[Pilege21]

Looking into building a computer. I am looking at a case that I seen on a couple different websites. Both are the same price but one offers a 450w power supply with the purchase. I checked on different power supply calculators and each of them said I only need around 380w of power. Would the 450w be ok or should I just buy a bigger one?

[LiveBrianD]

First off, this should probably be in the desktops or PC components section. (maybe the moderators can move it)

Second, what components are you talking about, and what cases and power supplies? Keep in mind that companies like nvidia and ati often overrate the power supply you need by a LOT. That's to make sure that if people use a cheapo power supply that can't provide it's rated wattage it won't blow up. If you have a quality unit, like an Antec Earthwatts (or HCP), Corsair, Seasonic, Silverstone, PC Power & Cooling, that's not an issue and you can get away with a lower wattage psu without a problem. Also note that power supply calculators (like this one http://extreme.outer...culatorlite.jsp) still overrate the psu wattage that you need by a bit. You need less than you think. (I'd still leave a little headroom though, just to be on the safe side.) For instance - nvidia says that I need a 400W psu (geforce 550ti and i5), that psu calc says 350W recommended, 300W minimum, and I got 300W from the wall when torturing the CPU and GPU simultaneously. That means about 250W being drawn from the psu, given it's efficiency at half load. (it's a 520W unit)

This post has been edited by LiveBrianD: 31 March 2012 - 11:00 AM

[Pilege21]

The case I was looking at is Apevia X-Plorer 2. Found some on eBay and Directron.com. The one on Directron.com comes with a 450w power supply. While others that I seen do not.

[LiveBrianD]

The power supply in that is probably a piece of junk and shouldn't be trusted. What components are you thinking about using?

[Pilege21]

ASUS M4A87TD Motherboard
Team Xtreem Dark Series 8GB
AMD Phenom II X4 965
ASUS ENGTX550 TI

These components I believe are around $410. Just trying to find a case and power supply that won't break the bank. I also have a simple cd/dvd drive, and a pc game, which ups the price by $60. My budget is around $600 and trying to be under that, with a pretty fast machine.

[coastie65]

Pilege21, on 01 April 2012 - 12:25 AM, said:

ASUS M4A87TD Motherboard
Team Xtreem Dark Series 8GB
AMD Phenom II X4 965
ASUS ENGTX550 TI

These components I believe are around $410. Just trying to find a case and power supply that won't break the bank. I also have a simple cd/dvd drive, and a pc game, which ups the price by $60. My budget is around $600 and trying to be under that, with a pretty fast machine.

Ok. Here's your Power Supply: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817703035 & Case: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811119233 That would bring your total to about $549.98

This post has been edited by coastie65: 01 April 2012 - 04:47 PM

[Pilege21]

How about this for the power supply http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817171031 I was going to go with this case since I like the two tone color with green http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811144260

This post has been edited by Pilege21: 01 April 2012 - 06:03 PM

[LiveBrianD]

I don't really like any of those. Instead, get an Antec Earthwatts 380W (if you aren't planning to upgrade the graphics card) or a Seasonic S12II 520W (for some upgrade room). For the case, get an Antec 300 - I have this and it's nice and plain, with good airflow, and it's very sturdy (not sure if the apevia is built well, though it is flashy). I also have that seasonic - it's quiet and reliable.

[coastie65]

Pilege21, on 01 April 2012 - 05:06 PM, said:

How about this for the power supply http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817171031 I was going to go with this case since I like the two tone color with green http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811144260

Hi. The case is fine and you should have good airflow which is good. As for the Power Supply, if it isn't at least 80 Plus Certified, you should stay away from it. The others are a gamble and if they should go bad, you could lose not only the PSU, but some components as well. I gave you a good solid suggestion on the PSU and I use Corsair in all of my desktops.

[Pilege21]

I think I am going to go with the Antec 380 PSU. May match the color of my case. I like black and green for the case. Not thinking about upgrading the graphics card. The one I listed is pretty good. A friend of mine has it and runs anything he throws at it.

Thanks for your opinions!

[LiveBrianD]

Sounds good. Just beware that if you want to upgrade the GPU to something higher than a 550ti, you'll likely need a better unit. If you want one that's colored green, perhaps you'll want to look at a higher wattage earthwatts psu? (note: I think the EA-650 is an older unit than the ones that end in 'D')

[Pilege21]

Is this a good Gaming PC?

