Is one CPU power supply enough?

[JRobATL]

Hi all,

I have a few additional computers that I've been harvesting for parts. Before I decide to toss or to keep some things, will one cpu's power supply be enough to power the computer, and 4 players' worth of LEDs and controls, or do people ever find the need for a second power supply in their Mame cab?   (Not including additional external lights or cooling fans or anything that has a typical outlet plug -- just looking at the 5v and 12v items listed above)

This is a Dell slim cab, if it matters.

[baritonomarchetto]

You should take note of the power your PSU can deliver on 5V and 12V and exactly what are you connecting to them, meaning how many components (leds, motors, whatever) and how much each of them consume.

[JRobATL]

Yes, I should do that.

However, I was hoping that a more experienced member would be able to chime in with a "yeah, any standard psu will have more than enough for 4 players" or conversely, "ehhh, it could be pretty close, you may want to hold on to a second power supply."

[baritonomarchetto]

I think I am experienced enought to tell you that without those info (the PSU specs as minimum) you cannot have an answer

[JRobATL]

Fair enough. 

I believe the pertinent info is on the attached image. max power is 240W. I don't know what the different 12V amperages represent.. I'm assuming 12Vcpu is for the cpu only, the main would be for everything else I could attach to a molex, and the sb is for USB power?

And just to be clear, when I said "more experienced member", I meant more experienced than me, not more experienced than you. I certainly would not want to insult you or anyone else on this forum. 

[JDFan]

Would still need more info -- From the pic you posted it shows possibly 2 12V rails inside the PSU separated to Main and CPU -- each capable of handling 16Amps which would mean 192W ( Amps x Volts = Watts) yet the PSU can only handle a total of 240W combined which is no where near 2 x 192W - So the 2 rails combined can not gt anywhere near full capacity of either in actual usage - ie. if fully using the 192W for the CPU that leaves only 48W for the Main.

At 240W it probably will not be enough but again that all depends on what you are using ( ie A CPU can be anywhere from 55W to 125W by itself depending on the model - then are you planning on having a discrete video card or using a CPU that has video built in ? A system with a decent discrete graphics card can easily use more than 240W just for the CPU and VIdeo card.

SO what he is trying to get across to you is whether a specific size PSU is enough will only be able to be known if you know all of the components being used and the specifics of the PSU - without that info there is no way to answer your question.

[Alaska]

What emulators are you running, and what graphics card are you using? For me that was the primary factor that necessitated a beefier PSU. Just my two cents, 240W is rather low.

Graphics card CPU info here:
https://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

[JRobATL]

SO what he is trying to get across to you is whether a specific size PSU is enough will only be able to be known if you know all of the components being used and the specifics of the PSU - without that info there is no way to answer your question.

I appreciate the help. I believe you actually have answered my question, which was whether or not I should toss the other power supply, and the answer is a resounding "NO".    It's not an order of magnitude in the clear, so it'd be best to hang on to it.

Alaska, I'm just running Mame and an older video card. Radeon R5 340X. It's not on the chart at the link you provided, but techpowerup.com states it's a 65W max draw.  ...so, I'd say pretty low compared to modern GPUs.

[Alaska]

SO what he is trying to get across to you is whether a specific size PSU is enough will only be able to be known if you know all of the components being used and the specifics of the PSU - without that info there is no way to answer your question.

Alaska, I'm just running Mame and an older video card. Radeon R5 340X. It's not on the chart at the link you provided, but techpowerup.com states it's a 65W max draw.  ...so, I'd say pretty low compared to modern GPUs.

Nice! I don't think you would have any problem then.