Building new system, are these PSU's overkill?

verklighet

Weaksauce
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Dec 31, 2008
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Hey!

Building this system (any feedback on the choices are welcome)

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (link) ------------------------------ $189

Motherboard: GIGABYTE Intel P45 (link) --------------------------- $115

Video Card: GeForce 8800 GTS (link) ------------------------------ $170

RAM: 4GB (2 x 2GB) G.SKILL DDR2 1066 (link) ---------------------- $55

Case: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel tower (link) ----------------- $110

Fan (cpu): Zalman 9500A (link)----- $46

Harddrive(s): WD 640GB 7200 rpm SATA (link)---------------------- $75 (x2)

DVD-ROM/Burner: Samsung Black 22x DvD+R with Lightscribe (link)--- $25

Floppy Drive: Sony Black 1.44MB 3.5" (link)-------------------------- $8



I'm on a tight budget so I'm trying to squeeze in a little money saving on the PSU. The choices I stand between are:

Cooler Master 750W ATX12V ($149) and CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V ($119) (link and link)

For the price differences you'd think I'd get a better PSU if I went with the CoolerMaster, but considering the specs, they both are equally qualified for the system. Although you guys probably have a better eye for these things than me, so please do share your insight on this dilemma.

And oh yah, if you have any suggestions on the config, don't hesitate to mention them! I am not going for a high end computer but rather one that lasts for a couple of years of intense Photoshop/Painter/Maya work.

Thanks guys!
 
Sure the 750w is overkill but you have to buy something and if there is thoughts of expansion it will pay off. I am thinking your system is hovering around the 450w area or less actually.
 
You might also look at the corsair 620 and the PCP&C 750 as they will come it a bit cheaper and should still be more than sufficient. I like your build and have a very similar one planned myself:)
 
Maxburn, Yea surely I'm planning ahead, I don't know how far ahead, but I figured one of these two should be good for a couple of years. Thanks man!

BikePilot, Oooufff, if this is the one you mean then it's raising the price rather then keeping the budget! hehe Sure looks good though, but I'm trying to keep a low budget whilst till maintaining the caliber :) I'm glad you like the build, I'm really excited about it and I hope I can have it by the end of this week so that I can start playing all the games I've missed these past...4 years!

So guys, the wattage is all you look at, no other specs that I should consider? They pricerange really differs even though they all seem to have same wattage.

Thanks!
 
The 750TX is a great PSU and should run your system fine.

As a recommendation, I'd probably look into spending a bit more on the video card like a GTX260 rather than that 8800GTS (it also looks to be deactivated on newegg).

You can used the difference between the Corsair and CM unit (and a little extra more) to buy something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130434

Edit:
If you don't mind waiting a couple days. XFX is going to be releasing a ATi 4870 1GB which is on par with the one I linked to above and around the same price (sometimes cheaper).
 
Bisquick, Alright sweet, I think I'm gonna stick to the Corsair 750TX then. Regarding the GPU card, if I only I could afford that card, I'd get it instantly! But for now, I'll settle with the 8800 since it does function really well with all the visual apps I intend to use, and the games I play :) And you're right! It's deactivated, wth?? But I do have it in my cart still, hopefully it proceeds as usual when I click buy. Otherwise I'll probably be posting in the Video Card section, join me there then ;) Thanks Bisquick, much appreciated!

hossdaddy, SICK!! I looked through the whole list and the more I look, the more I realise they all do the same job, with different pricings/services, so Im gonna stick with the Corsair 750TX as it's in the same price range and their service seems to be really helpful! Thanks hossdaddy!

Everyone have been really helpful and I feel confident ordering the whole kit now, thanks again!
 
good choice, but if you are buying that 8800gts now you should let us look for you. That gpu is end of life and spending todays dollars on a one year old gpu isn't the best buy. Especially when considering the change in stream processors etc. What game do you play and what applications are you running?
 
Just to give you an idea, I'm running a similar system but with 2 4870s off of a 750w PSU and at load I'm drawing only 420W from my UPS (which is also powering 2 LCDs).
 
good choice, but if you are buying that 8800gts now you should let us look for you. That gpu is end of life and spending todays dollars on a one year old gpu isn't the best buy. Especially when considering the change in stream processors etc. What game do you play and what applications are you running?

Gonna have to agree here. With ATI 4850s running very cheap with outstanding performance, I would have to forego the nvidia cards and get much better performance from the ATI camp.
example: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102770

benchies to back up statement:
3DMark06_1024x768.jpg
Crysis_1024x768.jpg
Crysis_1680x1050_4x-AA.jpg


I understand this thread was about just your PSU, but if your on a budget, you might as well get the most out of your cash.
 
