Need some assurance on an upgrade!

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jpavs688

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Jul 1, 2011
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Hey guys.

I'm looking to update my current build with three things:

1. 750W PSU (upgrade from 600W): http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438017
2. 240GB Kingston SSD: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820721108
3. Antec 900 Mid tower case: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

So, I'm pretty sure there's no compatibility issues, however I just wanted to ask you guys before I order because I'm not an expert. The questions:

1. Is the 240GB SSD enough for my OS and a few games? I'm assuming it is.
2. Will that case fit a Radeon 7870 Double D? (http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150605&cm_re=radeon_7870_double_d-_-14-150-605-_-Product)
3. Opinions on the parts?

I appreciate all of your responses. Looking to possibly purchase all of this tomorrow (June 20th) so I'll be checking the thread often.
 
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Icaraeus
As long as a storage drive has more than 20% of space free then you're good to go. In HDD terms, as long as you have ~200GB remaining you won't have any slowdowns. My SSD is 120GB, I've eaten up 80GB space (40GB free - 1/3rd - 33%), and I boot up my computer in less than 10 seconds and wake it in 1 second from sleep time.
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jpavs688

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Currently, I have the following:

Case: Rosewill Challenger
CPU: AMD FX-8350 Eight Core 4.0Ghz
GPU: AMD Radeon 7870 Double D 2GB
RAM: 8GB Corsair Vengeance 1600
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 (http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131873&cm_re=Asus_Motherboard-_-13-131-873-_-Product)

Also a Corsair H60 for the CPU.

 
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Icaraeus

Icaraeus

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An SSD will help immensely with everyday computer use. Even an 120GB SSD is enough, though you have to manage what you install. I have my OS, MS Office 2013 Pro and a couple of games (Battlefield 4, Goat Simulator..) on my SSD and I have 40GB remaining. With 250GB you can fit lots of stuff, but IMO 120GB is more than sufficient.

Unless you're SLI'ing/Crossfiring/Dual-GPU'ing your computer you don't need 750W. 550-650W is more than enough. Also, if your PSU is only a couple of years old then you should keep it a bit longer.

As for the case, any ATX case is perfectly fine. Really the only reason to get a new case is if it's completely broken or you don't like it. Cases are purely for aesthetics. I spent $150 on my case (Fractal Design R4 from Australia). Again, purely for aesthetics - I could have spent $30 on some case if I wanted or even repurposed my case from my first computer I ever owned 12 years ago.
 
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jpavs688

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Thanks for the response, Icaraeus. I've actually been getting a BSOD rarely, maybe once every 2 weeks and after looking it up, it seems it's due to insufficient wattage. I'm not 100 percent sure about that, because I've had the same PSu for around 3 years now and I've never had that problem before.

I could probably hold off on the PSU as I can deal with a blue screen rarely, and hopefully it's a minor issue. The case is pretty much for aesthetics, yes, but also for the large fans that are included with it. My case I currently have is pretty ugly and quite a bit of dust piles up on the front mesh parts of it, so I just feel like I need to make a change in that regard.

I wasn't sure about the size of the SSD; if you think 120gb is enough then I'd certainly rather save myself some money and get that instead. I plan on putting Windows 7 Ultimate on it and probably 4-6 games at most. I don't use any editing programs or anything of that nature.

Any other input?
 
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jpavs688

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Also, I read that my used space on my HDD should be less than the SSD's size. I currently have about 340gb used on my HDD, so I'd have to cut that down to less than 120 gb in order for the SSD to work properly?
 
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Icaraeus

Icaraeus

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You should probably replace your PSU now if it doesn't seem to be performing well, also since it's 3 years old. Especially with un-named PSUs or cheap ones, if the PSU goes then it could take everything with it. Some PSUs have voltage protection or something so if it dies nothing on your computer goes with it, though those cost a bit. I'd go with the PSU you wanted to buy - it's very good for the price.

If you don't like your case then get a new one. Again, purely for aesthetics. As long as it's clean from dust then it performs just fine. I only have 1 case fan and my temperatures are perfect and I can't hear my PC at all. 120GB is enough for an SSD. You should fit all of your games on the HDD. Very few games take advantage of an SSD; maybe less than 10 games in existence. A HDD is already fast enough as is. The only game I have that takes advantage of an SSD is Battlefield 4, so that's the only reason I put it on my SSD. My other dozen games are on my HDD and load fast enough as is.

As for used space, as long as you have more than 1/4 of free space on a storage drive you're fine. I have 1/3 free on my SSD and I don't need to put anything else on it.
 
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jpavs688

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I'm completely new to the SSD thing... do I have to have less space used on my HDD in order for the SSD to function? I mean, I have around 330gb used on my HDD currently. Not sure how much Windows 7 takes up of that 330, i'm guessing quite a bit?
 
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Icaraeus

Icaraeus

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Windows 7 as an OS takes up less than 40GB of space. HDDs and SSDs have nothing in common, apart from storing and accessing data. If you decide to get an SSD, to take advantage of it, you'll have to install your OS on it. You can have 1% free space on a HDD and 80% free on an SSD and the SSD won't be affected in the slightest, but accessing anything off your HDD will be extremely slow.
 
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jpavs688

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Gotcha, so it's recommended to have as much free space on the HDD as possible for it to work as best as possible?

In your opinion, if I go with the 120GB SSD, how much free space should I have on my HDD out of 931gb? Currently, I've used 332/931gb, leaving 598gb.
 
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Icaraeus

Icaraeus

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As long as a storage drive has more than 20% of space free then you're good to go. In HDD terms, as long as you have ~200GB remaining you won't have any slowdowns. My SSD is 120GB, I've eaten up 80GB space (40GB free - 1/3rd - 33%), and I boot up my computer in less than 10 seconds and wake it in 1 second from sleep time.
 
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