Thank you!

[Eridanis]

I've not posted here before, but I wanted to say "thak you" to everyone whose advice I've read and assimilated over the past few weeks.

I've been wanting to build a new machine for a while, and with a bit of Christmas money, I was able to pull the trigger. After spending the better part of a day reading through this forum, I settled on a Core2Quad Q9400, 4GB RAM, 640GB HDD, GeForce 9600GT video card, 750W PS, and HP DVD burner, all in an Antec 300 case.

I ordered the parts from NewEgg, and assembled it over the past week. Though I've upgraded plenty of systems, I've never built one from a bare chassis. All went well, with most of my trepidation coming from attaching the power button (ack! make sure I have the negative wire on the right pin!), but all went well, and I'm running Vista Business SP1 64-bit without a hitch.

Thanks again for all your help - even though you didn't know you were helping a lurker.

- Matt

 

[aevm]

That 750W PSU sounds a bit weird for your setup.

 

[WR2]

You put your lurking to good use. Thanks for letting us know.

 

[techwizard08]

@aevm
Don't you know that if you SLI 2x9600GT you can run Crysis beyond max settings?

It's a hack not many know of, you know, like the konami code, or playing as eyedol with Cinder

 

[aevm]

"Beyond" max settings??? As in, with all settings maxed and then forcing even more eye-candy from the drivers somehow? Nice... Yeah, that 9600GT is a very good card for the price.

Anyway, back to the PSU. If you look at this review you see they got an entire system with a 9600GT consuming 197W under load.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/nvidia-geforce-9600-gt,1780-18.html
Add another 95W for a second 9600GT, you end up with less than 300W. Assuming 80% efficiency, that's a system that needs 240W, takes 300W from the wall, turns 60W of that into heat. 240W means 20A at most from the 12V circuit. A PSU that can deliver 60Ax12V (750TX, PC P&C 750W, etc.) will be used in the first third of its range. Efficiency is best between one third and two thirds, not between 0 and one third. A 550VX would have been more appropriate.

@OP: don't worry about it, OK? A good 750W PSU will still work around 80% efficiency anyway, even in that first third where it's not at its best. Who cares if it's 80% or 85%, it's just a few cents a day.