# Does my power supply have enough juice



## linden33 (Dec 31, 2007)

Hi guys,

I read the pwr supply sticky but still could not figure out....

I have an HP Pavilion with a 300watt pwr supply.

Currently I have 2 500gb seagates in it. Every now and then the machine would freeze up. I assumed it was a heat issue, so I installed an exhaust fan in the front of the case, nxt to the HDD cage. There is a mesh grill adjacent to the fan so it expels air. Since then Ive had no problems with the machine locking up.

My problem is that I need to put in another HDD, I already have a 500gb external, so I want to add a third internal. Im gonna put in a terabyte drive in the expansion bay. The power supply fan should take care of the airflow in that area Im thinking.

Problem --- can I do that with my 300watt pwr supply or am I going to have problems down the road.

Appreciate your advice.


----------



## blackduck30 (Sep 7, 2004)

I don't know what specs your computer has but it is very common for manufacturers like HP,Dell,Acer ect to provide a power supply that is generally cheap and nasty and barely able to run the hardware installed.

I would bite the bullet and get something like this

*SeaSonic SS-500ES ATX12V/V2.2, EPS12V/V2.91, 500W, PFC, 80+, 2PCI-E (6Pin), Power Supply - OEM $70*

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151040

*Antec Neo Power 500 ATX12V 500W Power Supply 100Vac to 240Vac +/- 10% UL, CUL, TUV, CE, FCC, CCC, CB, C-tick - Retail $50 ( after rebate )
*
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817103940


*PC Power & Cooling Silencer 470 ATX ATX12V Ver 2.2 470W Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, cUL, CE, CB, RoHS - Retail $75
*
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703011

At least then you will know you have enough power to spare and I dare say a power supply that is way more efficient 

Just ensure your old power supply is a standard ATX design


----------



## linden33 (Dec 31, 2007)

Yeah I assumed that would be the case. 

I just didnt want to spend anymore money on the computer, its kinda a waste. Thks a lot for the recommendations, Im gonna look into them.

But if I did tell u my specs--would that perhaps give u a better idea about the pwr supply.

AMD 6000, ati radeon pro 256mb, 3gb ram, and 2x500gb HDDs

thks


----------

