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Hack 19 Get More Power

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Before you change out your system board, upgrade to a new CPU, or start jacking up the speed of your CPU and get lulled into a false comfort zone with your new blazing-fast turbocharged PC, make sure it's got the stamina to keep running smoothly. Many PCs have meager 200- to 250-watt power supplies, as shown in Figure 3-1, which are no match for the 300-watt capacity recommended by AMD for their CPUs. You'll need the extra juice to feed not only the CPU but the video card, RAM, disk drives, and other devices.

Figure 3-1. Power supply ratings are usually clearly labeled
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Check the label on your power supply for its capacity rating in watts. 200, 225, 230, and 250 watts are common but usually insufficient for the needs of power users.


If you have an OEM system (such as those from Dell, Gateway, and others), it may not be possible to upgrade the power supply due to a unique physical design or specific electrical connections that are not industry-standard AT, ATX, or mini-ATX styles. Since most of us are not hacking name-brand OEM systems, we enjoy many options for customizing the system including changing the power supply.

One standard source for cool, quiet, high-performance PC power supplies is PC Power and Cooling (http://www.pcpowercooling.com). Their top-of-the-line supply can deliver a whopping 510 watts of power, which is more than adequate for any CPU and multiple disk drives.

Replacing the power supply is one of the easiest electromechanical tasks you can do with a PC. You'll need one of the following:

  • #1 or #2 cross-point (Phillips) screwdriver

  • T-15 TORX point driver

  • 1/4" hex nutdriver

  1. Turn off the PC and disconnect the power cord, as shown in Figure 3-2.

  2. Disconnect power connectors from the individual disk drives and the system board, as shown in Figures Figure 3-3 and Figure 3-4.

    Figure 3-2. Disconnecting the AC power cable
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    Figure 3-3. Disconnecting the drive power connectors
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    Figure 3-4. Disconnecting the system board power connector
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    Figure 3-5. Removing the power supply screws
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  3. Remove the screws holding the power supply to the chassis, as shown in Figure 3-5.

  4. Remove the power supply from the chassis, as shown in Figure 3-6.

    Figure 3-6. Removing the power supply from the chassis
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  5. Install the new power supply in the chassis and secure it with screws.

  6. Connect the power cables to the system board and disk drives.

  7. Reapply power to the system, boot up, and test away.

Some chassis have additional brackets, air deflectors, or cables that may interfere with simple disconnection and removal of the power supply. Attend to these details before trying to remove the power supply from the system chassis.


Save the original supply as a backup replacement for your new supply or to use when building another system. If you have a defective power supply and feel like hacking into it, you can salvage the 12-volt DC-operated fan and use it to provide additional chassis cooling.

Be aware that modern PC power supplies may contain residual high voltages for a few seconds or minutes after power has been removed, even under load. The internal fan is typically run from low 12-volt DC and can be removed safely by unplugging its power connector or cutting the wires near the power supply circuit board.


If you must dispose of a power supply, using a computer-parts recycler should be your first choice, as they may separate the chassis metal from the electronic components and then further separate respective components.

Your dead power supply is no more or less toxic than any other household appliance you might simply toss in the trash, but local regulations may dictate that electronics be disposed of separately from normal trash, or at additional expense.


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