Opinions/Suggestions on My Budget Build

[hallb76]

I was wondering if anyone had some suggestions to improve my build. There is some flexibility in my budget but, it would have to yield a huge performance gain. That's mainly why I opted out of an I7 build. I figured I would be gpu limited by the new games so the cpu would not have to be spectacular(needed a quad for arma II though). I am limited to 1920x1080 resolution by my lcd. I already have 4GB of ddr2 1066 on hand so I don't need any memory. The only real concern I have about the build is the psu. If prices go down I plan to sell my current rig and step up to a gtx 295. The psu i have chosen seems to be very good as far as I can tell(Antec TP-650 new model with 4 rails and detachable cables). It has 94 amps on 4 rails: 12v1 22, 12v2 22, 12v3 25, 12v4 25 but it falls 30 watts short of the gtx 295 680w minimum. I'm pretty sure 30w shouldn't matter with adequate current. I can opt for the CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX(and save about $20) which has 60 amps on one 12v rail but I thought the 4 rail psu would be more stable for overclocking. Any thoughts or opinions are greatly appreciated.

One other option I have considered is to buy the card to replace my 8800 gts and wait to see more system requirements for newer games. I can always recoup money spent on the card by stepping up within 3 months.


LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA
Item #: N82E16827136152

Western Digital Caviar Black 750GB
Item #: N82E16822136283

EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR GeForce GTX 260
Item #: N82E16814130434

Tuniq Tower 120 Universal
Item #: N82E16835154001

AMD Phenom II X4 940
Item #: N82E16819103471

GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-UD4H AM2+
Item #: N82E16813128384

Antec TP-650 650W
Item #: N82E16817371021

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811129042

Total + Shipping = $905

 

[theAnimal]

The Truepower New 650W PSU cannot have 94A on the 12V rails since that would make it an ~1100W unit. It is actually 54A, and should have no problem with a GTX295. The number of rails does not matter for OCing.

Change the hard drive to the 640GB, it's a bit faster.

I don't see any RAM listed. Are you re-using some?

 

[iicsus]

He did specify that he already has the ram. As for the PSU, i'd opt for the Corsair due to it's single-rail design: http://www.pcpower.com/technology/myths/#m8

 

[Outlander_04]

Thats a great motherboard and it supports crossfire .

Why not use a 4870 1 gig instead of the GTX 260 . That gives you an upgrade path to crossfire by adding another 4870

 

[hallb76]

Thanx guys,

Thanx for the clearing up the psu jargon. I was wondering how a 650w psu could have 94A regardless of efficiency. So, do the ratings suggest the maximum possible current per rail at any time, given the other rails are not using more that 29 or 32 combined amps? I'm also not sure why I am in love with the Antec being I can't find a review for it and the corsaire is obviously battle tested. It will also save me about $35. I guess all the specs and features got me excited.

I considered AMD but the idea of sli or crossfire scares me and I don't want to mess with AMD drivers. I would rather have a single card solution with dual gpu's. In addition I am one of the people who thinks(hopes) physx will finally materialize into something worthwhile( I was totally crushed when warmonger flopped). If it doesn't I still have NVIDIA driver support and a great card I can get a $200 head start on if/when I step up. I hope the gtx 295 will be well under $400 in the next 3 months.


Thanx again guys, your help is much appreciated.

 

[theAnimal]

He did specify that he already has the ram. As for the PSU, i'd opt for the Corsair due to it's single-rail design: http://www.pcpower.com/technology/myths/#m8

The number of rails does not matter. PC P&C started that myth due to some of their improperly designed multi-rail PSUs.

 

[theAnimal]

Thanx guys,

Thanx for the clearing up the psu jargon. I was wondering how a 650w psu could have 94A regardless of efficiency. So, do the ratings suggest the maximum possible current per rail at any time, given the other rails are not using more that 29 or 32 combined amps? I'm also not sure why I am in love with the Antec being I can't find a review for it and the corsaire is obviously battle tested. It will also save me about $35. I guess all the specs and features got me excited.

Yes the amp rating on the rail is the maximum for that rail assuming the total limit for all rails has not been reached.

jonnyguru.com reviewed the 750W Truepower New.