im going to be building a new compy and im not sure how big of a power supply that i will need.

system will be
Q6600 core 2 quad
XFX nForce 680i LT SLI
4 gigs of ram
and one or maybe 2 8xxx cards
2 hd's
dvd burner
dvd drive

If you plan for 8800GT / 8800GTS in SLI consider a 750watt unit.
Checkout the SLI Certified PSUs @ http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone_build_psu.html
All of these PSUs @ NewEgg are on the certified list
Maybe the best deal going at the moment: CoolerMaster Real Power Pro 750 @ Zipzoomfly $120 plus $50 rebate

The Galaxy 850W-1000W is the best option for now and the future and are modular. There a bit pricey for the 1000W Galaxy $309.99 but are the best. "The most important component you'll ever buy is the power supply".

http://www.tomswiki.com/page/Tiere [...] ngs?t=anon

Galaxy 1000W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817194019

SILLINESS. I used the PSU calculator located at http://www.extreme.outervision.com [...] rlite.jsp. With the OP's listed specs (2x8800 GTS) plus a few fans thrown in, I got a result of 477W. Allowing for reasonable wiggle room, and not running the PSU flat out all the time, a Corsair 620HX would be an excellent choice: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 817139002.

If you skip the SLI, the 520HX would be sufficient: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139001, or even one of the less expensive VX models.

You don't need huge, you just need good.

You don't need huge - but you do need a plan. Overclocking? Blu-Ray HD Drive? More upgrading?
Using the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator Lite I went and plugged in some data for an OC'd Q6600 and a few upgrades like a 3rd HD, sound card, 1 PCI card and a few other items. Nothing outrageous.
Used the recommended 20% capacitor aging, etc and ended up somewhere in the 650-685watt region.

Data used:
Single Socket / High End Desktop / Core 2 Q6600 B3 (worst case scenario) / 85% TDP
OC'd 3.2Ghz 1.40 Vcore / 4 sticks DDR2 RAM / 3 SATA HDs /
1x DVD-RW/DVD+RW / 1x DVD-ROM Drive / 1 Sound Card / 1 TV Tuner Card
1 PCI card / 1 PCI-Ex4 card / 2 USB devices / 1 Firewire device
Front Bay Card Reader / 3 120mm case fans (2 LED types) / 90% System Load / 20% Capacitor Aging

I still like something in the 750watt range for a OD'd SLI system if you're keeping the system a few years and might load in a few extra goodies as time passes.

I'd get this one for $140 with free shipping and no mail rebates. You may be able to save $10 more with Google Checkout.
http://www.buy.com/prod/ocz-silenc [...] 39780.html

I had added a few extra things too, but not the O/C (particularly one that high). @OP, I'd suggest using the PSU calculator yourself and put in what you think you'll want. WR2 makes an excellent point about planning. As you can see, quite variable results are possible. I know my own system (very mildly oc'ed, 1x3850) would probably be on the lower end. If you go for a high OC and water cool, even the 750 may be a bit low.

Its better to think ahead, this way you can reuse the PSU in the next few builds. To me $300+ dollars for a Galaxy 1000W is worth it in the long run, like my computer case (Silverstone TJ09) that I will use probibly for the next ten years if the ATX 2.0 standard is still here.


By systemlord at 2007-11-14



By systemlord at 2007-12-07

Just curious, how much power does a watercooling solution need, in general? I'm guessing it's a lot, pumping all that liquid all the time...

Well, I went out to the PSU calculator to do a system with and without water cooling, but they're down for maintenance at the moment.

Good idea, I'll play with that site later and get the answer myself, Thanks!

This sounds like yet another job for the Silencer 750.

The Corsair TX750 is also a great choice.

And remember to shop around. PSU prices can vary greatly.