1 or 2 power supplies? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

sashime76 · 07-22-2005, 06:15 AM

I have yet to try it myself, thought to hear everyone's opinion. Supposed your computer case has room for two power supplies. Is it better to have one 600W power supply or two 350W/400W power supplies?

I have two hard drives, two DVD drive (one burner), a 12 in 1 media reader, two case fans, plus a floppy drive that hasn't been used since I built the PC three years back. All needs to juiced up from the power supply. I currently have 0 power connection for, say, SATA drives if I decide to get one, unless I get a voltage line splitter.

So, one big ass PS or two?

vanblah · 07-22-2005, 06:43 AM

Are you trying to use both power supplies at the same time? It sounds like you are. I don't think it would be a good idea unless you put some kind of power regulator/conditioner in there as well.

I'd also be worried if one of the PS went out and the other didn't.

VitaminChemE · 07-22-2005, 07:29 AM

i don't think you can use two power supplies because they are controlled by the motherboard. it's not just a physical switch that turns them on and off anymore, but an switch which activates an electronic signal. without the signal the power supply wouldn't stay on.

bendsley · 07-22-2005, 07:55 AM

The only reasons to have 2+ power supplies is because the board needs that many power supplies or because the board supports failover/hotswap.

The Dell Blade server that I have running has Hot plug 2100 watt (2+2) power supplies with optional redundancy and maximum input power of 4437W. For 10 blades, you would need this, but for a single machine, you don't, unless it's a server/production machine.

I would tell you to just buy a single power supply, because I doubt the motherboard you have will support failover like that.

TheProf · 07-22-2005, 08:34 AM

You may find this link useful:

http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/

It will calculate how much wattage you need based on what components your computer has.

The Prof

muckluck · 07-22-2005, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheProf

You may find this link useful:

http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/

It will calculate how much wattage you need based on what components your computer has.

The Prof

That'll come in handy for future builds. Thanks man

. One PSU sounds like it would be alot less hassel, you can always use splitters if you run outta connectors.

skaven · 07-24-2005, 03:26 PM

I'll be putting two power supplies in my next server build -- but thats because I'll be installing 12 hard drives. I'll power the hard drives with one supply and everything else with the other. For your system specs, a 480W power supply should be plenty. If you insist on putting a second power supply in, you can make it come on with the other one by splicing the green wires and one of the black wires together on the two 20-pin ATX connectors. That way you don't need a second switch to turn on the second power supply.

07-22-2005, 06:15 AM	#1 (permalink)
sashime76 Addict Location: Hoosier State	1 or 2 power supplies? I have yet to try it myself, thought to hear everyone's opinion. Supposed your computer case has room for two power supplies. Is it better to have one 600W power supply or two 350W/400W power supplies? I have two hard drives, two DVD drive (one burner), a 12 in 1 media reader, two case fans, plus a floppy drive that hasn't been used since I built the PC three years back. All needs to juiced up from the power supply. I currently have 0 power connection for, say, SATA drives if I decide to get one, unless I get a voltage line splitter. So, one big ass PS or two?

07-22-2005, 07:29 AM	#3 (permalink)
VitaminChemE Tilted Location: BloNiag	i don't think you can use two power supplies because they are controlled by the motherboard. it's not just a physical switch that turns them on and off anymore, but an switch which activates an electronic signal. without the signal the power supply wouldn't stay on. __________________ Light a man a fire and he's warm for the night; light a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life

07-22-2005, 07:55 AM	#4 (permalink)
bendsley Professional Loafer Location: texas	The only reasons to have 2+ power supplies is because the board needs that many power supplies or because the board supports failover/hotswap. The Dell Blade server that I have running has Hot plug 2100 watt (2+2) power supplies with optional redundancy and maximum input power of 4437W. For 10 blades, you would need this, but for a single machine, you don't, unless it's a server/production machine. I would tell you to just buy a single power supply, because I doubt the motherboard you have will support failover like that. __________________ "You hear the one about the fella who died, went to the pearly gates? St. Peter let him in. Sees a guy in a suit making a closing argument. Says, "Who's that?" St. Peter says, "Oh, that's God. Thinks he's Denny Crane."

07-22-2005, 06:43 AM	#2 (permalink)
vanblah Junkie	Are you trying to use both power supplies at the same time? It sounds like you are. I don't think it would be a good idea unless you put some kind of power regulator/conditioner in there as well. I'd also be worried if one of the PS went out and the other didn't.

07-22-2005, 08:34 AM	#5 (permalink)
TheProf Crazy	You may find this link useful: http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/ It will calculate how much wattage you need based on what components your computer has. The Prof

07-24-2005, 03:26 PM	#7 (permalink)
skaven Insane Location: Austin, TX	I'll be putting two power supplies in my next server build -- but thats because I'll be installing 12 hard drives. I'll power the hard drives with one supply and everything else with the other. For your system specs, a 480W power supply should be plenty. If you insist on putting a second power supply in, you can make it come on with the other one by splicing the green wires and one of the black wires together on the two 20-pin ATX connectors. That way you don't need a second switch to turn on the second power supply.