Hi,

There're a list of figures under each DC output of the PSU's specs. Which is the most important to take note if i want to do overclocking? i have an Intel 2140E and i suspect the PSU is holding it back. Here's the link to the specs :

http://www.coolermaster.com/product...

Did you look at the Manual for the MOBO?

Life's more painless for the brainless.

for ???

BTW, This is my setup :

Biostar TP35D2-A7
Intel E2140 1.6ghz (With stock cooling)
2 x 1gb Kingston PC6400 valueram
XFX 8600GT Fatal1ty (Factory overclocked)
Samsung 320gb HDD
Sony DVDRW
CoolMaster Extreme Plus 460w (Dual rail)

The +12v rail(s) is the most important of the "big 3" (+3.3v, +5v, +12v). Most PSUs conform to the latest ATX12V standard & use multiple +12v rails (+12v1, +12v2, +12v3, etc) with a max of 18-20A per rail. The +12v1 rail is used solely by the CPU & is not shared with any other components. The other +12v rails are used by the HDDs, optical drives, video cards, fans & any other components that require 12v power.

However, with video cards becoming more & more power hungry & requiring aux plug-in(s) from the PSU, this multi +12v rail design has begun to fall out of favor. Many manufacturers are beginning to go back to a single +12v rail design with mega-amperage that can be shared. For instance, this Corsair 550W PSU has 41A on the +12v:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...

Another thing to look for is efficiency. The Cooler Master that you linked to is ">70% Typically" efficient, but the Corsair is "Up to 85%"

One other thing to watch is the amperage on the +5v rail. The +5v is very under-used & having high amperage rating is unnecessary. But some manufacturers load up the amperage on the +5v to falsely inflate the overall wattage rating of the PSU. For example, there's little need to have more than 20-25A on the +5v, but some PSUs have as much as 50A on the +5v. The difference between 20A & 50A is 150W. In case you don't remember how to calculate wattage, it's amps x volts = watts.

both the +12V1 and +12V2 rails is set at 18A. Is that enough to bring my cpu to 3ghz?

"Another thing to look for is efficiency. The Cooler Master that you linked to is ">70% Typically" efficient, but the Corsair is "Up to 85%"

Hmmm....does that mean the +12V1 rails of 18A is only being use up to 70% ? actual amperage in use is 12.6A ?

Thanks

"does that mean the +12V1 rails of 18A is only being use up to 70% ? actual amperage in use is 12.6A ?"

Not exactly. It means that your 460W PSU is closer to being able to deliver 322W overall rather than 460W.

hmm...i see.

Back to my question, how much amperage do my E2140 need in order to operate at 3ghz?

Thanks