What do I need to know when buying a new power supply?

Question

Are there different types of power supply? Is it bad to get one that's too powerful? Do all power supplies have a standard number of plugs? How do I figure out how much power (200, 400 watts...) my computer needs? Should I always buy new? And so on.

Answer 1

Simply take the old one with you to the computer store.

You need to match the "footprint" of the mounting screws from the old one to the new one. Also, stay within the same overall physical size (don't get one that is physically larger).

Getting one that is capable of more power is fine. It hurts nothing. It is simply "capable" of giving more power and that extra power is not used if there is no call for it by your hardware. So going from a 300 to a 400 will not hurt you at all. I will cost a little more though.

Buy a power supply of at least the same wattage as the old one. The only other way is to determine the power consumption of each component and/or piece of hardware in your system, add up the power ratings, and use that total as the minimum wattage rating needed.

Don't even consider a "used" power supply. It's just not worth it. Power supplies are not expensive at all. Any yes they come with a standard number of connectors to power you drives, etc.

Hope this helps.