Upgrading (finally)

[promoth]

Thanks for your help in advance! I posted a few days ago but now I have a better idea of what I'm doing.
I am upgrading with a mobo and processor that were given to me. I want to do this cheaply but still have it be worth the money.
To put things into perspective I am running an old Athlon XP 2500+, 1GB ddr 3200, ATI9600 128MB, and Asus A7V880 mobo. I'm not looking for this build to be a modern day hot-rod, just a great improvement.

I used 3 psu calculators and found the highest watt calculation for this setup was newegg's at 373 watts.
I have an Antec true430 and I am wondering if it will work, it has always run very well. The video card I selected does not use a power connector.
Will this PSU work? It has a 20-pin and a 4-pin and SATA power.
http://www.antec.com/specs/true430_spe.html
I have a case, dvd and cd optical drives. I may use my basic sound card if the onboard has driver issues. No other cards or hardware.

Free
Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 Conroe 2.33GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115030

Free
ASUS P5N-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131142

--- Things to buy---
PNY XLR8 VCG98GTEE5XEB GeForce 9800 GT EE 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133279
$72.99 w/ 20 rebate.

Rendition by Crucial 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148235
$25

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181
$44 with 10% off promo code

 

[Twoboxer]

Yes, a 430W psu that delivers its rated power cleanly (IOW, a psu in good working order) wil power the system. And yes the 20pin power connector will fit on one side of the 24 pin slot - the 4pin will fit in the 4pin.

Power requirement for your vid card can be found here:

http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_geforce_9800gt_us.html

 

[Proximon]

I have an Antec true430 and I am wondering if it will work, it has always run very well.

PNY XLR8 VCG98GTEE5XEB GeForce 9800 GT EE 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133279
$72.99 w/ 20 rebate.

Spec sheet for PNY 9800GT:
http://www3.pny.com/9800-GT-512MB-PCIe-P2814C331.aspx

A minimum 400W or greater system power supply (with a minimum 12V current rating of 26A)

Hardware Secrets PSU tutorial:
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/181/9

If you see a typical efficiency curve you will notice that efficiency varies according to the power being delivered and usually the power supply achieves its highest efficiency when delivering between 40% and 60% of its maximum capacity. Efficiency is also higher when the power supply is operating at 220 V.
Because of this effect it is recommended that you buy a power supply with double the power you are actually going to pull.

Finally there is capacitor aging. The longer you have used your PSU and the warmer it has been during that time, the less able it is to provide the rated amperage. A 430W PSU that is two years old may only be able to provide 350W at 30C.

So can you use your PSU? Maybe for a bit, but it needs replacing. You can bet you'll be losing money on the electricity bill.

 

[promoth]

Thanks for the quick and useful replies. My PSU just meets the min requirements with 26amps.

This 600 watt PSU has two 12V outputs with 19A each. Does that meet the requirement? Do they add or not?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.242609

 

[Twoboxer]

A $50, 600W psu is exactly that. Please stick with Antec (Earthwatts, Truepower), Corsair, PCP&Cooling, or Seasonic. The known quality of those brands/lines allows recommendations. For any other psu, google "PSU_Name_Model rveiew" and find someone who has actually evaluated the guts and measured performance. if you can't find a review, its an unknown commodity.

 

[promoth]

Would you feel comfortable using this psu?

CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX 450W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139003

 

[wiinippongamer]

Would you feel comfortable using this psu?

CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX 450W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139003

you can't use a 9800gt with that psu as it needs 2 6-pin PCIe connectors, not just one.

 

[Twoboxer]

A Corsair psu is fine.

Your specific 9800gt requires no additional power cables. It will work with the Corsair.

[If you bought a 9800GT that needed the extra power cables, and if your psu only had one such cable, it would be easy to buy a $4 adapter to convert 2x4pin Molex to the correct PCIe power.]

 

[Proximon]

Yes the Corsair would be preferable.

This OCZ 500SXS is surprisingly good for the cost:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341012&cm_re=500SXS-_-17-341-012-_-Product

But the Corsair will last longer and provide better voltage regulation.

 

[Twoboxer]

Yes the Corsair would be preferable.

This OCZ 500SXS is surprisingly good for the cost:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341012&cm_re=500SXS-_-17-341-012-_-Product

But the Corsair will last longer and provide better voltage regulation.

This particular OCZ reviews as Prox says it does:

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/798/9

 

[Proximon]

Just installed one for a friend with a 4670. I was pretty impressed with the noise level at idle.

 

[promoth]

I just placed my order and went with the CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX. Totaled $200 with shipping and rebates.
Now I just hope the rebates go smoothly.
Thanks for all the good work you guys are doing for people.

 

[Twoboxer]

Thank you for that!

Consider it payment in full

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey