VOGONS


PSU for 2006 Build

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First post, by Fredelicious

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Bit stuck on what I can use for a PSU. Ideally something a bit more modern and reliable rather than something period correct.

Specs:
Intel Pentium 4 519K 3.06 GHz
Gigabyte GA-8I945PL-G
4x512 MB Kingston DDR2 400MHz
GeForce 6800 256MB
500GB HHD
Cd drive
Various fans
Maybe a floppy drive.

Having done a calculator, says 350w should be more than enough.

Let me know what you think.

Many thanks!

Reply 1 of 10, by RetroPCCupboard

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One thing I would be careful of is to check that the PSU has 20+4 ATX power connector. If it is 24 pin then it most likely won't fit your motherboard. Increasingly I am finding modern PSUs don't support 20 pin power.

Reply 2 of 10, by Fredelicious

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RetroPCCupboard wrote on 2025-06-08, 08:10:

One thing I would be careful of is to check that the PSU has 20+4 ATX power connector. If it is 24 pin then it most likely won't fit your motherboard. Increasingly I am finding modern PSUs don't support 20 pin power.

I think this Motherboard has a 24 pin connector and a 4 pin P4

Reply 3 of 10, by RetroPCCupboard

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Fredelicious wrote on 2025-06-08, 08:14:

I think this Motherboard has a 24 pin connector and a 4 pin P4

Ah, I looked on the gigabyte website before I posted and it looked like 20 pin. I see now that there is a plug in the last 4 pins:

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Reply 4 of 10, by Ydee

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Even on a 24pin connector, 4 pins tend to be removable (20+4 pin), so it goes into a 20-pin on mainboard.

Reply 5 of 10, by RetroPCCupboard

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Ydee wrote on 2025-06-08, 10:21:

Even on a 24pin connector, 4 pins tend to be removable (20+4 pin), so it goes into a 20-pin on mainboard.

If it says 20+4 then yes, for sure. But if it just says 24 pin, I wouldn't bet on it

Reply 6 of 10, by Ydee

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Then:

Reply 7 of 10, by fosterwj03

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I like to try to double the power available to the power required. If you're system could draw 350W, than I'd use a 700W PSU. It's a little overkill, but you won't need to worry if you upgrade any of the components later.

You could go with 650W as well, but I don't see a lot of price difference between the two in my market for good quality brands.

Reply 8 of 10, by Fredelicious

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fosterwj03 wrote on 2025-06-08, 13:10:

I like to try to double the power available to the power required. If you're system could draw 350W, than I'd use a 700W PSU. It's a little overkill, but you won't need to worry if you upgrade any of the components later.

You could go with 650W as well, but I don't see a lot of price difference between the two in my market for good quality brands.

When I did the online calculator, it said a 350w would be about 50-60% of the capacity. I don't know if that seems low or I put in the wrong info. Or if that's just 2006 stuff.

I'll have a look again.

Reply 9 of 10, by fosterwj03

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Fredelicious wrote on 2025-06-08, 16:24:
fosterwj03 wrote on 2025-06-08, 13:10:

I like to try to double the power available to the power required. If you're system could draw 350W, than I'd use a 700W PSU. It's a little overkill, but you won't need to worry if you upgrade any of the components later.

You could go with 650W as well, but I don't see a lot of price difference between the two in my market for good quality brands.

When I did the online calculator, it said a 350w would be about 50-60% of the capacity. I don't know if that seems low or I put in the wrong info. Or if that's just 2006 stuff.

I'll have a look again.

Given the components, 300W of possible power draw sounds about right. You'll want a PSU with a bit more power to handle transient power spikes.

Reply 10 of 10, by 3dfx_fan

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Qoltec ATX SilentLine PSUs are nice for retro PCs.