[Habu]

I'm building a new machine and I have a few questions about power supplies. First, here's what will go inside my case:

• GIGABYTE GA-965P-DQ6 Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard
• Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor
• ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler
• CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit
• Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200KS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
• BFG Tech GeForce 7950GT 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express

I'm planning on installing these items inside an APEVIA X-CRUISER-BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower and powering it all with a COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power RP-600-PCAR ATX from factor 12V V2.01 600W Power Supply. I'll be throwing in a few more things that I already have when it gets here like a CD/DVD reader/writer but that's about it.

From what I can see I can't tell if the power supply would fit this case... And even if it does I see that the PSU has a fan/vent on the top of it and I don't know if it needs/has enough clearance inside the case to be effective. Speaking of fitment... How do I know if my motherboard will fit the case? Also, is this a good wattage PSU for my selection of parts and is this a good brand? If not, what would you suggest keeping in mind I'm already a couple hundred over my budget? If necessary, I'm open to suggestions on changing my case or even other parts because I'd really like to find a way to lower the price a bit without suffering much on performance. ($1319.93 + 129.75 Shipping = $1449.68)

Thanks!

Edited by Habu, 02 January 2007 - 06:29 AM.

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The MB should fit easily in that case. The power supply shown in the newegg picture is actually upsidedown. you will notice that of the 4 screw holes you use to hold it in the case there is one that is offset toward the middle. If you look at the power supply opening on the case you will notice there is a dropped edge at the top left of the oprning. That is where the inset screw goes. So the fan will be on the bottom.

I really prefer to have enermax or silverstone power supplys anymore. They are the best and any build i do i always want the best. I'm not saying the coolermaster is bad, and i have used many different kinds. I know from the ratings which one's will make my life easier.

http://www.silentpcr...e699-page1.html

Unless you are into gaming the video card is overkill. I am perfectly happy with my Nvidia 6800GT 256MB video card that i use for video editing and everything but games. Your real expense is the E6600 and the motherboard. This will cut $150 out of the price.

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814125028

You could cut another $90 with a E6400 CPU, but that would depend on your use of the computer. I might not do that.

Your building a high end computer just when the prices for the CPU's and MB's are at their highest, so expect to pay for the priveledge.

My good basic builds are always around $1000 to build so your prices is not that bad for what you are getting.

SRX660

[SRX660]

The MB should fit easily in that case. The power supply shown in the newegg picture is actually upsidedown. you will notice that of the 4 screw holes you use to hold it in the case there is one that is offset toward the middle. If you look at the power supply opening on the case you will notice there is a dropped edge at the top left of the oprning. That is where the inset screw goes. So the fan will be on the bottom.

I really prefer to have enermax or silverstone power supplys anymore. They are the best and any build i do i always want the best. I'm not saying the coolermaster is bad, and i have used many different kinds. I know from the ratings which one's will make my life easier.

http://www.silentpcr...e699-page1.html

Unless you are into gaming the video card is overkill. I am perfectly happy with my Nvidia 6800GT 256MB video card that i use for video editing and everything but games. Your real expense is the E6600 and the motherboard. This will cut $150 out of the price.

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814125028

You could cut another $90 with a E6400 CPU, but that would depend on your use of the computer. I might not do that.

Your building a high end computer just when the prices for the CPU's and MB's are at their highest, so expect to pay for the priveledge.

My good basic builds are always around $1000 to build so your prices is not that bad for what you are getting.

SRX660

[AnthonyJ]

just remember never buy a cheapo power supply. no matter what the situation

[Habu]

Ok now in an attempt to lower the price I dropped the video card to a GeForce 7900GS.

I also looked at Enermax and Silverstone and found a 650w for a little higher price than I had before. But I have heard other people recommending these 2 brands so I think it might be safest to go with this: SILVERSTONE ZEUS SST-ST65ZF ATX12V 650W Power Supply 90 - 264 V

Problem now is some people commented about this one being slightly big for their case. Some had to fight with it to get it in there and others had to send it back. This worries me... I just need to find a reliable case/PS combo that I know will fit well together (with my motherboard too). I'm going to do some more looking and see what I can find... What cases/supplies have you guys used? That way I know those combinations work. Oh and would a 500w supply do the job or is that pushing it?

Edited by Habu, 02 January 2007 - 06:06 PM.

[SRX660]

I don't know why you think you need a 650 watt PS when you are only basically using about 350 watts. Unless you are planning big upgrades in the future like a SLI setup or more a 450 or 500 watt PS would do just fine.

http://www.journeysy..._calculator.php

Even if you consider the PS at 70% efficiency a 500watt PS would do just fine.

SRX660

[vraknari]

I don't know why you think you need a 650 watt PS when you are only basically using about 350 watts. Unless you are planning big upgrades in the future like a SLI setup or more a 450 or 500 watt PS would do just fine.

not to threadjack or anything, but wouldn't he be better off with the psu that has more than he currently needs? if he does decide to upgrade, then he will be on the right path versus having to upgrade the psu as well.

on the other hand, can having a too powerful psu be detrimental to a system?

[Habu]

From what I've read too much wattage doesn't matter because your components will only pull the current they need from the supply. The problems come when you exceed the maximum rated wattage for your supply and your components cant get enough juice to run properly. But he did answer my question about a 500 watt supply doing the job which can in turn help my cost issue... I'm still working on lowering the price. At the moment I'm actually looking at this 560 watt Silverstone. I'm still not sure if it will fit in my case but I guess I'll have to take a chance. At least no one complains about size problems with this one.

Edited by Habu, 03 January 2007 - 02:36 PM.

[SRX660]

The reason for mentioning a lower wattage PS WAS the cost issue. I tend to forget that many people do not build a computer every 3 months or so like i do. For some people i build a computer to match their price. So i was just trying to make a lower cost computer without giving up too much. IF this computer was never to be upgraded a 650 watt PS is overkill and not needed. A wattage calculator shows his current setup which i added 2 dvd drives, 2 sticks of memory, 2 USB devices, 2 case fans, and a few other pieces of hardware would only steady run at 275 watts. And if you consider that most PS's only run at 70% efficiency even a 400 watt PS would run this computer.

Does it hurt to run a high wattage PS? NO, it does not,but you are wasting your money on the cost of the PS.

SRX660

[Opt]

Not to interuppt but,....


That 7900 is a pretty stout card and ya you can run all that stuff with prolly 400w. I recently got a X1950Xt and is similar in some respects. The only reason I am mentioning this is because your board supports 2 x16 slots and that vid card needs a 6 pin connector. Perhaps you will upgrade and run 2 who knows. My point is that the recommended PS for my card is at least a 450w. With that 650 there is un wanted cost. To go cheaper maybe try a nice 500w. The nice thing is that the 650 you picked has multiple 6 pin connectors just in case your 7900 or 7900's do not come with them. Anyway that is my info...just take into consideration everything that is being connected to the PS.

[Habu]

I think I just found a good one. Here's a 500w Enermax with Dual +12V rail, 80% efficiency, modular cabling, 2 PCI-E 6-pin connectors for $109.99. Great ratings on it too.

ENERMAX Liberty ELT500AWT ATX12V 500W Power Supply 90V~265V (Auto Adjusted) UL, cUL, TUV, CB

I think this should be sufficient to power my stuff but I'm still not sure how to tell if it will fit my case or not. I guess I'll just have to take a chance and mail it back if not? I tried looking for dimensions at the manufacturer's site and everything but no luck... Are they all supposed to be about the same size? Should I be worrying this much? :-P