title pretty much says it all. I'm building a secondary F@H PC/Linux x64 experience toy - no Windows OS, no case, no case fans, no demanding 3D apps (AFAIK). I'll probably OC the CPU to 2.5ghz, but nothing extreme.

components:
skt. 939 Athlon 64 X2 4200+
Biostar TForce4SLI
2gb OCZ Platinum DDR-400
EVGA 7900 GS
80gb PATA HD
DVD-ROM drive
1 - 120mm Yate Loon medium speed case fan for CPU Cooler

I think that about covers it - will a PC Power + Cooling Silencer 310w PSU handle 24/7 SMP Folding w/those components, or should I look at something in the 400w range?

That PSU should handle it just fine. More would be needed for a videocard, but you're not using one.

the motherboard doesn't have onboard video, so I'm using the oldest card I have.

still think it'd be ok, or do I need to bump up the wattage a bit?

Ah, I missed the videocard. Please excuse as I have a cold.

You should still be okay with that PSU, the rig will draw about 250w under full 3d load. PCP&C rates their PSUs at a continuous wattage, so it's closer to most 400w units.

I wouldn't even hesitate to run those components on that power supply.

Yea, you're totally fine man Also, the video card is just gonna be chilling out anyways when folding

It's awesome to see people being so reasonable with power supplies. I bet you'll have no trouble at all with that setup.

I am running 2 overclocked Q6600s on 350 watt Antecs. I did have another one I tried to run on a 350 antec but I guess it was an old or weak PSU and could not handle it. The other two are working fine...

Looks fine to me.

awesome - thanks a ton to each of you!

@ Verran - current (and forecasted) energy prices pretty much necessitate conservation at every level. the silver lining in this case is that I can use a top-tier PSU w/out breaking the bank - which is easily broken these days

Indeed. Pretty cool to be able to get into a PCP&C in any range. It's also nice that PSUs are most efficient when fully loaded. Nice little bonus for those of us who don't go overboard

To be a little picky, generally between 20% and 80% load. 100% load will be slightly less efficient.
I can't find any efficiency figures on the 310W PCP&C Silencer, but I know it's not 80+ certified (which may mean it simply hasn't been submitted for testing).

I am just running the cheapest nvidia card with mine that Newegg had, the 7200gs, 1 hard drive and 2-120mm fans...

That statement is not entirely true as the guy from Arctic Cooling on the CeBit explained to me. Lower wattage PSUs are apparently extremely difficult to reach 80% efficiency (or the 80PLUS certification), but higher wattage models are really easy to make efficient. I have no idea how exactly it works, but that's what he told me and it made sense with his arguments (which I really can not remember ).

So which part of my statement isn't exactly true then?

Also, if you look at the 80+ list you'll find plenty of PSUs under 300W

In fact the only PSU that is Silver certified (85%+ efficient between 20% and 80% load) is a mere 270W

The leakage and waste matters less (and grows slower than power output) when you're able to dump 60+ amps into a single rail.

Thats pretty cool, i might try building something fanless in the future aswell. God i hate computer noise.