Now I already know this is probably pushing the limits of what a 470 Watt Thermaltake TR2 PSU can handle but at the moment its running a Q6600 not OC'ed cause I don't want to completely kill my PSU, dual BFG 8800 GT OC2's, 4 SATA HDD, sound card, ethernet card, dvd multy drive, 6 case fans and 2 sticks of 800Mhz DDR2. The mother board is an Asus P5N-D. What would be the best method of really knowing how much juice I'm drawing from my PSU and I will be getting a new one in a couple of days, some suggestions would be nice. Factor in 4 sticks of 1066Mhz DDR2 and at least a 3.0 GHz OC for the CPU.

Thanks

Yeah, that thing could go if you keep it in your system for like another year. The amperage on the thing is weak which is bad if you have a bunch of HDD's and a heavy graphics card. Here is a more reliable one http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...8607&CatId=106

It has plenty enough watts for an OC'd Q6600 and a 52a +12Rail for Videocards, hard drives, fans, etc. And Corsair makes awesome PSU's too.

Well as it turns out I was looking at the 750watt variant that my local PC components store has for $135 Canadian they of course sold there last one the same day I went to go pick one up for myself.

If you can possibly get the 750W then get it! It's got a giant +12v rail!

Man up and buy a 1000w, 70+ amps ftw! Plus chicks dig it

Let me know if you have any luck overclocking that chip on the P5N-D. I have the P5N-E, which I guess is notoriously bad with Quads, and I can't get a stable 3.0Ghz with a 1333FSB. I was able to run it at 3 but the more demanding apps kept crashing/freezing; the voltage was up too high imo. Doesn't really matter though, a 2.4Ghz Quad is really good and should handle pretty much anything you throw at it.

Your PSU's combined +12V current rating is probably for continous power, which explains why you've been able to run everything smoothly.

For a new PSU with the same system, the Corsair VX450 will be enough. For a new pair of video cards, I'd recommend the Seasonic-made PC Power & Cooling SIlencer 750 over the Corsair TX750W.