PSU for TT Armor?

TheeZy

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Hi, I plan on building a new budget gaming system to use at home and at the many LAN parties I host and visit.

My current choice of case is the Thermaltake Armor ATX full tower. I know it's heavy but I don't mind carrying it around, and I like the size and sleek cool look.

Now my question is what power supply to get for this case. Here are some considerations:

1) I've read many reviews on the case and most say they had problems with getting the power supply installed due to size of something. I need a power supply that will fit.

2) The Armor case has four fans, I think. The power supply needs to be suitable for that. I'm not really technically proficient so I'd rather not have to try to manually mess with anything.

3) Im going with a AMD X2 3800+, 2gb DDR, Geforce 7900GT, 1 hard drive, etc, so I doubt I need a heavy duty power supply. I'd prefer to stay on the safe side and over buy than under buy though.

4) My computer is on a fairly low budget so I'd like to spend less than $100 dollars if possible. Reliability is probably the most important thing for me.

Please don't tell me to get Conroe, this is just a design and I'll decide whether to go Conroe or not after it's released and the dust has settled.

Thanks!
 

TheeZy

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Would it be worth getting a modular power supply since my case has a window? Would it look better or anything?

I like the Neo but I don't want to spend that much. How well will I do with a $70 SmartPower?
 

pengwin

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Would it be worth getting a modular power supply since my case has a window? Would it look better or anything?

I like the Neo but I don't want to spend that much. How well will I do with a $70 SmartPower?

Get the TP 550w its 10 dollars more than the smart power and much better.


As chuck said BFG one is good and the TT has room for u to hide ur cables.
 

czar1020

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I have the Armor and standard PSU hiding cables is not a issue.
4 fans, 2 120mm, 2 90 mm
If the PSU is long you may not be able to you the bracket that comes with the case. isnt a issue just letting you know.
 

TheeZy

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Are you positive that it has the cables to support all 4 fans? I thought I read someone say you have to mod it somehow to get the Antec TruePower PSUs to have enough cables or something. I don't really remember.
 

pengwin

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Are you positive that it has the cables to support all 4 fans? I thought I read someone say you have to mod it somehow to get the Antec power supplies to have enough cables or something. I don't really remember.

noo....fans usually connect via 4 pin molex and fans have ti set up so you dont loose a 4 pin molex when u plug a fan in.


Simply put. You'll be fine.
 

czar1020

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Also the two 120 in the armor they use a molex connector then have the speed wire(yellow) attachted to a 3 pin for your mobo, so you be running 2 cables per fan.
 

Eviltwin17

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usually any bigger power supply (450+) will fit in full tower cases. But my question is why are you getting a full tower case for lan parties? You want to get smaller mid towers for easier transportation. There are sturdy mid tower cases.
 

TheeZy

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As much as I'd like to get a top notch power supply I only get to work 8 weeks a year due to school and sports and can't afford to spend more than I already am. I'm not going to use sli or anything. Maybe a few lights in the case but that's it. The TruePower should suit me well.

Regarding the case selection, I'm getting the case partially because it is so big. I want to intimidate everyone else with my massive monster case of pure steel. When they look at my rig, I want them to feel the power. I want them to see how scrawny and wussy their machines really are.
I'm not a skinny computer geek so I don't mind carrying 80 pounds around. I just wish the case had lazers and a self-destruct button.

If you guys are sure that the TruePower will be compatible, then I'm going with that.
 

TheeZy

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Yeah, I wouldn't have minded the aluminium but they don't sell it in black for some reason. =(

Do you guys who own the Armor like it? I'm really hyped about taking it to my friends house after I buy it.
 

TheeZy

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I have one more question that I don't think deserves its own thread so I'll just ask here.

I've decided on the 7900GT because of its good price/performance ratio. I've also decided on evga as I hear many good things about their warranties, services, etc.

However, I guess there was a voltage problem or something with their 7900GT cards. People say it's fixed now and stuff but I'm not sure which card I should get. Here are the choices:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Brand=1402&N=2010380048+1305520548+1069609641+1067920129+50001402&Submit=ENE&Subcategory=48&Manufactory=1402&Ntk=all

Are the superclocked ones more likely to die faster? I really have no idea what the differences are between these. Reliability is probably the most important thing for me because of my limited money supply. Any help would be appreciated.
 

Gavman42

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I love mine, plenty of space, great cooling, and it looks great. if you are interested in a basic water cooling solution, you can now get it built in. Its basically their new big water kit with a radiator mounted behind the front fans.
 

Gavman42

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one thing about the PSU it goes in side ways, so if it only has one fan on what would normally be the bottom it ends up facing the side of the case. I'm not sure if this smothers it, but just something to think about. as to the 7900gt I have an xfx super clocked one and it runs fine. as to its longevity I'm not sure and since I plan to replace it when DX10 cards come out I'm not that concerned.
 

TheeZy

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one thing about the PSU it goes in side ways, so if it only has one fan on what would normally be the bottom it ends up facing the side of the case. I'm not sure if this smothers it, but just something to think about.
Can anyone explain this to me? I don't really know what this means or if this is a problem to me.
 

waylander

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The sideways facing psu is not an issue. They designed it that way so that it could cool the hdd's put in the top rear hdd cage. The fan does not face the back wall but the front wall so it draws air past the hdd's into the psu then expels it out the back.
 

Gavman42

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yeah he's right (I'm at work so I can't look at it) I just remembered one of my fans was partially blocked. but I've had no problems with it so...
 

Thorax

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I got the aluminium armor, because I wanted a big fat case that looked good.
It's very well ventilated too. The sideways psu mounting will not adversely affect the performance of the psu, neither the general cooling of the case. All in all it's a good design.
 

czar1020

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Id say 7900 gt is good thats what id get. Only problem ive heard of is xfx's 7900 the damn thing is a bastard child. Had them send me a new firmware for it, that fixed a few issues but during 3d mark 01 pixel test on the horse. damn thing would explode then system would freeze. evga i havnt heard them having problems.

And i love my armor case... They now make one with a 25cm side fan... if you want to buy it afterwards it costs around 30ish for a new panel with the fan.

all in all good case, i hate the front panels but w/e 10/10 fer me