Okay, I just ordered the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L mobo and the E4500 processor. I'm planning on getting a GeForce 8800GT 512 card and 2GB RAM. The build will have 2 hard drives, and 2 optical drives and possibly a Hercules sound card (maybe not).

I want to still use my Antec case and PS from the last build I did 4 years ago. I cracked open the case and found I have an ANTEC 450W called an Antec True 430 power supply. Here are the specs:


DC Out +5 +12 +3.3 -5 -12 +5SB
Max 36a 20a 28a 0.5a 1.0a 2.0a
Min 0a .8a 0 0 0 0


Sufficient power?

You can. I wouldn't. The problem is not the overall power rating of the PSU. The problem is that you probably do not have enough output on the 12 volt rail.

try referring to this - its a bit old now so allow for a bit:

Component Wattage Required
Motherboard 15-30
Low-End CPU 20-50
Mid To High-End CPU 40-100
RAM 7 per 128MB
PCI Add-In Card 5
Low To Mid-Range Graphics 20-60
High-End Graphics 60-100
IDE Hard Drive 10-30
Optical Drives 10-25


Hope this helps

Man....I'm going crazy looking at power supplies! Most of them don't give you the specs per rail, so you don't know what the heck you're looking at. Can anybody please suggest some aroud the 550W - 600W range that are good deals? I'm also considering replacing my case, so if it comes in a nice case that's good too.

to be honest, most PSU's that come with cases aren't of the best quality and don't usually go above 500w.

I can recommend this OCZ gamexstream 600w (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341001)
I use the 700w version and am very happy with it.

how much are you willing to spend on one?

Probably about $100 or so. How about this plain vanilla one? It looks like a good deal and I've always thought that Antec were pretty highly rated for power supplys.

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Prod [...] ode=273507

PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610W, $127 with shipping. 1st tier, very powerful.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] ncer%2b610

GameXStream 700W, $100 after shipping and rebate (same price as the 600W right now, might as well get the 700W)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817341002

Corsair 520HX, $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] &Tpk=520HX

Edit: The TruePower is good too, and that price is excellent.

Check the physical dimensions first. The Antec True Power 430 (3.4Hx5.5Wx5.9D) is smaller than the 650W version (3.5Hx5.8Wx5.5D) so you might need a new case to fit it. The other PSUs I listed there have different dimensions too. I'd get an Antec 900 case and the Silencer, for example. Double-check those dimensions, I just used Google quickly to get them.

yes I'v read a few reviews on this one and most of the time it does quite well. the worst I've ever heard about it is that the peripheral cables should be sleeved and thats its not the best looking of PSU's. Still not a bad choice.

oh I didn't see that - good spot aevm. go for the gamexstream if you can

Just added the gamexstream to my shopping cart on Newegg. Now, to find a good deal on a 8800GT card. Looking at the one on ZipZoomFly for 269.00 It's a Gigabyte card with 512 RAM.

Yikes! I just read your edited post about the dimensions on the power supply. I'd better measure my space before finalize my order for the OCZ.

So, I keep having to post this as people are continually misinformed about power consumption. You do not need a new power supply.

TDP of a E4500 overclocked is probably around 3.3GHz is ~100W
Power useage of a 8800GT is around 60W

That leaves 270W for mobo, ram, HDs, opticals, and plenty of safety overhead.

Or use the calculator here:
http://www.extreme.outervision.com [...] orlite.jsp

Supporting Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_ [...] processors
http://www.atomicmpc.com.au/forums [...] c=7&t=9354

I like the sound of that! I hope you're right. I really don't want to lay out another $100 if I don't have to.

Well, according to the calculator, I need about 368W. But, I thought the 12V rail was important for calculating what you really need. The calculator doesn't mention that anywhere.

I just paid for the pro version of the calculator and after entering my information, it looks like I need to upgrade. The 12V rail requirement is 23A and I'm only showing 20A on my current PS. Crap.

http://www.buy.com/prod/Corsair-VX [...] 52646.html

Too bad you didn't get the link posted sooner. I bought a different one already. The I'm getting is more expensive, but it's also a great deal.

http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6817341002