Power supply recommendations

[Alma J Wetzker]

Kurt Wall wrote:
> On Tue, Nov 23, 2004 at 03:08:24PM -0500, dep took 23 lines to write:
> 
>>quoth Kurt Wall:
>>
>>| On a similar note, if a PC has a 250 watt power supply, is it
>>| acceptable to replace it with a quieter, say, 300 watt power supply?
>>
>>yes. other options include a louder one, a much louder one, a really 
>>screechingly louder one, and one that makes just about the same amount 
>>of noise.
> 
> 
> We're definitely going in the wrong direction here. ;-) But, it's nice to
> see you back, dep. I, at least, have missed your wit.
> 
> 
>>(the more juice the power supply can deliver, the better -- it don't 
>>force extra electrons down your device's wires.)
> 
> 
> That's really the question I was hoping to get answered. My ignorance
> of the fundamentals of things electric and electronic is both broad
> and deep. In fact, to remedy this deficiency, I start taking a series
> of electonics engineering courses at the local community college next
> semester.
> 
> Thanks for the information.
> 
> Kurt

Don't feel too bad about not getting it.  I have about eight classes to 
compleat my EE degree.  I took a late Junior level lab and one of the students 
on my team thought that if we had a 1W power supply that it would force 1W 
through our system that was only rated to handle about .45W.  The simple magic 
circle(*) to remember is Ohm's Law (V=IR).

As for noise, it takes an autistic to hear the electronic switching of a power 
supply.  The noise comes from the fan.  Quiet fans are expensive.  Moving air 
through confined spaces is noisy.  Keeping the air path clear inside is the 
designers problem.  Keeping the air path clear outside is your problem. 
Things like round cables and not putting CD's right next to the PS go a long 
way toward keeping noise down.

Final note:  (expensive fan != quality PS)  Many people bet that way and it is 
generally true.  But, it does not have to be.  (Statement:  A quality PS 
includes an expensive (quiet) fan.  A implies B does not mean that B implies A.)

     -- Alma

(*)  [For those who don't know about magic circles, you draw a circle and put 
the V in the top half and the I and R in the bottom half, side by side.  You 
cover the letter that you want to find and you have either multiplication of 
division of the other two.]