NEED a power supply with a pfc

ummm.. which version PSU ATX 2.0? ATX 2.1? 2.2 or 2.3? because 20-pin, 24-pin, 4-pin, 8-pin etc..
 
PurpleCatty - that's a pretty good advice. However, my PSU was built so cheaply that it will still catch on fire eventually so I decided to use Dell PSU (found in Dimension using Pentium 4 Prescott - sometimes Dell is junk so I was like, "what the heck") to be able to use my computer - to spare Dell PSU the crazy stress, I set my Phenom II CPU to throttle back to 800MHz when not used very much. By comparison, most recent Dell PSU (standard ATX version) are very well-built and can withstand tortures - I used older PSU (the same model I put in my PC) as a lab bench PSU, subjected it to 20 - 30 Amps overload, still kept going - however here, that's different since the 400+ Watts load represented by my own PC is continuous load-down while the lab bench PSU usage is more of intermittent usage.

rhr - My motherboard (Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2HP AM2+) uses ATX 2.1 (24 pins + Pentium 4 4-pin power) which is fairly standard by now, so... I may want PSU with SATA power plug as I have SATA DVD burner and two SATA hard drives here.
 
Well, that's understandable that this thread went cold... I think I could be okay with Dell PSU as long as I clean it regularly as the PSU held up to the fan I bought (Delta PFB1212UHE-F00 120mm 252 CFM fan - luckily for most/some of you peoples, the noises aren't the concerns but I use CI, and man it was so LOUD) - it went on long enough without shutting down, so it's kinda a good sign that I can keep using this PSU on 400W load for a while. The motor in the Delta fan sucks in 5 Amps starting current (not strictly 5A due to the firmware ROM in motor controller chip gradually speeding the fan up but still it would be enough to make some PSU very unhappy due to quite thick stator winding magnet wires) so it was more than enough to satisfy me about the PSU's worthiness.
 
Hm. You might find a free PSU if you have electronic recycling center near your area. The recycling center takes old electronics in and scrap them for raw materials. I'm not sure if they can let you take a look at old computers.

Try look at the thrift "hardware" stores and junk yards where they sell old hardware from apartments or old houses. Sometimes they carry old computer units there.

Be aware of junk collectors... they will take whatever out on the streets for little profits. I have some collectors nosing around my neighborhood for good junks early before bulk-garbage truck (dumper with mechanic claw) show up. I'm sure old computers will end up in junk yards anyway because of the collectors.
 
Yea, that's true, but even so, the powerful ATX PSU still consume nearly the same power as room heater (6 to 12 Amps, depending on the wattage of DC rails), and I decided to set Cool 'n' Quiet so that way it can go from 10 Amps on 12V CPU plug to 3 Amps when idling. It's not so much when surfing Internet, but playing game or do benchmarking would be a whole different story. On Dell PSU, at 115 Volts AC, the current draw sits at 10 - 11.5~ Amps. The Active PFC ATX PSU with microcontroller (or microprocessor) inverter subsystem/driver, they would consume much lesser power - still I would put it nearly same league as their older, inefficient cousin.
 
Back in April 2009, the PSU on my self-built computer tower died (I used that as a server - Windows Server 2008 R2), so I went to my then-uni (now alma mater - I'm a recent alumnus btw) 3 months later and they gave me a free PSU.

Works wonderfully ever since. It's a Rosewill kind.
 
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