Hi,

I am looking at buying an ASUS P5E3 Premium mobo, a Q9450 CPU, 2gigs of high-speed DDR3 RAM and some sort of PSU that can run two OC'd 4870s.

However, I am SO unsure of what PSU to get and whether it'll be fully compatible with the mobo or not...
(I'm so unsure it hurts ).

So I was looking at an online store in my country (NZ) at some PSUs but couldn't decide on one.
That's where I need some MAJOR help.

Here is the range of power supplies in my store:
http://www.extremepc.co.nz/index.p [...] &cPath=158

It would be awesome if someone could help me choose one that'll:
1. work with the mobo
2. run two oc'd 4870s in x-fire
3. be around NZ$300.

The site is NZ so $NZ for prices.

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Also, about the CPU (Q9450) - I was wondering how good it would be for OC'ing?
Would it be the best choice for dual 4870s?

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One last thing - should I start off with 1600DDR3 RAM or less?

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Thanks.

http://ati.amd.com/products/radeon [...] ments.html

Pick out a 650-700W tier 1/2 psu:

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forum [...] p?t=108088

Don't waste money on DDR3 yet. Use the savings to buy a quality psu. Pick up an X38/X48 mobo with DDR2.

I think most anyone would prefer 4 GB of good DDR2 instead of 2 GB of DDR3... and the price should be less for the DDR2. It's not like your fancy new board is gonna support Nehalem anyway.

If the build is meant to last only until Intels new CPU line comes out, stick with the DDR2. If its meant to last around two years without major upgrades, go with the DDR3.

From that listing, the safest choices would be an Antec or Corsair that is at least 600W. Some of those other brands are not so good.

Crossfired HD4870s will use about 245w at load
http://www.atomicmpc.com.au/forums [...] c=7&t=9354
using this calculator with a mild overclock on your system and being reasonable about peripherals i have a total system load of 533w
http://extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine
which would put you into 750w power supply territory
Corsair 750w at $192
http://www.extremepc.co.nz/index.p [...] 1fcd7e448e
The Q9450 is an excellent choice.
DDR2 is a much better value for the dollar right now, i would check with Asus and get the brand/speed recommended by them for the motherboard

Awesome link dirtmountain, very helpful in my build. I think you just saved me $50. Thanks!

Moo.

Yeah that's how long I need it to last me so I may as well go with DDR3.

Ok, thanks for your help.

Major help here - thanks a bunch

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EDIT:

The Corsair 750w seems like a pretty decent choice.
However, will it be enough if I OC the 4870s?
Also, would that PSU be the best choice for the mobo?

If all else fails, I was looking at a Toughpower 850w:
http://www.extremepc.co.nz/index.p [...] ts_id=2370
I don't think it's necessary though because it costs more than $100 compared to the 750w Corsair.


Thanks for everyone's help - extremely appreciated.

Thx dirtmountain

I was dreading all the research to get this info. Now I have a reference

Thank you.