Would a 500 watt power supply generate more or less heat?

[Scrubsy]

I have a 300 watt power supply in my case right now, but I upgraded my graphics card recently and now the power supply seems to get a little hot. Would a 500 watt one lower or raise the temp. of the case?

[Vinny]

How much heat a PS produces depends on the PS itself... but a PS that works harder does produce more heat in general so that would explain if you feel your PS is a bit hotter.

[Scrubsy]

So would I be better off with the 500w? I don't want to put my PC in any danger. I have played supreme commander for about 2 hours with full specs and while it gets hot it never seems to hurt the system.

[strikeratt]

Not only will an underpowered PSU get hotter for being over worked ... but it can also damage vital components in the computer itself.

More then likely a 500w PSU will be fine ... but if your talking about a power house computer made for gaming ... you may wanna go 700w or more.

[Scrubsy]

All I have in my case is one hard drive, one dvd drive, and my 512 card. Also a black light but that doesnt effect anything.

[johnnypark]

Go for a power supply that has a high efficiency rating. I have a Seasonic with an 80+ rating, and it's generally less warm than what I've used in the past. Here's a link:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151034

It'll also use less overall electricity, so it'll be good for your power bill and is more environmentally friendly.

The one I linked you doesn't have many reviews, but it's big brother, the 650W, has a ton of positive reviews, so I'm pretty sure most people just need more than 500W. I believe the one I linked you is the same one I have, and it's never been anything but stable and reliant.

[Scrubsy]

I was just going to ask what the best reliable/cheapest/quietest fan is. I have been reading good things about antec. I saw some cooler masters on sale from slickdeals but have read they are really noisy. Any tips? PS thanks again for the help. There are just some computer things that are over my head.

[johnnypark]

I've found 120mm fans to be much quieter in general, if your case accomodates them. I don't remember what I'm using in my tower, but go on Newegg and look at the highest rated case fans, read the reviews and see what they say about noise.

On a related note, that Seasonic PSU I mentioned is extremely quiet.

[Vinny]

While Antec generally is one of the more reliable companies, I'd back Seasonic or Fortron made PSes. They easily the best bang for the buck when it comes to power supplies IMO. A lot of companies use Seasonic and Fortron parts for their own power supplies.

I'm currently using a Corsair 620HX, which uses many Seasonic parts.

[Scrubsy]

Would this be enough for my machine?
http://www.coolermaster.com/products/product.php?act=detail&tbcate=22&id=38

I am running a dual core 2.2 proc.
512 2600xt ati
3gb ram
500 gb HD
and 1 DVD drive

Its a simple machine that seems to run fine now with a 300W power supply. I would just like to have a little breathing room. Also note that I am on a very, very tight budget.