• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

First build. How much power will I need?

C

CousinVin

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 11, 2009
Messages
393
Alright well I'm starting my own build, but I haven't bought anything yet because I'm still in the research phase, and I need some advice. How large of a PSU should I get, and still have room for later possible upgrades? this is the build I'm probably going to go with:

AMD Phenom II X4 940 BE
ASUS M3A78-T AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
Still deciding on RAM, but its will be at least 4GB to start with
HIS Radeon 4870

So I want to have something to power this, and still have some juice left over for if I intend to keep this build for a while, and be able to upgrade to a nicer gfx card and maybe even more RAM. I might end up water cooling it eventually, but right now I don't have the cash for that. Thanks for the help guys!
 
Are you going for say....quad fire 4870x2s? Then you'd need a 1000w+ ideally for that. If say just 4870 1GB crossfire, I'd say maybe a Corsair 620HX (see my sig), or the Antec Signature 850 if the 1000w are out of your price range. Though between the Antec Signature 850 vs the Corsair 1000hx, they vary very little in price. I'd choose the Corsair over the Antec for the extra wattage, but the Antec Sig 850 seems to have gotten stellar performance reviews in all the review sites while the Corsair 1000HX gets dinged for minor things.
 
i would go for a PCP&C 750W or the Corsair TX-750. both can easily be had for under 100 and right now you can get the red PCP&C for 70 bucks.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341011

that will be plenty for now and for most upgrades. the only time you'd need anything better if if you're going quad fire or triple sli. otherwise i dont see a need to buy a corsair hx1000 or antec signature 850 when they are more than twice the price
 
well I am trying to do this thing on a budget. Right now I'm looking at an Xclio great power 750 Watt since it comes cheaper with a bundle with a case.
 
the xclio included with that case is probably crap. you can't afford the PCP&C for 70 bucks? that really is an untouchable deal right now.
 
Did I also mention the PSU's i recommended are modular? :) But yes the PCP&C...why do I read that as PCP and crack...lol for 70 is a great deal but non modular.
 
sn_85 said:
the xclio included with that case is probably crap. you can't afford the PCP&C for 70 bucks? that really is an untouchable deal right now.
Click to expand...

yeah I would be able to do $70, but theres no guarentee that I would be able to get the MIR. They tend to be a pain to redeem. That is a good deal though. Maybe I'll just try and buy that first and then go for everything else later.
 
CousinVin said:
yeah I would be able to do $70, but theres no guarentee that I would be able to get the MIR. They tend to be a pain to redeem.
Click to expand...

I know you want to keep it cheap but believe me. A good PSU is a solid investment. More important than anything else in your computer IMO. Spend the money on it and never come back here saying, "zomg my psu blew upz what do i doz>?!?"
 
soulesschild said:
I know you want to keep it cheap but believe me. A good PSU is a solid investment. More important than anything else in your computer IMO. Spend the money on it and never come back here saying, "zomg my psu blew upz what do i doz>?!?"
Click to expand...

haha yeah sounds good to me.
 
Zero82z said:
BFG LS-550 for $60 with free shipping: http://www.buy.com/prod/bfg-tech-55...-eps12v-power-supply/q/loc/101/207955009.html
Antec NeoPower 550W for $60 with free shipping: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817103941

The BFG is a better-quality PSU, but the Antec is modular. Both are great PSUs, and are plenty for your system and then some. No need to skimp by getting a crap unit when you can get an excellent one for such a low price.
Click to expand...

The above PSUs are the bare minimum I'd recommend for your system, OP.

And yes like everyone said: Don't cheap out on the PSU since it will fuck you in the ass later on.
 
Zero82z said:
Minimum is an exaggeration. He's using a single video card, so I doubt the total DC system load will ever exceed 350W or so.
Click to expand...

He did say room for future upgrades so I still recommend those PSUs at a bare minimum. Besides, with either of those PSUs, he will be closer to the optimal 40 to 60% range of a PSU's output for quiet, longevity and temperature.
 
Based off what you describe your system will use about 350 watts as rated by a quality manufacture. Always, always, always go 30% above what you needed due to how power supplies work. You don't want to be pushing the power supply to its maximum continuously that will produce more heat, noise, and shorten the life of the power supply and when the power supply dies it may take your computer with it.

So make sure you get at least 450 but more like 480+ for the build you currently describing. A more accurate number though is not the watts a power supply has but the amount of amps on the 12v combined power of all the rails. (Combined power of all the rails, but don't add the rails up look up what they say is the maximum load combined from all the rails, since you don't get rail 1+rail 2 for doing that frys the power supply, for example your power supply may have 18amps on 4 rails you think that will be 72 but in reality it may only give you 56). For your build 34 amps on 12v is easily enough. 12v*34a=408watts, though the rest of the rails the 5 and 3 etc would provide the remaining 50 to 80

-----

If you are planning on dropping another 4870 you need to add 180 watts to the power supply, or 15 additional amps on the 12v combined rail. Watercooling is going to add even more.

Thus look at power supplies such as sn_85 suggested.

Brands that are very good
PCP&C, Zippy, Seasonic, Almost all antec, Corsair, Silverstone

Some ocz are good some are very unreliable, I would stay away from that brand in general unless you get support from outside who confirms its one of the reliable models.

Xclio is not a horrible brand, it is tier 3, while the brands I listed above are all tier 1s or 2s with the exception of the specific line of Antec True power series and Antec Phantom which are tier 3 and not tier 2
 
delvryboy said:
I swear I read good reviews by johnnyguru?
Click to expand...

You're probably thinking of the OCZ EvoStream 600W, which is build by 3 YPower, reviewed here. Decent but had poor efficiency and was very expensive at the time of writing. Last I checked, that PSU is no longer being sold.

Anyway, yeah, Zero82z is right. The FSP Epsilon platform that the OCZ GameXStream 600W is very unreliable and potentially damaging after 500W:
FSP BlueStorm II 500W PSU @ HardOCP
FSP BlueStorm II 500W PSU @ jonnyGuru
FSP Everest 700W PSU @ HardOCP
FSP Everest 700W PSU @ jonnyGuru
FSP Everest 900W PSU
FSP Everest 1010W PSU
OCZ GameXStream 700W
OCZ GameXStream 1010W
Sigma SP-700 700W PSU
Super Talent Atomic Juice PS-700 700W PSU
Antec Basiq 500W PSU
 
I think I'm just going to to for a Corsair 750 Watt and just spend the extra dough now on a quality PSU so I don't have to worry about anything going down as much as I would with a lower end brand.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top