Computer Questions

[willow_red]

As I might have mentioned to some of you, my desktop crapped out about a month ago. j_b suggested it might be the power supply, and I am inclined to agree. I copied everything from that hard drive onto my laptop to be safe, and then tried to start up the desktop last night, after it had been "resting" for several weeks. It worked (huzzah!), but the internal clock had reset itself to 11:00pm on December 31, 2000. I know approximately zilch about power supplies, so here are my questions:

1) Would it be just the power supply getting flaky that would cause the clock to reset, or does the battery on the mobo need to be replaced too?

2) I can't find a label on the power supply itself, but the parts list pasted to the inside of the box says it's 250 W. I've started looking for replacements, but haven't found anything that small. The smallest I saw in the Tiger Direct catalog (that conveniently arrived in the mail last week) was 400 W. Is bigger better, or even safe?

3) Do physical dimensions tend to differ on these? In other words, do I have to make sure I buy one that fits in the box?

4) Should I be looking for a name brand (if so, which one(s)?), or are power supplies pretty much all the same?

5) With a dying power supply, is it safe to leave the computer on when I'm not home? I'd prefer not to set my house on fire, especially with Akito locked inside.

6) Is there anything else I should know that I haven't asked about already?

A big thanks to anyone who can help me out with some advice here!

Comments

[j-b.livejournal.com]

1. Would it be just the power supply getting flaky that would cause the clock to reset, or does the battery on the mobo need to be replaced too?
   • I haven't heard of the power supply causing the clock to reset, I'd think the motherboard battery may also need replacing -- I think some use a watch battery nowadays, though there used to be little battery-packs on some models, that may have been a relic of a bygone era


2. I can't find a label on the power supply itself, but the parts list pasted to the inside of the box says it's 250 W. I've started looking for replacements, but haven't found anything that small. The smallest I saw in the Tiger Direct catalog (that conveniently arrived in the mail last week) was 400 W. Is bigger better, or even safe?
   • I believe the ratings refer to the maximum amount *available* to draw, power-wise, the connectors are all still 5v, 12v, whatever standard voltage/minimum amperage that the PC standards follow. So a larger power supply could handle a new Uber graphics card's power draw, or multiple hard drives, etc.


3. Do physical dimensions tend to differ on these? In other words, do I have to make sure I buy one that fits in the box?
   • Sadly, yes. I think that there are general guidelines, but commercial manufacturers (lookin-at-you-Dell) have in the past thrown those out the window and used non-standard sized cases/powersupplies/mobos.


4. Should I be looking for a name brand (if so, which one(s)?), or are power supplies pretty much all the same?
   • PC Power and Cooling is a known fancy well-made brand, I've seen Antec and Sparkle recommended too.


5. With a dying power supply, is it safe to leave the computer on when I'm not home? I'd prefer not to set my house on fire, especially with Akito locked inside.
   • As far as I'm aware, it shouldn't present a fire hazard - to get UL listed and legal to sell in the US, the "doesn't set your house on fire" needs to be passed...


6. Is there anything else I should know that I haven't asked about already?
   • If you're spending >$50 take a gander at the current "barebones" system prices, you may be able to get a new case+powersupplie+mobo+CPU for not much more.