Video Card: GeForce 8800 GTS (link) ------------------------------ $170

As hossdaddy and PMildren pointed out, don't get that old card. Go with the faster HD4850 which can be had for around the same price range.
RAM: 4GB (2 x 2GB) G.SKILL DDR2 1066 (link) ---------------------- $55

Even with overclocking in mind, DDR2 1066 RAM is overkill for the Q6600. You would honestly not see the difference between DDR2 800 and DDR2 1066 RAM in real world apps and games so I recommend saving $15 and getting DDR2 800 RAM:
G.Skill F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 RAM - $40

Case: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel tower (link) ----------------- $110

IMO, the Antec 900 case is not worth any more than $80 w/ free shipping. IMO, the Coolermaster RC-690 case is of equal quality and cooling and better in terms of cablemanagement and easier to work than the Antec 900 case. So I recommend saving the $20 and getting the Coolermaster RC-690 case instead.

Fan (cpu): Zalman 9500A (link)----- $46

This is a much better HSF for the price (even with the bracket included):
Xigmatek HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle HSF - $37 & Retention Bracket - $8.50
 
Aaaah shoot!! Just when I purchased (about 20 minutes after my last post!), things started to get real good in this thread!! Maaaaaan.... :( I've waited almost 30 days for this purchase now, things has been sitting in 'My Cart' on and off for 30 days, as I've been posting in other forums for suggestions and just when I hit the jackpot Forum, damage is already done...crap.

Danny Bui, I honestly wish I saw your post before I ordered, that saved money I could've spend on some other small components I wanted! The 8800 I wanted was probably out of stock since newegg locked it, but I went with the EVGA Gforce 9800 instead since they seemed to be close to each other (right?...hm). Great point with the RAM, could easily have saved good money there, and invested in more RAM instead..maybe a future i7 will justify my mistake? :/ And dude, wow, the ANTEC 900, it's been looking so sweet and roomy yet it's a dust collector apparently and it's hard manage components within it...which makes it high maintenance...ouch, but it still looks good, heh. CoolerMaster lacks in visual value but it seems appropriate for my build, cool, clean and easy to work with. If the Antec gets to annoying with the dust, I'll prolly switch up, later down the road.
Even though it hurt, thanks a lot for the input Danny Bui, really!

PMildren, that graph scares me, my so called new-awesome GPU looks like a waste on there! hide it.. Hows neweggs return policy, can you exchange stuff just like that? Or is the damage not that bad, can I still keep this card and enjoy my time rescuing Gordon Freeman? Thanks for the insight PMildren, even though it stings ! Much appriciated.

Stanley Pain, hah...WOW. Just a slight overkill...things just got into perspective. Thanks for clearing that up.

Doomsday, Now here's another great moneysaver...I could've been saved. Since this is my first build I totally understand the value of (posting here..) researching beyond reviews online. Thanks Doomsday.

hossdaddy, Loyal helper throughout, same thing goes for your post, since I'm new to this forum, I really didn't expect anymore insight from it, cause you were helpful as it already was before. I thought I had a closure and I ordered the 9800. What do you think, maybe resell after couple of months and reinvest? Or is it still ok?

ScretHate, marketing owned me. Will put a sticker with that quote on my case.

Really, thanks to all of you, for taking your time and giving me perspective on the market I'll keep an eye on your guys posts. Good stuff.
 
if im not mistaken the newegg return policy is quite good. Call them and explain what happened, maybe they can hold the order. If they say too bad so sad you are no worse off than you are now. Most people rave about them, give 'em a shot.
And as Danny Bui sez "dont forget to post your pics when its built!"
 
hossdaddy, Couldn't hold the order. Guess since I asked for faster process and it was before 12.00. It's ok, I'll just go with this and upgrade later down the line. Stressing the order process truly helped though, ordered Monday, and Today (Wednesday) I received every part except for the PSU, which should come tomorrow.(Newegg truly rocks.)

I pulled out the case and prepared it for installation, looks so sweet I must admit, even though future dust will probably age it :). After that I got the Gigabyte EP45-UD3R mobo out and started installing the Q6600 CPU. Which went fine, expect for some 'screeetching' sound from pulling the lever down, so I pulled out the CPU to check for damage, but it was fine, put it back in, and moved on to the CPU Zalman 9500 fan.
Now here is where I hit my first wall. Zalman 9500 appears to be too big for this motherboard. Note that it is not the fan itself, it's the Clip lever that attaches to the Clip support socket, holding down the Fan. I posted the issue so you can see more in depth and pictures HERE.

Really bummed me out. As I've never heard anybody mention this problem before. I thought I did a good research on all the components and their compatibility with each other. Bah.

Could it really be true, Zalman and Gigabyte's EP45-UD3R does not work together in terms of space?

Ah well, I'm gonna stick with the stock fan untill I buy the ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler. Why that one? Because it's small, it fits perfectly with no complex clips that needs to be hinged down onto a lug and it keeps the Q6600 cool.

My PSU arrives tomorrow so I can finalize everything, hopefully :) I haven't attached the stock CPU fan yet, I figured I'd wait and see if anybody has a good solution, cause I don't wanna mess with removing thermal grease and reinstalling the fan if anyone happens to come up with a easy solution.

