I am in the process of a new build and I am seeking advice for what PS to use with a P180 case. I have no desire to mod my case to make wire runs. (For those that don't know, the PS sits on the bottom of the P180 case and requires longer cables to follow the designed path).
Will be using:
- Asus PB5 (either the deluxe or -e)
- e6600 (will want to overlcock to 3.2 range
- 2GB of Corsair 800
- at least 5 disk drives (4 in raid 5 array & one more that is removable for sata transport)
- ATI AIW card....not certain which one as of yet. Might go with 2 cards, but not in Crossfire/SLI config, one graphics card, one for video capture
- 2 DVD drives
- several USB periphs
Machine will require some horsepower, any suggestions?
I have been looking at the Corsair 620HX, but they are new to PS market. I like the idea of the modular cables (I know that there are some drawbacks in lost power and the increased potential for broken connector pins, but I don't think it's a huge issue.....is it?). Should make it easier to pull the cables.
I hear good things about PC Power (silencer 750), but I have also heard that the cable length is short and that it's a pain in the rump to pull the cables through.
Antec makes great power supplies, I an open to their offering as well.
If you have your heart set on the Corsair 620HX then just buy it. Corsair does not make thier own PSU. Seasonic makes PSUs for Corsair who simply slaps a sticker on it and sell it as their own.
Seasonic is a well known and respected manufacturer of premium PSUs.
My heart is not set on the Corsair, but it is on the short list (the list is short because I am not that familiar with the PS market...most of my bukds have been with antec cases with PS already installed).
Any PSU should work (in terms of length) as long as you use extension cables for the 8-pin CPU 12V connector and any optical drives in the topmost bays. Everything else should reach.
Only other thing to mention is wether to consider getting a seperate capture card and videocard.
I have an AIW9800SE, still isn't a bad piece of hardware, though I wouldn't like to throw anything too new at it. The only reservation I have about it is that there is quite a lot to install on the software front i.e. ATI video drivers, their drivers for the capture side of things and the multimedia centre stuff. Quite frankly my card has always been quite picky with what combination of drivers will work.
If you don't do any gaming it shouldn't be much of a problem, if you do game however it may e cheaper in the long run to get seperate cards. Unless of course you've found one of the AIW at a bargain price.
I just recently completed a build with the p180. I used the Antec Earthwatts 500W psu with no problems whatsoever.
My setup is:
P180
Antec Earthwatts 500w
Intel D975xbx2 mobo
2x 1024 Corsair XMS2 DDR2 800 (4-4-4-12)
Core 2 duo E6400 Oc'd from 2.13 to 2.4 Ghz
300 gb Seagate SATA2
ATI radeon X1650 pro 512 mb
Edit: Since you have so many hard drives, I would put them all in the lower HDD compartment, those silicon grommets do wonders for the noise from vibrations ( and keeps my drive nice and cool ).
Also, for some extra cooling in my p180 I bought another Tricool 120 mm fan from best buy and mounted it using the included clips on the upper hard drive bay.
I am well aware of the AIW software/driver/pickiness issues. Been using the cards for several years now. They have always given a good value in terms of capture and the ability to run games.
I currently have an x800 AIW, but it's an AGP card, so I will need to upgrade to a PCI-e. Kinda sucks because the card will handle my needs for the immediate future.
