i have a question about atx power supplys and motherboards. i have a motherboard that uses the 24pin atx style power plug, bu the psu that came with this case is only 300 watt. i can get a very good name brand 450 watt fo real cheap, but it is 20 pin atx. will it work in my mobo? Toshiba M50-MX2: Celeron M 1.5GHZ 1MB L2 512 DDR2 PC4200 RAM 60GB 5400RPM HDD DVD+/-RW CDRW DVD-RAM

It will work. As long as you use the 20pin to 24pin adapter. It should work.

You can get wiring adapters that have wires between a male and female connector to adapt 20 pin PS's to 24pin mboards (or visa versa). 300 watts is probably not enough for your new mboard - it is definately not enough if the mboard has enhanced PCI slots and you are using one or more (400 watts minimum). - it is definately not enough if the PS is an el-cheapo - the capacity is probably a lie. Buy a brand name that has at least a 1 year warranty, preferably 3, has a good reputation, has a decent web site (don't go by the sellers description alone), and has anti-short and overvoltage protection. It is quite easy to find new PS's that are compatible with both 20 and 24 pin main connectors (they have a 20 pin and an add on 4 pin if you need it for the main connector). You don't necessarily need to get one off the web - you can frequently find good deals in your own city, at the smaller places that custom build computers and have lots of parts.