PSU and graphics card upgrade advice needed

zalfuse · Mar 17, 2013

my current rig is

motherboard:Asus P8H67-m LE Series
processor:intel core i5 2400 3.10 ghz
Ram: kingston 4gb DDR3 (2 2gb sticks)
HDD:not sure havent opened case just know its 450gigs
PSU: 350 Watts (old pulled it off another pc)
Case:Thermaltake Xaser III V1000A
monitor resolution : 1920 x 1080
system usage :Internet Surfing/Gaming,watching HD Videos
preferred website :newegg
price range: for the PSU $60 - $180ish [no idea how much decent power power supply go for] for the graphics card most id like to spend is $240ish [going over the price is fine i dont plan on getting the graphics card for a while so i can save up for it but no recommendations past $300 xD ) mutiple suggestions with varying price ranges for both the psu and graphics card would be appreciated =)

Reason/why im looking to upgrade:

Im looking to replace the power supply as the current one i use iv been told is pretty bad. it works fine but atm i dont have two of the 3 case fans plugged in (had 5 fans forgot what i did with the other two) and do not have the cd drive plugged in due to the lack of power (one of my relatives friends chose the parts for my pc because i wasn't to knowledgeable about building a pc and i was told they couldnt be plugged because the power supply cant handle it or something along those lines its been about half a year) i can keep getting by with my current psu but id like to upgrade it because in the future i plan on purchasing a better graphics card then the one built into my motherboard. iv never messed with a power supply before and have heard if its to strong it can fry the computer so id like some advice on how to determine for future builds what power supply id need to choose and what power supply i should get to replace my current one also some recommendations on some good graphics cards that can play games on medium to high (game examples would be skyrim/sims 3 on high, planetside 2 on medium. tera or guild wars 2 high)

EzioAs · Mar 17, 2013

Get either one of these psus
XFX Pro Series 550W
Antec High Current Gamer 620M
Corsair TX650 V2

and you could probably afford an HD7950 as well.

AMD Radeon · Mar 17, 2013

corsair TX 750 V2
XFX 550
Seasonic 520/620 Modular
those are my recommendation for PSU

for GPU, 7870 GHZ

on sale
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/sapphire-video-card-100354oc2l

lunyone · Mar 17, 2013

How about a PSU and GPU for less than $300?

$45 shipped @ Newegg or $37 shipped from Amazon

Antec VP-450 450W ATX 12V v2.3 Power Supply
Amazon link for same PSU.

GPU that'll change everything for you over your iGPU

$170 - $15 MIRc = $155!!
SAPPHIRE 100355-1GOCL Radeon HD 7850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card OC Version

You should have no issues power this GPU up along with your other parts!

Total ~$200 after MIRc's!! If you wanted some more power than you could move up to several of the PSU's listed above by the previous posters. Antec/Corsair/Seasonic/PCP&C/XFX are all good brands to look at. If you go with 7870 ~$200-250 than I would go with at least a 500w or better PSU from the previously mentioned PSU manufacturers.

Deleted member 217926 · Mar 17, 2013

This should help you know how much power you need. Basically any single card system is fine with a quality 550w power supply.

http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

Stick with Corsair, Seasonic, PC Power and Cooling, XFX, Silverstone, Enermax, OCZ, Antec or the higher efficiency Rosewill units for quality.

ARICH5 · Mar 17, 2013

i dont beleive the antec vp is 80+

Spencer1 · Mar 17, 2013

A PSU that is too strong will absolutely NOT fry the computer, it will just have to work less, although it will be money wasted.

Who told you that?? :no:

As for the PSU, a good quality one of 500-600W or so would run you around $80 TOPS for one by Corsair, Antec, XFX or Seasonic, which are IMO the best brands that I usually look for.

There's a STEAL on newegg now on a PSU. This is $70 before the $12 off, and has a $20 rebate. Can't beat this! Also, it has 2 PCI-e 6+2 pin power connectors so you don't have to fuss with converters for your graphics card.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028

For a GPU, you could use some of that saved money to get a really nice one. Newegg currently has some 7950s up for around $300. Also, there are some 660Tis for around the same price, if you HAVE to have an Nvidia card

If you wanted to save some money, a 7870 should accomplish all of what you wanted there for much, much closer to $240 and maybe even closer to $200, if you catch a deal. Newegg even gives you 2 free games right now (Bioshock and Tomb Raider) if you choose to get a 78xx series card. It just depends what you want-that's the fun in PC building! :bounce:

Good luck!

P.S. you could plug in the CD drive on that system if you had to. With no dedicated GPU, especially, a CD drive that will only draw a tiny bit of power probably won't be a make-or-break for your system, although it wouldn't be the best idea for the long term.

EDIT: Wow, a ton of answers while I typed this up. Hope I still helped

andrewcarr · Mar 17, 2013

Actually your PSU can easily handle the CD drive. So much of what you said is wrong.

