Are all of these parts compatible - Is 500Watts enough for this rig and other questions.

ProjectParadigm

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Hello, so recently I've decided to build a gaming computer instead of purchasing a pre-made one. However, I'm a complete beginner to building computers so hopefully you can help me.

My questions are: Is 500Watts enough for this computer build, is all of the parts compatible, would all these parts fit the case (I'm assuming it can as I am just modifying the GPU, CPU and possibly the PSU from my older intended computer plan) and are brands like Antec, Cougar and ThermalTake good (Inwise of PSU)? I've heard they have crashed/broken a lot.

My intended rig will consist of:
CPU: AMD FX-8320 (8 Cores @ 3.5GHZ)
GPU: MSI Radeon R9 280 3GB
MOBO: Gigabyte GA-970A-D3P
RAM: Kingston Hyper X Fury 2x4 DDR3
HDD: Seagate Baracuda 1TB
OD: Lite-On IHAS124 24X
PSU: Silverstone Strider 500W (OR If too less power) Silverstone Strider 600W/Your Suggestions

Thank you in advance. What would you recommend?
PS: I've tried wattage calculators, there were many different results, 1 being 475Watts, 1 being 424Watts and 1 being 550 Watts. I might take the 600W as a safe purchase.
 
Solution


I don't expect any problems with the extra fan installed.

terroralpha

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lulwat? the xfx low wattage "pro" series have been discontinued and mostly sold out. the cheapest pro series is 850 watts and costs $140. the low wattage pro series has been replaced by the "TS" series, which is even worse. and the old Pro series more or less have the same failure rate as the Corsair CX PSUs.
 

michaelhall

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http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/faq/id-2185279/power-supply-tier-list.html..... http://www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-Edition-Bronze-Semi-Modular-Supply/dp/B008O50WKG/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1410333885&sr=8-3-fkmr0&keywords=xfx++600.. get this in tier 1 highest quality
 

ProjectParadigm

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From the beginning I was planning on buying a Corsair PSU however, they were a bit too pricey for my budget intended setup. The Silverstone PSU was cheap and fell into the category of a budget PSU that people recommended was good. Can anyone finalise whether 500Watts or 600Watts would be enough as there are several people saying 500 and 600 and would the Silverstone be compatible as the first person said its 12V rail is too weak.
 
The components you have listed look to be compatible.
You haven't mentioned a case. This must have reasonable cooling.

I calculate the total draw at about 415W.
This is mostly on the +12V aril, and you should stay under 80% of rated load.
This means you are looking at a supply with a +12V rating of 44A or higher.
You should get this from a quality 550W supply.

The Silverstone Strider 600W supply is rated at 42A on the +12V rail. This is low for a 600W supply. The quality is not likely to be good.

Despite the comment made by terroralpha above, all XFX power supplies are made by Seasonic and are very good quality. The XFX TS 550 is an 80 plus gold rated supply and is rated at 45A on the +12V rail (higher than the 600W Silverstone). Personally though I would choose the XFX TS 650 which is rated at 54A on the +12V rail. Having a power supply better than you need will mean it will run quieter at load and gives you more room for error.

The Antec HCG 620 or 620M is another good option if available. This is another good quality supply manufactured by Seasonic. It is an 80 plus bronze rated unit with a +12V rating of 48A. Not as efficient as the XFX TS 550 or 650.


The Corsair CX600M recommended above is reasonable. It gets some criticism for using cheap capacitors which may have a shorter life span than better supplies. It is rated at 46A on the +12V rail, so again much better than the Silverstone. This is not the same quality though as the XFX or Antec above.

 

terroralpha

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it's DISCONTINUED!!!! newegg sold out. and amazon is charging $135 for it. for that much you can get a platinum rated Seasonic PSU. the hell with your tier list. stop throwing this kid off.



it was made by season to XFX specifications. and like i said, the "pro"' series PSUs that guy recommended are discontinued because they were junk.
 


Seasonic make power supplies for many brands.
The brands get some input, but I don't believe Seasonic has ever built a poor quality power supply.
The XFX series are discontinued because they were 80 plus bronze rated and have been replaced with an 80 plus gold rated model. The XFX series were great quality and very popular for being a top quality supply at a very good price.
 

ProjectParadigm

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Ah, I forgot, my intended case is a Bitfenix Comrade I believe it is a mid computer tower. I've also heard more criticism over good feedback on Seasonic PSU(s). On the site I intend on buying from (PCCASEGEAR.COM.AU It is Australian) there are no XFX PSU so my only options would be either the CX-600M or Antec 620M
 


That's pretty funny. Seasonic are literally the best in the business. Everything else is compared to them.
The only reason not to buy a Seasonic PSU is because you want something cheaper.

This tiered list is useful:
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1804779/power-supply-unit-tier-list.html

XFX aren't available in Australia.
The Antec HCG-620 is $99 and the HCG-620M (modular) is $109 from PCCG. Made by Seasonic, High Current Gamer series is Tier two class A in this list.
The EVGA Supernova 750W B2 is $109. Very good supply, much higher rated than you need but good for the price. Tier two class A.
The gold rated version of this, the G2 is $149. This is tier 1.
The Seasonic G 550 is $115. 80 plus gold, +12V rating of 45A. 650W (+12V rating of 54A) version is $149. Tier two class A.
Seasonic M12II 620W is $122. 80 plus bronze rated, +12V rating of 48A. Tier two class A.

