I'm planning on building a new computer within the next month or two and have a series of basic questions. Any opinions are much appreciated. First-time builder so forgive if these questions are too 'easy'.

First, how much power do I need?
I'm looking at a full- or mid-tower. At least two hard drives. Sound card. High-end graphic card. DVD/CD drives and RW drives. A couple of external devices - camera, calculator, GPS, USB scanner, PDA cradle, USB printer.

I see supplies go up to 500W. Who would need that much?

-Bob

If I were you I will just get a 450 PSU, don't really need 500 PSU, of cause the more the marrier, but not necessary. It's really up to you, 500 is fine.

Pentium 3.2 EE 800FSB /HT
Asus P4C800-E Deluxe
Corsair XMS 2 x 512 DDR550
WD 74Gig 10,000RPM SATA HD
MSI GeForce FX5950 Ultra 256MB, 256-bit
Creative Audigy2 ZS Platinum Pro
Creative Gigaworks S750 7.1 Speaker
Lite-On DVD+/- RW
Lite-On 52/32/52 CD-RW

Power supplies are rated by the total watts consumed by all the busses. The effeicency and the wattage on each rail vary widely. Some of the rails may be capable of more output than you need and some less. What this means to you is confusion. A no name 500w knockoff may not perform as well as a 300w top shelf PS. I would recommend that you purchase a roomy brand name case with a brand name power supply. Buying this way is usually more cost effective. Be prepared to spend a little more than you could get by with. The cas could last you through many upgrades. The power supply is the foundation of the whole system. Just as a building built on a poor foundation is sure to have problems later on, so will you if you buy a substandard PS. As far as the ratings are concerned, I would suggest going a little larger than required to allow for future needs. Just 4 or 5 years ago 250w was considered large. Now, that is insuffient. The power consumed is in relation to what is being used by your machine. So the 500w would use no more household current than a 400w, given the same rig. In fact, a top end PS will actually use less power because it tend to be more effiecent in the power conversion. You get what you pay for. Do a little research on cases and powersupplies. Find some evaluations and ratings. Once you decide what you might want to buy, look for a good price at a reputable supplier. Sometimes resellers will have sales on certain cases. You may find one that was on your short list on sale, or with cheap shipping. If you can't find a case with the PS you want, buy them separatly. Hope this helps. PS, full towers generally are easier to work on but sometimes create problems with cable length.

OtheHill, Thank you for taking the time to explain the 'basics'. I plan on buying top-brand parts for the computer. But when it comes to power supplies I have no idea which are budget and whihc are high-end. Any help?

Jim, Your opinion was also appreciated. I'll probably go with the higher.

Thanks,
Bob

Look at the signatures of folks in the gaming forums and such. The same names come up. The first one that comes to mind is Antec true power series. Also look at Enermax, allied, sparkle. Go to Newegg.com and shop by catagory. Look at power supplies. Compare the 3.3v 5v 12v output on various PSs. This is also an excellent vendor to buy from. Thier customer satisfaction ratings are great. Before buying anywhere online check the vendor out at resellerratings.com. If they aren't ther or have few numbers or low scores, be wary.

Thanks for the brand info. I've bought from NewEgg before and think they're great!

-Bob

Yes Newegg is really great and for case, Antec is great also Cooler master makes good case for cooling, you may want to look at their case also.

Pentium 3.2 EE 800FSB /HT
Asus P4C800-E Deluxe
Corsair XMS 2 x 512 DDR550
WD 74Gig 10,000RPM SATA HD
MSI GeForce FX5950 Ultra 256MB, 256-bit
Creative Audigy2 ZS Platinum Pro
Creative Gigaworks S750 7.1 Speaker
Lite-On DVD+/- RW
Lite-On 52/32/52 CD-RW