SPCR

AMD 45w BE-2350
Nvidia 430 w/ onboard Nvidia 6150 graphics
2 x 1GB DDR 667
wireless card
3" 7200rpm drive

With my Corsair VX450W power supply I measured my draw at the wall to be between 50-90W, but I assume at a pretty low efficiency of 60-75%.

The computer will be used to output 720p video.

Should I get the 102W kit to be safe (it has a fan! Who knows when it kicks in?) or should I get the 80W kit and be completely silent and awesome?

How do you plug in the 4-pin board connector with such a tiny cord? Did you buy an extension?

What are your experiences with the PicoPSU!?

Thanks!

The efficiency of the corsair vx450w was measured at around 80% for your max load. I got hte efficiency from the SPCR review. You would have a little over 70W dc power draw for the 90W that you measured. was that measurement during a stress test? If it was you might be able to get by with an 80W brick if you can find one, but a 60W brick might be low.

The 90W measurement was just playing Counter Strike Source as far as I remember. Nothing super accurate I guess. I should probably get around to getting harder numbers if I want to cut it that close. Thanks for the response!

If you're talking about the 120 watt EDAC brick, the fan kicks in almost immediately. To put it politely, it will render all other sounds in your PC 'silent'. Not recommended for even a second. There are better options out there.

If you can get by with the 80w system I recommend it. Sometimes underclocking and such is necessary to achieve that.

yaler wrote:Should I get the 102W kit to be safe (it has a fan! Who knows when it kicks in?)

Assuming mini-box is still shipping the same brick (specs match, but who knows), the fan kicks in around 80-90 W according to the SPCR review.

Just came back to check this out, thanks guys. I got the Nexus Value 430W, but I'll probably underclock and make a silent build later on with the 80W.