OS Help

[sterdog]

So I recently built my first computer for my wifes use (I have helped build others for friends) and midway though this forum talked me into spending money on a better CPU and MB. After the thrilling success of her build, I decided to gut an old Compaq tower my parents left lying around at there house and fill it with the extra MB and CPU, along with some cheap parts. Here's what the rig is now:

2.8 GHZ AMD Athlon X4 Propus (oc to 3.3 ghz)
ASUS M4A88TD-M MB
4 GB Corsair XMS3 DDR3 ram (bought off friend, he needed DDR2 and rather than return I used it and payed him)
160 GB Samsung HDD (compaq original)
Samsung DVD buner (compaq original)
Acepower 520W PSU (new)
Used Dell 22" LCD (few years old, randomly bought at garage sale and it works great)

The question is after building this it runs XP pro great and does surf the net, but I try to play anything remotely new and the integrated graphics screech to a halt. I buy upgrades on impulse (bad idea I know) so I found a 6850 for 180 Canadian (which is good since we get price raped) and it's going to be here soon enough, my questions are should I splurge and get windows 7? Or is XP good enough even though it's not directX 11 compatable? Also, I know the PSU sucks, I bought it local and quick to get this all running. Anyone have experence pushing this thing with a graphics card?

This is a budget build, so I really don't want to buy another PSU when this one should work fine, but if I have a ticking time bomb then I want to protect the few hundred I've invested. Thanks.

 

[gracefully]

That PSU is probably not true-rated. i.e. It actually puts out less wattage than its rated "520W". However, your system is far from that. I'd put it at around 300W max. Still, I recommend you get a quality power supply to protect your investment. A 500W true-rated and preferable 80+ certified will not only ensure the safety of your PC, but will consume a bit less electricity too.

Also, since you have a moderate to high-end DX11 class card, I suggest you get Windows 7 to fully utilize it. That system will surely run Win7 without a sweat, and you get nice window effects and added security too.

What is the purpose of this PC? Is it a gaming rig? If you really got a 6850, that's some massive 3D horsepower right there. Enjoy.

 

[sterdog]

gracefully,

Like I said it's pretty much the start of a PC for her home business that turned into my new computer. I went searching for cheap cards that would game (for WOW mostly) and almost bought a 5670, but thought why waste 100 Canadian on a humdrum card when the site had a 6850 on sale for $175 that would make this pc a good backup if hers goes down.

I know your right, if I bought a 5870 I would probably cause a fire with this psu, but after buying the card and win 7 I probably won't have any money for a new psu. Plus this psu is only a month old, I hate junking new stuff.

 

[gracefully]

Well, as long as the PSU has the requisite 6-pin PEG power connectors then it's good. Maybe some time in the future when a good PSU goes on sale you can upgrade.