Here are three PSU and GPU recommendations I'd say are a good option for you.

PSU minimum- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026
GPU 7850 2GB- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161405
I've listed this cheaper option since it'll play the games on the settings you want even if it's lower than your price range. The PSU is the cheapest good PSU available (and is currently powering the PC I'm typing this on). This PSU isn't modular (the ability to plug in only the cables you need that helps to prevent clutter in the case).

PSU minimum- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027
GPU 7870- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161404

GPU 7870 LE- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131487

GPU 7950- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202006
The PSU is again the cheapest good unit I can recommend but works for this set of GPU's since they require two PCI-E power connectors vs the one that the 7850 needs. This PSU isn't modular. If it were me I'd stay away from powercolor in general since you're most likely to have coil whine (where the fan produces a high frequency whine that only bothers some)
and generally isn't built as well (will run louder somewhat cheaper components used). But it'll outperform the other cards below it and is bases on the 7950 GPU but has some cores disabled. These three all fit your price range and it's up to you how much you'd want to spend in the end.

Two other great PSU's.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151093
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151119
Only real difference is the gold vs bronze rating which just means the gold PSU has a better efficiency rating and to supply the same amount of power to the PC it will take less power from the wall. Both of these units are modular.

zalfuse · Mar 17, 2013

Wow those were fast reply's. Thanks for all the recommendations seems like the 7870 is the graphics card ill be aiming for as for the power supply ill choose corsair. is there any reason i should get the 650 watt
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139020&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=
instead of the 500 watt ? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027
if no ill probably go for the 500 watt since the money i save can go towards the graphics card. (also will there be any idk how to call it. side effects of using just the minimum power supply?)

quick edit of the last edit: nvm didnt notice the other one was the 7850 and not the same 7870 xD

lunyone · Mar 17, 2013

ARICH5 :

zalfuse :

The TX Corsair version PSU's are much better than the CX versions, IMHO, so I'd go with the TX 650w PSU, if you can afford the difference.

Deleted member 217926 · Mar 17, 2013

With an HD 7870 in my opinion you are fine with a Corsair CX series. The CX series is Corsair's budget line and when stressed by high end or multiple GPU configurations can have issues with the capacitors. An HD 7870 is a pretty low power, mid range card though and is one I will recommend a CX series for. There will be no problems with using the CX 500w model for an HD 7870.

lunyone · Mar 17, 2013

You are correct, but I just have been reading some of the CX line reviews and have been quite concerned about the quality that they have been putting out lately. Normally I'd say go with the CX line without hesitation, but if the OP can afford the TX line, I would say go for it. It's up the OP, but that is how I see it at this point in time.

EzioAs · Mar 17, 2013

Personally, looking at that budget and the rest of the system specs, I would get the Corsair TX650 V2 and the Sapphire Radeon HD7950.

You'd also get Crysis 3 and Bioshock with the purchase of the 7950.

Deleted member 217926 · Mar 17, 2013

lunyone :

It's because people see the Corsair name and don't realize not all their models are the AXi series. The CX line is fine if used for what it is......a budget power supply. Just don't put more than an HD 7870 or GTX 660 on one and it will likely last years. I have used dozens and only had one fail and it was a 400CX made by Seasonic. CWT uses lower quality Samxon caps in the current lineup.

lunyone · Mar 17, 2013

EzioAs :

I had to go back and re-read his OP and figure out what he had for a budget. I thought he originally said he had a $300 budget, but now that you mentioned this I see that he might have a $60-180 budget for PSU and a $300 tops for the GPU. If that is the case then he would have a budget of $480 for both (tops). With that in mind I'd go with the 7950 or 7970 and the TX 650 PSU.

Deleted member 217926 · Mar 17, 2013

EzioAs :

Good point. Hard to beat the current AMD game bundles. That's $100 worth of games.

EzioAs · Mar 17, 2013

lunyone :

EzioAs :

I had to go back and re-read his OP and figure out what he had for a budget. I thought he originally said he had a $300 budget, but now that you mentioned this I see that he might have a $60-180 budget for PSU and a $300 tops for the GPU. If that is the case then he would have a budget of $480 for both (tops). With that in mind I'd go with the 7950 or 7970 and the TX 650 PSU.

No wonder the 7870 and Corsair CX units gets the recommendation lol

zalfuse · Mar 17, 2013

sorry for not posting a solid budget i chose to put price ranges instead so i could see a larger variety of options im going with the corsair tx650 V2 (read the reviews for the 500 and im already paranoid about accidentally breaking parts when plugging things into my computer so reviews mentioning the ends breaking scare me xD )the graphics card is undecided for now ill take another look at it tomorrow morning (ill look into both the 7870 and 7950 [i was planning to increase my ram so ill be able to do that at the same time if i go with the 7870 but the ram isnt really need so the 7950 is looking pretty good im a penny pincher when it comes to my self but i do love my computer so its very tempting]) thanks for all the help and recommendations =)

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