"Opticreep" wrote in message
om...
I'm building a gaming computer with the following parts:

Athlon 64 3000+ CPU
Socket 754 Motherboard
ATI Radeon 9800 Pro video card
1 GB DDR RAM
80 GB Hard Drive
DVD/CDROM Drive
Audigy 2 ZS

plus the CPU fan, motherboard fan, the the fan for the power supply.


I already own a computer case with a *generic* 300W power supply.
When I upgrade my PC with the parts I listed above, will the 300-Watt
power supply suffice? Or would that be a very bad idea?

The saleslady at the PC store I visited insisted that I'll need a
350-Watt power supply to go with all the other things I bought. I
told her I already had a 300-Watt power supply at home.


A word of warning - the last time I pushed my luck with a generic 300W PSU,
when it eventually did break down it destroyed the motherboard in the
process! Given that you're bound to eventually upgrade past the capacity of
your current supply at some point in the future, and that a reasonable
350-400w psu is cheaper than most new motherboards, I'd upgrade now and not
take the risk.

Tom