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I have an Aopen H360C HTPC case, and I need to change the PSU. What do I need to know before I can do that?

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I'm not familiar with the case but, unless it is pretty unusual in shape, the size and attachment of the power supplies seem to be pretty well standardized. More important, I think, is the motherboard and drives because they determine what kind of plugs you need coming out of the power supply. Used to be there was just one big plug on the motherboard. Then that plug got bigger. And, last time I looked, there was at least one more (smaller) plug. And then there are the SATA drives that have a different power plug than ATA. You can get adapters, of course. Oh, yeah. Check your video card too. It may want it's own plug.

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As far as I know, power supply requirements are fairly straightforward, and are what you'd expect:

  • Can the power supply fit in your case?
  • Can the power supply provide enough juice to power all the stuff you want it to?
  • Does the power supply have enough of the right kind of plugs for the stuff you want to plug into it?
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Answer to point 2 and 3 is yes, Do I physically have to measure the unit to check the 1st point? – Mild Fuzz Mar 24 '11 at 9:20
@Mild Fuzz You can probably eyeball it; I expect they come in standard sizes. – CajunLuke Mar 24 '11 at 15:05
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It's a 250 or 300 watt proprietary power supply, per AOpen's webpage:

http://usa.aopen.com/products_detail.aspx?ctgr=44&Auno=2575&mdstl=226

However, this size of power supply is not uncommon. You'll need to make sure that whoever supplies it either tells you it is compatible, or you need to get the datasheet and make sure the shape, vents, and screws all align with your existing case.

Beyond that, don't expect to get a 400W supply - if you are swapping for more power to supply your new graphics card you may be out of luck, and might have to switch to another case.

Also, be aware that a newer power supply might be noisier than your older one, depending on whether the new one was designed for HTPC use or not.

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Note that the webpage link may not be the exact same model, but the two are similar enough that the power supply should be the same. – Adam Davis Mar 23 '11 at 23:40
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Disconnect the power, whip off the case cover and note down any brand names and model numbers on the PSU and then here or Google is your friend

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