Can some1 help me wid my system??

xon_8

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hey guys im new here...the site is awesome...
i was wondering if u guys could help me choose some new hardware for my pc....i just upgraded most of it now all i need is a new GPU to replace my 7600GT now the thing is i might need a new PSU to go with it....coz i was thinkin of an ATI HD 4870

so my purchase date is around from now to a month not sure when im gettin it...nu rush :p
my budget range is...wellllll i dnt want to spend SO much on the PSU preferably less than like 60GBP...and im pretty dead set on the 4870 unless u guys think an Nvidia card would be better just think around that price range for the GPU

I am going to use the system for gaming, I dnt overclock but i wouldnt mind starting this summer when i have some more time on my hands...i dont use SLI or cross fire

my monitor res atm is 1280 x 1024 but i will probably upgrade the monitor too in the near future....

Ok so my specs atm are:
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit (6.1, Build 7127) (7127.winmain.090507-1820)
Mobo: AsRock 4Core1600P35-WiFi+
CPU: Intel® Core™2 Quad CPU Q6700 @ 2.66GHz (4 CPUs), ~2.7GHz
RAM: 4Gb DDR2
My case: Bosse Galaxy III Black ATX Case - 4 x 5.25" - 4 x 3.5" - USB and Audio - 450 Watt PSU

The PSU i think i have to change is: Win power ATX-450, output power 450W, and im new at reading the current on the thing but i assume i have to read what it says next to the 12V on the sticker on the side of it yes??? if yes it says 20A

If u guys need anythin else just tell me...any help will be greatly appreciated :) im not the biggest computer buff so i could really use some help on this hehe
cheers!
 
G

Guest

Guest
mainly, just dont be cheap on a psu. my recommendation for that rig is the corsair 650 psu.
 

xon_8

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May 21, 2009
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hmmm...ok but do u think that the card would do well wid the rest of the rig?? or should i get a diff 1?
coz wid my nvidia 7600GT atm im gettin some serious bottleneck in power

ill check out the psu is corsair a good brand??? some1 told me i should get antec...im clueless when it comes to PSUs lol
 
^ Well the Corsair 650TX is very good option...but you wont need that much power for you setup...Get a high quality 500W+ PSU like the Corsair 550VX/ Antec EA500/ Seasonic/ Silverstone/ PCP&S...
Here are a few...
Very Good 500W PSU..
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/120377
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/132563
Best
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/132563

But if you are looking for possible crossfire any time soon, then you should get a 700W PSU...Else stick with any of the above...
 

xon_8

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well i dont really think i would crossfire...atm dnt have the money :p so i guess the 550W would be enough?
i heard ur rig can perform really badly with a PSU that doesnt hack it...so i hope this 1 works...coz that HD4870 looks pretty fine :p

oh and 1 more question guys....is there a big difference between the 1Gb and the 512Mb versions of the card??
 
^ The corsair 550 can even power a GTX 285 just fine...So the 4870 wont be a problem at all...
And as for the 512MB and 1GB version, you would notice some difference at high resolutions...Better off getting the 1GB version...
 

xon_8

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hey guys ive decided that later on i will cross fire another 4870 so i was wondering if the 650W corsair would be enough??? so i dont stay changing the PSU later......


 

xon_8

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i seee soo in modular u can remove the extra cables??

which is great for air flow to keep the temp down for OCing yes??

cool cool is silverstone a good make or should i go for another brand?? like OCZ or sumthin....

thanks a lot
 

xon_8

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i see....so if the silverstone 650 was enough howcome the corsair 650 wasnt?? different amps or sumthin???
and would it be more worth buyin the 750 and not changin it for a while than gettin the 650 and changin it when i need to next??
if the 650 is cuttin it close as gkay said with all the people telling me that without proper power ur pc doesnt work well at all if im gonna buy it might as well not cut it close unless the price difference is TAT significant :p

and should i be lookin into the compatibility of the cables or are they universal?? for my mobo and all the other stuff :p like my HDDs are quite old



 

Helloworld_98

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^ the silverstone has an extra 2A on the 12v rail which should be just about enough to take you out of the red zone.

also the 750w still only have an extra 6A over the silverstone 650w but it's your call.
 

xon_8

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yeah for the difference might as well get the better 1....just in case i do decide to get the modular 1....doubt i will but anyway....is there any other difference between them aside from the modular part???
 

xon_8

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and i have another problem lool sorry guys :p

I live in Malta a tiny island in the Med sea....scan.co.uk dont deliver to malta afaik and the scan here doesnt have the named PSU....

I was going to order my GPU from overclockers.co.uk since they do deliver here...but they dont have that psu either.......

jusssst gr8888
 
Dont worry...the overclocker have this PSU, which is as good as the Silverstone and corsair...But is about £89.99 inc VAT
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BU-165-OK&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=

Has free 2GB pen drive :p
 

xon_8

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hmmm so its just as good performance wise??? and people told me that PCP&C are a gr8 brand...

so my twin HD 4870s should have no problem then?? coz im seeing on the description of it it only mentions 1 ATI card HD 2900XT...that is a card right?? (A)


hope the orange doesnt show sooo much in my case... might not go well wid the black and blue :p but beggers cannot be choosers :p at this point im throwing aesthetics out of the window i just want the damn things to work :p

only real bummer is from scan i could have gotten the modular one for the same price...but no use cryin over spilled milk hehe

and wid a free 2Gb pen drive how can i resist :p

Thanks for everything btw
 

xon_8

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ok ok as long as it can take my twin 4870s without breakin down im fine hehe :p

oh and link is broken but ive seen better photos of it so i know how it looks :p

mind if i ask u a question bout Xfire???
is it possible to cross 2 GPUs which are the same chipset i.e. 4870 but different brands for example
one will be XFX and the other Sapphire or whatever.....

oh and yesterday i tried my hand at OCing using Ntune (before my new cards arrived i thought might as well push my old 7600GT to its limits) anyway i used Rivatuner so i can look at the conditions of the GPU.
I pushed it to GPU clock: 605 mem: 730 from 550/700.....on idle it was fine but when i booted up RA3 it kept going back to desktop....but the thing is the game would be still runnin in the background then and i can just go back to playing np....till it happens again and i just rinse and repeat...was just wondering if this means the settings are unstable and i should dumb them down....i dnt think im gettin TAT big rises in temperature according to Rivatuner its just going to 60.........My question is: are the settings unstable or is my rivatuner not workin properly???
(btw on Ntune near the slider for the fan settings there is a temperature reading....is that the temp reading of the GPU??? coz its not the same as the 1 rivatuner is giving me.....and that does read a bit high (maxed at 70 at a point)

Thought might as well practise on something thats going to be replaced ey :p just in case i bust it hehehe....any tips regarding OCing??
 
For you question about xfire, Yes you can do that...It doesn't depend on the brand, depends only on the Chip...But I have seen somewhere in the forums, people crossfiring 2 different ATI chips(But they have to be in the same series I guess)...Though am completely not sure about it...
for your graphics problem, I have no idea...mayb the card is overheating or the PSU might have become weak or the graphics card is not stable at that speeds...though I certainly cant say those are the cause of the problem...

Here are few article from my bookmarks...see if they help...
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/overclock-graphics-card,1916.html
http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~fma/overclocking__graphics_card2.htm
http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~fma/overclocking__graphics_card3.htm