PSU V RAM Which would you spend extra money on?

[Malazan]

I'm in a new build, i have almost all components sorted that i want, Core2 6300, Asus 650SLI, X1950 PRO, 25O GIG HD etc

Now i find i have enough money to either:

Get another 1GIG of Corsair XMS2 DDR2 DUAL CHANNEL 800MHZ or Upgrade from a 450W cheapish PSU or buy a 700W Tagan, which i believe runs 54A across the 12v rails.


I will be straight onto Vista which i'm told really needs 2GIG, BUT down the line for SLI type gaming (yes i realise the ATI is Crossfire and my board SLI, but the X1950PRO is simply a bridge to a DX10 sometime next year) and reasonable amout of future proofing, i know the 480W PSU isn't going to cut it, it's around 3A across the 12V rail apparently.

My instinct is to get the power sorted properly, and worry about another 1GIG of memory when i can afford it, even though i can my gaming suffering, though i'd have thought a C2, X1950PRO, and 1GIG of quality RAM is decent enough system.

Thoughts?

Regards, Malazan.

 

[jamiepotter]

If your current video card is simply a stopgap until you get SLI, I'm assuming that you'll be spending more money in future. Given that you're going to need _both_ a new PSU and the extra memory if you want a decent SLI gaming outfit that'll run Vista smoothly, I would get the thing that would make a diference to you _now_, i.e. memory. A 450w PSU will easily cope until you go SLI, and so it won't make any difference to you at the moment.

 

[sailer]

This depends a bit on what games you play. Some demand 2 gig of ram to play smoothly, while most will play on 1 gig. If your games will tolerate 1 gig, then I'd upgrade the psu first, then get a second gig of ram when you can. I've read many times of people who were upgrading everything in sight except their psu and then they wondered about random shutdowns or even a complete lack of of the ability to start their computer. A good psu is good insurance against future problems in my opinion.

 

[jamiepotter]

He said he was planning on using Vista. You will need 2gb on Vista if you want to do any serious multitasking. Otherwise, why bother with the core2duo in the first place? A single core would have been sufficient. You could just get a cheapo AMD and spend everything on the GPU.

Agree PSU is important, but a generic 450w is fine for now.

 

[sailer]

I missed the part that he was going to start with Vista, instead of migrating to it. With that noted, then the 2 gig of ram at the beginning is important.

 

[Malazan]

Thanks guys.

I have decided to go with the RAM, i didn't realise how dependent Vista would be on it, or that i wouldn't get the best out my Core2 without it.

I've also found a nice bridge solution for £24 between the generic PSU i was a little concerned about due to low 12V rails output, and the overkill (at this time) monster that was the Tagan 700W.

I'm getting the Antec True Power II 550W, which gives up to 42A across 3 12V rails. It's SLI branded, though i will ensure it's up to the job if and when i do go SLI. It will at least give me a plenty of headroom and piece of mind for a good while yet.

Malazan.