Mainly storage but also mods such as watercooling, sli cards, etc. My point hasn't been invalidated because there has been no testing on that thread. Show me a 8800GT running on a 380W system - show me the voltages. My point is simple, yes it will boot in all likelyhood, it may even game ok for a few months, BUT it will eventually fail and when it does, it will make a big mess. As rage says, "It won't always but it can". Its a game of russian roulette.
This forum (i thought) is about enthusiasts giving solid advice. A modern system, with top end GPU and room for upgrades shouldn't be powered by anything less than 500W. But remember, its the efficiency thats also important and the stability of the power delivered. I think it is very bad advice to say to someone who is asking what power requirements they need, to buy a $20 PSU. I am not saying you need to get a $200 one like i did.
The sad truth is very few PSU’s really produce the wattage that the companies advertise. Even if these low quality supplies could produce the wattage they advertise, they could not sustain those outputs for long. The rating and tests are usually only performed at 70% load for 100 hours. That means that PSU’s can’t sustain meager loads greater than 70% for any substantial period of time. In addition, the testing environement is unrealistic, since they test in abnormally cold testing climates of 25C.
In my opinion, a 500W PSU is minimum for that system. Anything lower and you are tempting fate. Look here for some more information:
http://www.techsupportforum.com/har...92217-power-supply-information-selection.html
A selection of great PSU's for different applications is listed, plus a detailed article about why a 250W or even a 380W PSU is a very bad idea!
