overclocked, not using PCI cards, etc.?

Thanks :)

I reckon that you could easily get away with a cheap 300W one. Someone posted a power requirement calculator a while back, does anyone still have the link?

EDIT: Found the link. :)

I would say a cheap 300w one should be fine :) although if you were planing to use it as a server a branded one would be a better bet (not a Qtec though!)

A P4 2.8 will run on a 275w without a P4 12v adaptor - albeit not 100% stable so a 300w with a P4 adaptor should be perfect.

Thanks everyone. A cheapo 300W it is!

Have been dribbling over upgrading my main machine to a P4 3.2...

Cheap power supplies tend to run less efficiently than better quality ones so you actually consume more power.
Two things I never skimp on for my own systems are power supply and memory quality.
(yes I tried a Qtec power supply and regretted it)

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Originally Posted by Hottentot

Two things I never skimp on for my own systems are power supply and memory quality.

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Wise words :) I would never use a cheapo PSU

If you want a Good PSU for little money, try a Fortron Source 350W same as a FSP/Sparkle. I have never found this PSU's limits (O/Ced P4, Gig of Ram, 4 x 15K SCSI drives, DVD Burner) I have always used FSP/Sparkle PSU's. Why pay anymore £'s?

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Originally Posted by M@tt

Wise words :) I would never use a cheapo PSU

If you want a Good PSU for little money, try a Fortron Source 350W same as a FSP/Sparkle. I have never found this PSU's limits (O/Ced P4, Gig of Ram, 4 x 15K SCSI drives, DVD Burner) I have always used FSP/Sparkle PSU's. Why pay anymore £'s?

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Better correct this, I have now found the limit of a Sparkle 350W, Overclocked Prescott seems to need loads and loads of power :eek: