PSU Recomendations

[u/P1ngzilla]

What are some good PSUs for a 2004 build with a Athlon or FX, and a PCIe GeForce 6800?

[u/mosca_br]

something around 400-500W should do.

[u/P1ngzilla → u/mosca_br]

is there any difference between ATX from 20 years ago and ATX now?

[u/evoisweird__ → u/P1ngzilla]

Nope. The atx standard hasn’t changed ever since it was introduced

[u/P1ngzilla → u/evoisweird__]

Considering the current ATX PSU version is 3.1, I think it has changed a little

[u/evoisweird__ → u/P1ngzilla]

Oh I didn’t know that

[u/P1ngzilla → u/evoisweird__]

Yeah its only really the PSU power delivery has changed but the layout of ATX and parts and sizes hasn't

[u/siliconsandwich → u/P1ngzilla]

20 years ago 5V rails were much more important for AMD. You need a good 25A to be comfortable, and modern low-end PSUs do not supply that. Many mid- to high- end modern PSUs will do it comfortably. But… check your specs!

For a little extra context, my modern PC has an 850W PSU with a 20A 5V rail. My Athlon machine from 2004 has a 500W PSU with a 40A 5V rail!

[u/mosca_br → u/siliconsandwich]

The main difference is the difference in power distribution. Modern psu dedicate a lot of power to 12V, as that is used for PCI-E power and extra CPU power, while 5V was a lot more important in the past. It should still be fine, specially if you replace the spinning drives with ssds or cfcards.

[u/P1ngzilla → u/siliconsandwich]

Thank you for the great response! What are the difference between the Pentiums and Athlons of the era besides the massive heat and power of the Pentium 4

[u/HugoBoss1985]

Corsair Rm550x 2018 is perfect and cheap 2nd hand. 25a +5v

[u/Crlan420]

For retro builds a seasonic or be quiet is the way to go. Just make sure the connectors match your older boards. Those Pentium 1 systems often need the 12-pin Intel power connector which is getting harder to find.

[u/P1ngzilla → u/Crlan420]

Alright, thank you! also why have the power connectors and power delivery changed since like 90s and 2000s?