mito said:
According to this spec I read somewhere, the ideal PSU should have the following amperage for 12V:
Opinions and criticisms are very welcome!
This is completely false. 16 amps on 12v is nothing these days. The problem when talking about power supplies is that it is mostly the overall wattage that is described. To make matters even worse, many power supplies are specced at the draw, not the output. That is to say, they claim 500 watts, but that is what it can take in and then, given the effieciency, you get less out, into your actual system. Better/more honest brands will talk about the sustained output, not the peak draw.
Another problem is that PCs used to depend heavily on the 5 volt supply for the core components. Newer PCs are more dependent on the 12 volt supply, as evidenced by the dedicated 12 volt four-pin CPU supply connector. This means there has been a shift in what voltages is used where and in today's PCs the 12 volt line is much more prominent than before and more important than the 5v or 3.3v.
16 amps at 12 volts is
only 192 watts. Some CPUs are close to thirsting this, but of course they have capcitors helping out. If you are looking to add some
real 3D hardware, also drawing from the 12v line, you will need even more.
Nvidia wasn't kidding around in their specs for a high powered PSU when releasing GF6. Nobody wants to pin themselves under the mercy of the power supply, but at some point you have to accept that you need adequate power to maintain a system; Nvidia card or not.
I would say that a good starting point for a modern PC is around 20 amps on the 12 v and this being sustained. Many trash brands want to give the impression that they give power, but you can often get away with less if it is truly sustainable. 16 amps could be acceptable if, and only if, that level is a guaranteed minimum and the PSU can peak higher when needed.
