# Specific 3D Printers, Scanners, & Hardware > RepRap Format Printer Forum >  Best Power Supply for a RepRap?

## Lindros_bigE

Any suggestions on a decent priced power supply for a printer I'm building for a friend?  I don't want to spend too much money, but I also don't want one that will burn out after a few weeks.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

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## Gowtham

Use 450 W PSU which is used for Computers, cheaper and good  :Smile:

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## BlackDragon

Most people swear by this one:
http://www.dhgate.com/product/dc-12v...141191611.html

It has a bed of screw terminals across the back, so you don't have to crack the case and rewire it.

The PC power supply is an ok idea, but unless you get a modular supply, you will have a lot of extra wires to manage.  Having said that, if you have extra items that need power (extra extruders, bigger heat bed, print-area lighting), then a PC supply would be nice, because if you upgrade it, you just unplug the old and plug in the new.

It's kind of a justgement call, based on personal preference.

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## Jeremia_Munchkins

I've always heard that we should stay away from Alibaba and DHGate.  Aren't these sites kinda gimmicky?

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## DrLuigi

Every PC power supply of about 400-500 watts will be enough,

You should pay attention if it has enough 12V cables with enough Amps on it.

I had a gigabyte superb 470w , works as it should and only was 30 euros i guess.
Only had to cut a few cables, put it in my ramps and its good to go.

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## BlackDragon

Jeremia,
   I've seen the same complaints about those sites.  I was just pulling it as a reference photo, not a recommeddation on where to buy from. (my bad)

   However, you can get the same item through eBay or Amazon for about the same price, and I've seen lots of folks swear by them on both sites, as well as in the RepRap Forum.

not that my opinion is worth much, but once I get the rest of the finances secured for my printer, I'm planning on running one of these.

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## Razorette3D

Jeremia, you just have to be careful when shopping on DHGate.  Be sure to read the seller reviews before placing an order.

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## Aaron

This looks like a dependable one for a fairly reasonable price:

http://www.staples.com/Antec-VP-450W...product_928656

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## BlackDragon

As an IT professional, I can verify that Antec is a good brand.  You should like that power supply.

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## MeoWorks

I use model S-400-24 I found from a US eBay seller. It's been working great for well over 7 months. Just make sure reviews are good and you should be safe.

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## ScharkAlvin

Just a thought.  Most of the power (11A or more) will go to power the bed heater.  From what I can tell the temperature of the bed heater is controlled by the bang-bang methode (ie: on/off, no PWM).  SO you could use the bed heater output of your controllor board to switch a relay, which in turn switchtes the bed heater on/off.  Now you could run the heater on AC using a LV transformer instead of the supply, and you'd need only a 5-6A supply at 12v to run the entire printer.  That's what I intend to do, I'm building a home made bed heater from a thin aluminum plate and a bunch of 5w sand resistors.  It will be powered off of an 18-0-18 volt 6A (at 36v) transformer and I'll switch it on and off in the primary using a SS relay.

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