New core i7 930 system - need VGA and PSU

[Caple]

Hi there.

Right now I have the following:

- Thermatake Mambo case
- Akasa 500W active PFC
- Asus Maximus Formula x38 mobo
- Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 CPU
- GSkill 4GB DDR2 800MHz memories
- Sapphire PCI-E 512MB HD3850 VGA

I'm about to receive (in some hours):
- Cooler Master Scout case
- Asus P6X58D-E mobo
- Intel Core i7 930 CPU
- OCZ Gold 6GB DDR3 1600MHz memories

I think I can still use my VGA and PSU on this build. But there is no fun in changing just some parts I'd like to change all components.

I'm looking for a modular PSU and a good VGA (I'm not a gamer, but I want a card with HDMI out, because I will buy a full HD monitor later).

Right now I'm looking at some HD5750 and HD5770 ATI cards and some XFX 650W or 850W modular PSUs.

Maybe if I don't change my VGA I can still use my Akasa PSU. And if I get a new VGA, a better PSU will be needed.

Any thoughts?
Thanx.

 

[Bamanen]

Don't know for a complete fact, but any Nvidia 200 series GPU should be fine on 500W supply as long as u don't plan to SLI

 

[guanyu210379]

500W is theoretically enough for a single HD5770, if you use PSUs like from Corsair, Seasonic, Silverstone, Antec, Enermax, Tagan or PPC.
AKASA and XFX is not well known to me.
I suggest get one of those brands I have listed above.
500-650W for single GPU and 750-1000W for 2 GPUs in XFire or SLI.

I suggest to get at least GTX460 at this moment if you can stil afford them, GTX460 and GTX470 are the best buys at the moment but need more juice than HD5770 or HD5830.


BTW : Forget nVidia 200 series, those don't really worth the money.
I like :
ATI HD5770, and HD 5850 (5870, 5970 are too expensive)
nVidia GTX460 and GTX470 (GTX480 is again too expensive)
Below those above is too weak for gamer.

I have also another recommendation for you :
HD3850 can still keep up with almost all the latest games, I know some with lower settings, but If you can still live with your HD3850, you can also postpone to buy a new GPU. This means, you can keep the GPU and the PSU at this moment. An SSD is also worth considering instead of getting a new GPU and PSU.

 

[Caple]

Yes. I was considering getting na SSD.
Probably a 64GB one.
My boot partition (with Windows and installed softwares) has 50GB and I use about 40GB of it. 64GB would be enough for me.
Need to read a little about it before choosing one.

 

[NeoElemental]

XFX's are a quality product, although the 650 is not as well regarded as the 750/850. If you're in the 750/850, I would put it on par with the brands like Corsair and Seasonic. The Antec 650 earthwatt is probably better than the XFX 650.

Would definitely agree with guanyu about the gfx card. This will be very dependent on your budget. I find this link really helpful.

http://techreport.com/articles.x/19404/11

You should base your PSU purchase on what type of gfx card/combination you're planning on getting.

 

[zach538467]

A GTX460 is a ridiculous amount of overkill if you're not a gamer. A 5750 or a GT240 would provide well more than enough power to handle web-page rendering(in the near-future), 1080 playback and the like.

As far as a PSU goes, that Akasa doesn't look too bad, 20A split on 2 +12V rails, that would easily power either of those cards and your system. I would go by how old it is, the review I read was from 2008...don't want a capacitor blowing in the PSU and ruining your shiny new system Like the others have said, any well known brands(guanyu provided a good list) and make sure they are 80 Plus certified. If you were a gamer getting a more power-hungry GPU I'd say pay close attention to the +12V rails, but any quality 400W or better PSU will be fine to power the cards mentioned above.

Also, as for choosing an SSD, you might have a look at Anandtech's bench feature. They don't have a lot of drives benchmarked, but it's a pretty cool little tool if you ask me.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/SSD/65

 

[Caple]

Thanx for all the replies.
Unfortunatelly, I can't buy everything. So the best option would be and SSD and PSU, as the only game I play nowadays is StarCraft II, and my card handles everything on High settings (not Ultra).
Will keep checking PSUs and SSDs here. Wanna buy it today.

 

[Caple]

Well, it's a little hard to find Antec, Seasonic, Enermax, etc. around here.
How about these two?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820250001&Tpk=SSC-D0064SC-2100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341017&Tpk=ModXStream

 

[Guest]

hummm

your mobo is 1156 socket and the i7 930 actuallly uses 1366

Huhooo....

 

[zach538467]

Those OCZ's aren't too bad Caple. Anything that is 80 Plus certified is *usually* decent. This Corsair is obviously a lot more expensive, and I won't lie to you I'm a Corsair fan, but that's because they are usually one of the best price/performance PSU's. If you watch this one it will go on sale for $50-60 eventually.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

@azutar Unless Intel suddenly changed something, x58 is 1366...?

The P6X58D-E motherboard provides you a host of new features and the latest technologies. It supports Core i7 (LGA1366) and delivers better overclocking capabilities with less power consumption.

Hmm...

 

[guanyu210379]

hummm

your mobo is 1156 socket and the i7 930 actuallly uses 1366

Huhooo....

P6X58D-E is a 1366 mobo! Read well before making stupid comments!
http://www.asus.de/product.aspx?P_ID=gFBKfNyhppW9tDbB&templete=2

 

[guanyu210379]

OK...back to the thread!
WD SSD is not the fastest available.
500W is enough for your current system, I think it is better to get only the SSD and get the PSU later on together with a new GPU.
Save the money from the PSU for better SSD.
I would get OCZ Vertex 2 or Crucial C300 for the SSD.

But it is your choice, because I don't know exactly the condition of your current 500W PSU. If you are worried about your PSU, than PSU is your highest prirority.

+1 for Corsair PSU.

 

[johnnyq8]

for the bad luck today cards with hdmi inbut needs powerful power supply but you wont need more than 650 watt psu if you are going to go with hd 5770 its will be good choice but you may want to upgrade your psu

 

[Caple]

I got the components I mentioned. OCZ PSU and WD SSD.
The money is short now, after buying case, CPU, mobo and memory.
The WD SSD was the best cost/benefit I could find. Faster drives are almost double the price here.
I may get it on friday or saturday, then I can build it all. Can't stand watching the components around here, not being used
The only thing left will be the Noctua brackets for my cooler. 10 to 15 working days to receive it. Sux.
Thanx everyone for the replies

 

[guanyu210379]

??? That is funny..
As I bought my OCZ Vertex 2....WD's SSD is only €30 (USD40) cheaper...
OCZ Vertex 2 €159 while WD €129.
Not double...have you really done enough searching?

 

[Caple]

Yes. I live in Brazil. Importing taxes here are huge.
The fastest drives I can only find on big companies. And it's really expensive. And not the latest stuff.
This WD SDD I got from a website like eBay, where some sellers get it for a cheaper price, and sometimes without taxes, and sell it for a better price.
Warranty is the same.
So, for the price asked here, I think I did ok.