Alright thanks for listening and helping folks! And yes, Danny Bui and hossdaddy, I will post pictures of the final build :)
 
hossdaddy, Yea totally understood that, although this is the only way the clamp would fit. As mentioned, there is practically no room around the chipset for big fan setups, no rotation movement. I emailed Zalman for a replacement clip, and I'm gonna call Newegg tomorrow and see if I can either replace the Zalman 9500 with the 9700 or if they have a spare clip that they would let me purchase (would be soo much easier for both of us). Cross yer finger for me ;)

Alright, I expected to have my PSU in my hands today, sadly UPS decided to reschedule it till tomorrow, which sucks since I fly off to Denver tomorrow night. Anyways, I'll install the PSU, call Newegg, RMA the Zalman if I have to, and then just wait till I come back on Monday to see if anything arrived.

Stay tuned, I welcome more obstacles on this path toward my new build :)

Cheers!
 
Hey!

Back from weekend trip and can finally get back to finishing this build.

Okay, so to keep this up to date, I found a solution for the Cpu fan issue, instead of rotating the whole mounting bracket, I just rotate the Clip lever and carefully attatched it to the bracket lug's (veeeery tideous since it's not built to be put in that way). It's suppose to be inserted 180 degrees other way, but as you can see in the photos posted in the other thread, it won't fit that way on a EP45-UD3R mobo.

So as soon as I got that fixed, I put all the other components together and had my first boot-up. All the fans ran beautifully and all the Phase Leds lit up on the motherboard, but ofcourse, I had a blank monitor infront of me, and no POST beep came out from the motherboard. I put everything together very carefully, and since this is my first build, I don't really know many ways of trouble shooting. So if you guys have ideas, please do share your knowledge here, or under this post.

EDIT: Solved it, followed the guidelines on this link and it worked fine afterward.

Thanks guys!
 
Alright!!

To rap this thread up.

My first build went excellent! :) :)
Yet as most first timers, you always hit some walls! But with some troubleshooting, and always having internet ready with google, made it all easier.

The biggest source (besides hardforum!) for my build was PCMECH, they had a great tutorial that went through all the basics, which really sped up the process for my build.

So I received all my parts on the same day except the PSU, as you can read above. So I went straight for the Motherboard and attached the processor+heatsink to it. At one point I nearly gave up on the Zalman since it didn't seem to fit the Gigabyte EP45-UD3R. But after being frustrated for a couple of hours, I went creative and found a solution on how to attach it (ill post pictures when my camera is fixed) in another way than the manual recommended, more info here. The tricky thing with the heatsink was placing it down so that the thermal paste wouldn't ooze out, cause it was really tight space to move your fingers around. I had to replace the heatsinnk 2 additional times before I got it right.

Once I got the PSU (the day after), first thing that struck me was that this PSU really had A LOT of cables coming out of it. Confused and worried if the cable management would be manageable on the Antec 900 made me extra cautious whilst putting the components together. Again, I'll post photos when my camera is fixed. It was a hazel though. Getting the motherboard into that tight area with all the cables in the way, *pjuuh*, took a while. I stupidly made the mistake of grabbing my heatsink whilst putting the motherboard down and managed to rotate it about 35 degrees, which ofcourse smeared the thermal compound around and I had to reinstall the heatsink (for the 3rd time!). And to top it off, once everything was put together, all the fans would work but my monitor was black and I couldn't hear a POST beep.

So bummed out that my computer didn't boot at the first try. I once again turned to PCMECH forums, which had a great tutorial on how to boot your computer outside the case, with the main components only. This way I could check if all the main parts (PSU, GSU, CPU, Heatsink, Motherboard) were functional. And when I did that, they all worked perfectly and the monitor showed a display (!) when I booted outside the case. So the issue was just how I had put the components down into the case. So I reestablished everything in the Antec 900, even more cautious this time, and everything worked smooothly. Woho!!

Heres the link for the troubleshooting-boot outside case.

After that I installed Windows, all the drivers, applications and games ofcourse :) The video card came with Call of Duty 5, for free! Which I've been keeping myself busy with these past 2 days (online Nazi Zombie battle is FUN!). Installed CPUZ and Core Temp immediately to make sure all the components are doing their job right. (Any other suggestions for system applications?)

This beast works perfectly!! Soooo happy with my new computer and I'm overwhelmed by all the possibilities now that I have a speeedy computer again :)
Right now I'm playing through HalfLife 2 (again) and Portal for the first time, strongly recommend you guys try that game, it's genius, truly genius!

So next step is Overclocking and other system enhancements to make this baby be all it can be! I'm still waiting for my second harddrive so I can setup a RAID 1 storage system and hopefully have this build work even better.

I wanna thank EVERYONE that participated in this thread, you guys truly boosted my confident (knowing you fellas had my back) and I certainly hope you guys will stick around for my Q&A :)

THANKS!

I'll be back with photos.

Cheers
 
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