Big questions on power reqs, psu, and compatibility

[jcpwn3r]

I am a complete newbie at building PCs but I've been doing a TON of reading and I have finally got down my basic plan

Colorful (xfx's manufacturer) Nvidia 780i 3 way SLI motherboard
Intel Core 2 duo e8400 3.0ghz
XFX gtx 250 1gb
Hitachi 500gb HD 7200rpm
some POS 20X dvd reader/writer
1 stick 2gb kingston 240pin ddr2
thermaltake m5 case along with several fans
and the PSU i am undecided on. I am between these 3

I would like to add a second card in the future

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341019
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009

Q1: am leaning towards the OCZ because it is the cheapest and i want to save as much money as I can.

But I am looking the the following to corsairs because of their reputation, but of course it is 40-60 bucks more.
which would you recomend?

Q2: will 700w be sufficient to run 2 gtx250s in sli with a decent amout of room, or even run 2 gtx260s if i decide to do a major overhaul in the future

Q3: would it be worth it to get a gtx260 instead of the 250?

Q4: is my case big enough to hold everything alright and will bigger cards be able to fit into it?

Q5: is there anything in my setup that needs addressing. i plan to run windows home premium 32 bit on a 1680x 1050 monitor, maybe even a lower res one.

thanks for responses

 

[Proximon]

It's a bad plan for saving money. We don't much like Nvidia chipset motherboards around here.

I think given your budget range you would be better off with an X3 720, 790GX board, 4GB RAM, and a 4850.

 

[jcpwn3r]

well I don't really have a budget. Im in a unique situation (go to highschool in china) so I am getting the PSU, GPU, and CPU now and in august i get the rest. I am just meeting costs and this seemed somewhat effective. the aforementioned nvidia motherboard will only cost me 70 dollars because i am buying it from the manufacturer, colorful. the 3 parts im buying now seem to be the most stable for being in my luggage.

 

[RetiredChief]

I would probably go with the Corsair and a 750 should handle two GPUs just fine.

One comment - memory, either go with 2 x 1 gig sticks, or better yet go with 2 x 2 gig sticks. With only one stick you will be running your DUAL channel memory in Single channel mode (Performance hit). With a 32 bit operating system, you will not get to use all the 4 gigs, but should have 3.25 gigs +/- .25 gigs. (buying 2 x 2 would be better than buying 2 x 1 + 2 x 512 for 3 gigs)

 

[jcpwn3r]

ok thanks, because of my sort of pay/build as you go strategy (or lack there of), I was going to add in a second piece of ram at some point but i'll do it right off the bat now.

 

[RetiredChief]

PS
I also prefer the intel chipset - but that is more from a personal preference.

 

[jcpwn3r]

is there a major performance difference or is simply a matter of preference.

if so is there one you would recommend for SLI and overclocking?

edit: I haven't spent a dime yet, and i am ready to pull the plug if the life expectancy of this thing is only a year or so. will this thing last, and by last, I mean will it run in 3 years without me having to replace everything in a year because of a faulty capacitor....

edit 2:I don't really want to go ATI, just a personal thing. After some reading, i discovered that the all Intel processors apart form the i7 are incompatible with the x58 boards, and the x58 is the only chip set that runs sli.

 

[tecmo34]

is there a major performance difference or is simply a matter of preference.

if so is there one you would recommend for SLI and overclocking?

If you want to SLI... I would recommend the X58 board or the 790i over the 780i. Most people will tell you that the 790i is the better of the Nvidia Chipsets.

edit: I haven't spent a dime yet, and i am ready to pull the plug if the life expectancy of this thing is only a year or so. will this thing last, and by last, I mean will it run in 3 years without me having to replace everything in a year because of a faulty capacitor....

I don't think any of us can say the system will last three years without a faulty capacitor or something going wrong. The ideal situation the system should last 3+ years without going bad.

edit 2:I don't really want to go ATI, just a personal thing. After some reading, i discovered that the all Intel processors apart form the i7 are incompatible with the x58 boards, and the x58 is the only chip set that runs sli.

X58 is the only Intel "board chipset" that runs SLI. Intel CPU's will run on the Nvidia "board chipset" that allows for SLI.... You can run any Intel Core2 in SLI by running on a 680i, 750i, 780i, or 790i board or get an Core i7 and run in SLI on the X58. If you are set on SLI (which I agree with over Crossfire ) and want a system that will last for years without major updates, the Core i7 is your best route.

At the same time... an AM3 955 build with two 4890's will match the Core i7 in most games or beat it depending on the game. Plus, you will not be able to beat an AM3 build in price to performance with a Core i7 build.