Some general advice please...

[CESIL]

My son is after a desktop system to replace his aged but quite nice Sony Vaio...

 

He is a sometime gamer but not at all hardcore...the computer will be used at uni for his final year...

 

I have found the following system at a very nice price

Processor: Intel Core i5 2310 Processor

Memory: 4GB DDR3 1333Mhz Memory

Harddrive: 1TB 3.5" 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive

Case: Micro ATX Case With 350w PSU

Optical Drives: 22x DVD Writer

Motherboard: Intel H61 Chipset Motherboard

Keyboard & Mouse

 

I also want to fit a GeForce GT 430 1024MB GDDR3 PCIe to improve graphics a bit.

 

I guess all that concerns me is whether a 350w PSU is man enough? Or are these newer low power consumption systems less demanding?

[JoeBloggs]

What price have you found that at?

 

I would say you probably need a bigger PSU.

[siuko]

What make psu is it?

 

A very good quality 350w psu might manage ok but a completely rubbish 500w wouldnt

[tommej]

According to nvidia's specs GeForce GT 430

 

They recommend a 300W psu. Cutting it close, i'd upgrade :>

[Michael]

The spec looks absolutely fine, but I agree, you'll need a 450W+ PSU. It's not good to push PSUs to the limit

[Achandler]

Well Michael thats personal opinion, when I was at uni and only bought cheap PSUs I found it extremely satisfying to make them smoke and explodes, thats right you can make bits fall out of them!

 

P.S. I always had 1 cheap one spare. I use to get them second hand from the Uni disposing of old equipment.

[Michael]

Well Michael thats personal opinion, when I was at uni and only bought cheap PSUs I found it extremely satisfying to make them smoke and explodes, thats right you can make bits fall out of them!

 

P.S. I always had 1 cheap one spare. I use to get them second hand from the Uni disposing of old equipment.

 

I presume you are joking? It's potentially a fire hazard. I've had PSUs explode and it's anything but satisfying...

[siuko]

I think the worst problem with psu's going is when they take half the components out at the same time

[jamesfed]

The problem with cheap PSUs is that they can only handle their max rated power for short bursts - I would find out the make/model of the PSU and if it is a decent one (OCZ ect) then it should do fine (as they can handle high power usage for long periods) however if you want to ramp that graphics up any more then you will need more power.

[Achandler]

Yes it was said tongue in cheek, but I did go through 3 in 3 years at Uni pushing an old computer to far constantly due to simply not having the money to get a new one.

 

Back on topic, OCZ PSUs are good, mine at home is really quiet to.