Seeking advice on current build. Considering to upgrade current build

[brainlessant]

Greeting everyone,

First up, i want to give cheers to this website (tomshardware.com) as it help me understand more about computers, components etc.
I have to announce that i',m pretty much very green on home built computer system. I got mine 3 years ago with a help with a friend who knows all this stuff.
Recently, i grew more interested, and considering to make home built system as a hobby. So bear with me as i learn and become more familiar with all of the technical and good stuff.

Here is my current build

CPU : Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 2.66Ghz
Motherboard : MSI P6N SLI Platinum - ATX - nForce 650i SLI
Memory : Kingston 1GB DDR2 667 x 2
PSU : Thermaltake TR2-430W
GPU : Nvidia GeForce 8800GT 512MB
Sound card : Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy
HDD : Western Digital WD2500KS-00MJB0 250GB SATA
Optical : Sony Optiarc DVD RW AD-7190A

**May plan to overclock the system in the future

Want to integrate:
1.) Nvidia GeForce 8800GT 512MB (dual GeForce 8800GT)
2.) Kingston 1GB DDR2 667 x 2 (Total of 4GB of ram)
3.) Maxtor DiamondMax20 STM3120814A 120GB

1st issue:
Here is my main concern...The PSU in the current build
I'm not very savvy in PSU, they always confuses me.
However, i have read some articles (not all) about PSU and their ratings.
Based on the article, I think that my current PSU is not good enough to handle duel GeForce 8800GT.
Can someone confirm this? Thanks
If it is true, any recommendation?

2nd issue
I read some article on tomshardware that it is better to have the same brand for the memory sticks.
It would reduce any hiccups that the system might encounter.
Should i just stick to the same brand (kingston) for the memory stick?

Thanks in advance

*Edit April 19, 2010
PSU in mind:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] -_-Product
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] -_-Product
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] -_-Product



Cheers,
Anthony

 

[capt_taco]

1. No, I would not run dual 8800s with that power supply. I have one of those PSUs in a secondary machine, and while it's a solid PSU, you'd be pusing it on the wattage and I seem to remember it can't handle very many amps. It also lacks a second PCie 6-pin cable. So bottom line, I'd get a bigger one.

2. You don't HAVE to stick to the same brand of memory, but it does make it a lot less likely to run into headaches. Main thing is to get RAM with similar timings and speed, but this is a way to absolutely guarantee it.

 

[brainlessant]

1. No, I would not run dual 8800s with that power supply. I have one of those PSUs in a secondary machine, and while it's a solid PSU, you'd be pusing it on the wattage and I seem to remember it can't handle very many amps. It also lacks a second PCie 6-pin cable. So bottom line, I'd get a bigger one.

2. You don't HAVE to stick to the same brand of memory, but it does make it a lot less likely to run into headaches. Main thing is to get RAM with similar timings and speed, but this is a way to absolutely guarantee it.

Thanks for the advice !

Now the main concern is...choosing a PSU...hmmm....*head starts to ache*
Any recommendation?

Thanks in advance
Cheers,
Anthony

 

[capt_taco]

There are dozens of PSUs that will fit your bill, but the three main things I'd remember are:

1) Probably get at least a 600W one to be on the safe side for multiple GPUs. With 8800s you'll probably be fine with a little less than that, but when using crossfire or SLI, better to leave plenty of margin for error
2) Make sure it has at least two PCIe 6-pin power cables
3) Don't get a cheapo brand; more than any other component, that can come back to bite you. People will say Antec, Corsair, OCZ and a few others come highly recommended. Thermaltake has a decent reputation as well. One more that I've had good luck with personally is NZXT, although it's not really considered a top-tier brand by most.

 

[brainlessant]

There are dozens of PSUs that will fit your bill, but the three main things I'd remember are:

1) Probably get at least a 600W one to be on the safe side for multiple GPUs. With 8800s you'll probably be fine with a little less than that, but when using crossfire or SLI, better to leave plenty of margin for error
2) Make sure it has at least two PCIe 6-pin power cables
3) Don't get a cheapo brand; more than any other component, that can come back to bite you. People will say Antec, Corsair, OCZ and a few others come highly recommended. Thermaltake has a decent reputation as well. One more that I've had good luck with personally is NZXT, although it's not really considered a top-tier brand by most.

Thanks for the advice !
I will roam around to find a decent PSU (hopefully i get a good deal for it)
Most likely i am not going any further with this system after the Dual 8800 and the 4 sticks of 1 gb ram

Cheers,
Anthony

 

[hosereh]

Hey Anthony, brands for PSU are a plenty but here's a few good brand names to narrow it down for yah:

Corsair , Seasonic , Silverstone, OCZ, FSP(Fortron).......erm I'll get more later , jus woke up lol.Also when looking at PSU's be sure to check the 12v rail amps, there should be a sticker on the side of the PSU that has the handy stats: 12V rail 1 18 amps, 12V rail 2 18 amps......or something like that.But a good PSU should have about 36 amps just for the video cards.

