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First time building system - need advice!

W

wesdog

n00b
Joined
Nov 6, 2007
Messages
14
Hello,

I'm sort of a noob to building computers so I was wondering if you guys could help answer a question for me. I'm looking to build a nice gaming rig for UT3 and I'm not sure which PSU to choose. Currently, I plan on building a system with the following specs:

Q6600 w/ G0 stepping
EVGA 8800gt Superclocked
2GB of Crucial Ballistix RAM
Gigabyte DS3R Rev 2.0 or DS3L (not really sure what the difference is?)
2x HDD - 36gb WD Raptor (from my old pc) & 250gb Barracuda (for storage)
1x Samsung 20x DVD Drive
1x Floppy Drive

Some people recommended that I get the Corsair 620HX, but I was reading these forums and it seems like the 520HX or the 550VX would work just fine. I've heard that the 520HX is underrated and it's really ~600W or so and I was just wondering if this will be a sufficient PSU for this setup. Some people tell me to just get any 600W PSU and some tell me that watts aren't the most important thing, so I don't know what's true and what isn't. I don't want to damage any parts because of a cheap PSU, but I also don't wanna shell out an extra $80 if I don't have to. I'm trying to stay in the $1,000 range. Anyways, any help is appreciated!

-wd
 
the DS3R supports RAID and i think the L is like a "light" version, meaning it only has 4 SATA ports and probably limited other things.

i'm probably just about to go get a DS3 myself, but i can't be bothered with RAID or Crossfire, so i think that spending $30 (AUD) or so less will be better.
 
Ahh, thanks soundguy. Any idea on the question regarding the PSU though?
 
wesdog said:
Ahh, thanks soundguy. Any idea on the question regarding the PSU though?
Click to expand...

yeah...you'll get n00bie responses like that... a lot. anyways:

http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

That power calculator will at least tell you what range you should really be looking in, for power output. remember to buy a reputable brand, and something with favorable reviews. I'm guessing anything in the 550-650w range should be just fine, in looking at your system configuration. I'd recommend:

Corsair HX series
TT Toughpower series
Antec TruePower Quattro series (wattage is probably well above your requirements, though)
Antec EarthWatts series
Seasonic
Enermax

Sorry, haven't looked in the range of wattage outputs that you are probably hunting for, so the actual model #s are not on the top of my head right now. Check reputable websites for reviews on models in your price/wattage range:

PC Perspective
Hot Hardware
Overclockers.net
Anandtech
HardOCP (duh)

You might also try PM'ing johnnyGURU, see what he has to say.
 
Why would he ever need more than 600W for an 8800GT SLI system, let alone 700 :confused:

Anyway, I would recommend the Corsair HX520. Great power supply and a good price. Plenty for a second card should you add one in the future.
 
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