In contrast to these, the Corsair CX series are tier 3.

There are of course much more expensive supplies available.
If looking for a cheap, quality supply the Antec HCG-620 ($99) is a good option.
If looking for a good quality, higher efficiency supply the EVGA Supernova 750W G2 ($149) is probably the best value.

If you choose that case, you will need to add a front fan to one of the optional mountings. Other than that it looks good.
PCCG sells Bitfenix 120mm case fans for $9 with different colour LEDs.
 

ProjectParadigm

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Alright, thank you VincentP, I'll most likely Antec 620 PSU. Just another question, would the extra fan be necessary? (I will most likely buy it either way but I'm curious how much the fan would pull back the temperature) As said I'm a complete beginner to building.
 


You have a 125W CPU and a 250W graphics card.
Most of this energy is converted to heat.
Think about how hot a 60W light bulb is.

Cases with a single 120mm fan are fine for integrated graphics or low power graphics cards.
With the amount of heat this system is producing, you need to bring more cool air into the case.
From the images on the site there must be a vent in the bottom of the case front cover to allow air in.
 
I'm not sure how tight your budget is.
The FX-8320 you have chosen is good value.
If you can go up to an Intel Core i5 though you get better game performance with a TDP of 84W compared to 125W for the FX-8320.
This will run cooler and quieter. You need to change your motherboard too of course.
 

ProjectParadigm

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There is a vent at the bottom of the case however the PSU covers it and I'm not sure what you meant by "front cover to allow air in" (Don't know if I'm an idiot or not, the sentence to me is phrased oddly). I intend on sticking to AMD and not upping the price anymore. I would upgrade to an i5 but the price is a problem for me. Maybe the Bitfenix Merc Alpha would be a better case (Seems better with ventilation). http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=25_547&products_id=18416
 

terroralpha

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seasonic makes whatever they are paid to make. the suggested 650 watt XXX PSU that was discontinued and had 4 star reviews on average on newegg with about 10% of the users reporting that theirs either failed within a year or were DOA. which is pretty standard for a bronze rated PSU with a 3 year warranty. exactly the same statistic that the alleged corsair poor quality CX series has. except the CX has a much larger sample size of reviews.

no one is questioning Seasonic craftsmanship. but seasonic builds whatever they are paid to build. same goes for any OEM. look at foxcon for example. in the same building they make $300 HP laptops that end up in the garbage within 6 months and apple notebook pros which work for many years and have the highest residual value of any line of laptops. whatever the company pays them to build is what they build.

Personally, I LOVE Seasonic PSUs. and I have an XFX Pro 1000 watt platinum PSU that i keep as a back up. this unit is identical to what seasonic sells under their own brand name and is the real deal. it is nothing like the bronze XFX units that were discontinued.
hd4g2Q.jpg


But as much as i liked that seasonic 1000 watt platinum PSU, my new Superflower Leadex 1000 watt platinum is just so much nicer :) it is quieter, and the currents stay exactly where they should be even under the most ridiculous loads. the 12V rail on the XFX/Seasonic was struggling a little when i was torturing a set of three HD 6950s unlocked to 6970 with 20% overclocks.
 


The sentence is odd because you have only quoted half of it.
"From the images on the site there must be a vent in the bottom of the case front cover to allow air in."

I'm not referring to the PSU intake vent. This case is designed to pull air in at the front and exhaust it at the rear. The images show some dust filters on the front fan placements if you take the front cover of the case off. I was suggesting that there is a vent in the bottom of this cover, because I'm not sure how else air can get in to these filters and fan placements. There is an image on the bitfenix site showing the bottom of the case with the cover on but I missed this before. The vent is a slot in the bottom this front cover, which is fine I guess. It won't be super quiet but should cool OK with the extra fan.
 


A manufacturer doesn't have to produce anything they don't want to. All of the PSUs Seasonic sell under other brand names are modified versions of their own designs. While some OEMs might choose to make rubbish along side top quality gear, Seasonic does not.

The XFX Pro series supplies got great reviews from professional reviewers. User reviews are not really indicative of failure rate since most people who don't have any problems won't write a review.
The XFX XXX series were generally considered to be even better (tier 1 rather than tier 2 class a on that list that is posted in so many places by now).
 

ProjectParadigm

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So, I would have to remove my front cover in order to have proper airflow and the extra fan to operate properly. Seems fair enough. Should I upgrade to 2 fans while I'm at it? Or do you think 1 extra fan should be enough. Also wouldn't the HDD layout block the air flow? Maybe I should just go with an entirely different setup.
 


The case was designed to use the slot for air flow, it just may be a little noisy.
I can suggest more quiet cases but they will be more expensive.
If you can drop down to a micro-ATX motherboard, the Silverstone TJ08-E is good.
Larger cases from silverstone that are quiet with good cooling potential are the RV02-E, RV03 and RV04 in the Raven series or the FT02 or FT04 in the fortress series.
There are a lot of other options out there, but I mostly use Silverstone.
You want a case that has slow moving fans (which are typically larger to maintain airflow) and unimpeded airflow.
A great site for reviewing cases with respect to cooling vs noise or http://www.silentpcreview.com/