ASUS CD/DVD Drive: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16827135204

ASUS Motherboard: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813131651

Antec EarthWatts 650W: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817371044

AMD Phenom II x4
Team Xtreem 8GB: http://www.newegg.co...st=Combo.881646

Computer case: http://www.directron...ioniiblack.html
Is this a good place to buy from?

[LiveBrianD]

I've never heard of that site (for the case). Also, you didn't list a graphics card. Without one, that won't get you anywhere. Actually, the motherboard doesn't have integrated graphics, so you really won't get anywhere unless you enjoy motherboard error beep codes.

The phenoms are getting outdated, and team ram isn't a common brand. I suggest getting a fairly cheap LGA1155 motherboard, an i3, and 4GB gskill ram (unless you have a specific reason for more, like virtualization or photoshop, 4GB is fine). Sandy Bridge just kicks the ass off any of AMD's offerings for gaming; even the Pentium is better than the FX-8150. Take a look at this: http://www.tomshardw...clock,3106.html The Pentium G630 is on par with a similar phenom to the one you listed (the 955). Basically, go for an Intel CPU for a gaming PC like this, period.

This post has been edited by LiveBrianD: 08 April 2012 - 07:44 PM

[Pilege21]

The video card is an ASUS 550ti 1GB. The team ram was cheap for 8GB with good speeds. Matched the same as the 8GB gskill sniper that was $50. The reviews were all positive and haven't found any negative ones.

[LiveBrianD]

For that gpu, a 650W power supply is a bit overkill, though I suppose if you ever want to add a second 550ti you'll be set. Another good one (on par with the Seasonic S12II 620W, from what I've heard) is the Corsair TX650. I know coastie has one of those.

[Pilege21]

Yeah, I looked at those to. I think this was the cheapest one. Plus you have always recommended Antec to me. So I am going to try this one out. If I ever build other computers for people I may try the others one. This way I have experience with different hardware and see which one works or doesn't. Then I can recommend these components to others. Thanks for your help!

[LiveBrianD]

Fyi, the earthwatts power supplies are great basic units - for a lot of budget builds, I choose the 380W one, but I don't think it's quite the best one for overclocking. It's hard to say though - Earthwatts power supplies aren't known for having the best voltage regulation and such (for overclocking), but they're still pretty good. I'd use one in a heartbeat for a lot of cases. I think the earlier ones were based off the Seasonic S12II, not sure about the newer ones. Anyway, you can't go wrong with it.

[Pilege21]

I'm not going to overclock this PC. This one is for my cousin and he just wants a gaming computer. He's not into the overclocking or anything like that. As long as it runs he is happy.

[coastie65]

LiveBrianD, on 09 April 2012 - 04:59 PM, said:

For that gpu, a 650W power supply is a bit overkill, though I suppose if you ever want to add a second 550ti you'll be set. Another good one (on par with the Seasonic S12II 620W, from what I've heard) is the Corsair TX650. I know coastie has one of those.

Brian, I am getting a bit weary of this overkill business. If the price is right, then go for the 650w and then you'll have the headroom you need as well. The 850w I have in here IS overkill, but my choice. If I decide to go with two GTX 680's in sli, then It won't be overkill. Point is, I'm ahead of the game with what I have. The prices on the Corsair 650wTX have been south of $100, and there is no reason not to get one if your budget can handle it and they are of known good quality. You are right in that if he wanted to add another card in sli, then 650 would be fine............maybe, depending on the card. Other than the overkill part of your statement, the rest is good. Yeah, I have a 650TX in the Gateway and a 850TX in the closet ( have the AX850 in here).

[LiveBrianD]

Just out of curiosity, I went over to that outervision psu calc, and it said that, for a phenom x4 955 and two geforce 680s in sli (as well as a hard drive and dvd burner), a 550W power supply is recommended. Heck, I could (just barely) get away with that on my seasonic if I wanted to! (with my CPU, it says 509W recommended) You could definitely do that on your TX650. (but then again, who has the budget for two 680s? ) Oddly enough, with my config, it recommends 116W more (for 625W) if I get two 580s, and 800W or so with two 590s. Only there would your AX850 be the right amount. They dropped the TDP on the 680 a bit from previous cards, like the 580, by ~50W.

This post has been edited by LiveBrianD: 10 April 2012 - 04:51 PM