On Thu, 15 Apr 2004 17:30:32 +0100, Piotr Makley wrote:


Thinkingof power supplies ...

if a faster processor needing extra power was installed (say, it
needs an extra 30 W) then would that noticeably reduce the life of
the power supply?

Generally no, it would be a progressively shorter lifespan but even so
there are other factors that could decrease lifespan or cause failure
before that became significant.

On the other hand, if the power supply can't maintain the additional load
it may cause a lot of additional ripple which is harder on the
motherboard.

Rather than looking at the incremental wattage increase a determination
should be made of the total system power usage... not necessarily an exact
figure but in the ballpark, then using a quality name-brand unit so at
least there's some assurance it's capable of wattage stamped on it's
label.