I also recommend Overclocking the CPU, I own one of those CPU's and it Overclocks like champ.

Cheers

 

[brainlessant]

Hey Anthony, brands for PSU are a plenty but here's a few good brand names to narrow it down for yah:

Corsair , Seasonic , Silverstone, OCZ, FSP(Fortron).......erm I'll get more later , jus woke up lol.Also when looking at PSU's be sure to check the 12v rail amps, there should be a sticker on the side of the PSU that has the handy stats: 12V rail 1 18 amps, 12V rail 2 18 amps......or something like that.But a good PSU should have about 36 amps just for the video cards.

I also recommend Overclocking the CPU, I own one of those CPU's and it Overclocks like champ.

Cheers

Thanks for the advice !

I am not very comfortable with overclocking.
Do you think the push-pin fan that comes with the stuff is enough to handle the extra generated heat?
Im just afraid that i might do irreversible damage to the CPU, be it overclocking or replacing the push-pin fan with a CPU cooler

Cheers,
Anthony

 

[capt_taco]

It's hard to cause permanent damage in overclocking unless you start messing with the core voltages -- though in order to do more than a modest overclock, you'll need to do that, as well as probably get a new CPU cooler.

I'd read up a little in one of the guides you can find in the overclocking forum and see if you're comfortable with it, then try just a small overclock first and if you're happy, see about going from there. I definitely agree that that CPU is a prime model for overclocking -- you can probably get an extra 20%-25% performance out of it if you really go for it.

As far as the CPU cooler goes ... it's one of those things where once you've done it one or two times, removing and replacing it is a lot easier than you'd first think. Main thing I'd be worried about isn't damaging the CPU so much as accidentally slipping and chipping or scratching the motherboard. But basically, don't be afraid of it. We've all been there and you can get past it.

 

[brainlessant]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005&cm_re=PSU-_-17-139-005-_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371021&cm_re=PSU-_-17-371-021-_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006&cm_re=PSU-_-17-139-006-_-Product

The PSU that caught my eye....
any comments?

**I might overclock...since 2 people mention that my CPU is a good model to clock

 

[capt_taco]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005&cm_re=PSU-_-17-139-005-_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371021&cm_re=PSU-_-17-371-021-_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006&cm_re=PSU-_-17-139-006-_-Product

The PSU that caught my eye....
any comments?

**I might overclock...since 2 people mention that my CPU is a good model to clock

I like the last one (Corsair 750W) the best, with the Antec coming in second. But the Corsair wins because

1. It's got the extra 100W if you need it
2. It can handle more amps on the 12V rail (60A vs. 52 for the others)
3. It's got four 6+2 pin connectors that you can use as either 6-pin or 8-pin PCIe cables -- Antec just has two, plus two regular 6-pin cables.

Not that these will probably make any difference at all with your current setup -- either of the last two will be more than enough to handle what you're doing. Long-term, (e.g. if you carry the PSU over to your next machine, the third one is the best, though.

Also, I would avoid the first PSU entirely because it only has two 6-pin cables at all. That would basically rule out certain setups if you ever upgraded your video cards to something that required more (e.g. crossfired 4870s, which would each require two 6-pin cables). Again, not an issue with your current setup, just thinking more in terms of which is the better PSU for essentially the same price.

 

[brainlessant]

I like the last one (Corsair 750W) the best, with the Antec coming in second. But the Corsair wins because

1. It's got the extra 100W if you need it
2. It can handle more amps on the 12V rail (60A vs. 52 for the others)
3. It's got four 6+2 pin connectors that you can use as either 6-pin or 8-pin PCIe cables -- Antec just has two, plus two regular 6-pin cables.

Not that these will probably make any difference at all with your current setup -- either of the last two will be more than enough to handle what you're doing. Long-term, (e.g. if you carry the PSU over to your next machine, the third one is the best, though.

Also, I would avoid the first PSU entirely because it only has two 6-pin cables at all. That would basically rule out certain setups if you ever upgraded your video cards to something that required more (e.g. crossfired 4870s, which would each require two 6-pin cables). Again, not an issue with your current setup, just thinking more in terms of which is the better PSU for essentially the same price.

Thanks for the advice !

However, i should admit that im not very sure that i would want to upgrade this setup any further after this upgrade...

In the future, i would want to tech up to quad core when i graduate (new machine)

But i'll keep in mind of your advice...

 

[capt_taco]

Thanks for the advice !

However, i should admit that im not very sure that i would want to upgrade this setup any further after this upgrade...

In the future, i would want to tech up to quad core when i graduate (new machine)

But i'll keep in mind of your advice...

Right, that's what I mean. If you get the third PSU on the list, it'll be good enough to use with your new machine too. Unless you're also planning on keeping the old machine and having two computers ... in which case yeah, don't worry about having extra plugs for future upgrades.

 

[brainlessant]

Best answer selected by Brainlessant.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey