Quick Question on power supplies and changing them

[warcraft7]

hey guys quick question...i just took apart an old dell and am putting it back together in a case that im saving for my gaming computer for pratice since i have no experiance doing this...

basically it has a very long 180W power supply that fits but wouldnt be ideal...and i have an old 350W power supply that fits perfecly in the new case...so if i were to hook up the more powerful one would it fry the motherboard or something like that? There also a switch on the new one to go from 115V to 230V...should i just leave it on the lower setting?

Thanks for any answers guys

Case is the HAF 912

 

[Slapshot136]

a higher-rated power supply won't hurt.. the system uses as much as it needs, up to the power supply's maximum

the 115V/230V depends where you are.. in the U.S. the power from the wall is at 115 volts, in Europe and other places it's 230 volts - leave it on the correct setting or you will probably fry the PSU

 

[MrBrooks]

As a low-end computer that would only be used for work, a 350W PSU would be perfect for that scenario. Unfortunately you are going to build a gaming computer. The 350W PSU would not be able to cope under the mass amount of stress the hardware will perform at. Ideally you will be looking at a 500W PSU minimum, and recommended at 600W/650W. As you are purchasing a new case, I presume it's the Cooler Master HAF 912, you will need to look at a new PSU. Also, what are the specifications of the gaming PC you are building? Intel 'i' series, AMD Athlon/Phenom/FX series? What GPU, etc? I can suggest power supplies given the specifications of the new build.

Leave the voltage set to what the wall socket will output. Anything higher and it'll almost certainly fry the component, or blow the fuse.

Conclusion: The 350 watt PSU won't be able to cope with the stress of the new components, thus you will need to purchase a new PSU (600W recommended) in order for the computer to function fully and not get throttled.

 

[warcraft7]

thanks for the info ...upon testing the 350W by plugging it into the motherboard...it doesnt work...at all...but at least it didnt blow up the computer!