First decent rig, which psu?

[Gaming machine]

Hi everyone i'm new here and liking the forums a lot.

I am somewhat of a pc build noob and in the past always had low end dells which were good for... well not much.

So i decided its time to build a decent pc for once, i'll be using it for gaming, and other general use.

So far these are the components i've ordered:

Intel Core I3 2120 3.3 Ghz
Asus p8z68V-pro mobo
4Gb 1333mhz Kingston Valueram
500Gb WD Caviar Black
Saturn Atx gaming case


Now for the graphics card i'm going to order a single radeon 5850 (budget won't stretch further) and i'm going to be using the pc with my 42" inch lcd at 1980 x 1080 to play games as well as switching occasionally to a dual desktop monitor setup.

I will eventually consider buying another 5850 and using them in xfire, buying a small ssd for SRT with the z68 mobo as well as upgrading memory and cpu.

So considering these things can anyone offer suggestions on the size of psu i will need?

P.s - i have searched around and recommendations seem to vary from 400 watt to nothing less than 700 watt psus for similar setups and the psu calculator are apperently rubbish.

Thanks

 

[sportsfanboy]

If your buying new then get a 68xx/69xx series card. The 58xx's are old tech and will soon be two generations behind.

I would buy a quality 500w/550w for a single card and 750w to 850w for crossfire.

 

[Gaming machine]

Ok cool, i completely overlooked the new 68xx/69xx series.

From what i gather the 6870 is slightly better than a 5850, and a 5870 is better than a 6870. So for £10 more should i get a 5870 or stick with getting a newer 6870?

I probably wouldn't crossfire for around 8 months to 1 yrs time so is it still better to buy a high watt psu now to future proof it and would this have any negative effects if i wasn't using anywhere near the max wattage?

Thanks for your help

 

[sportsfanboy]

The 6870 is a little slower than the 5870 but not by much, and in some cases where heavy tessellation is involved, the 6870 is faster. Your best bet if you can swing it is grab a 6950 and crossfire it later if you feel the need to. There are also guides on how to unlock the 6950 to a 6970-----> http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/overclocking/vidcard/159

For a little bit more I think it's worth while to buy a psu that can handle crossfire. That way if you do decide to go for it you won't need to buy another one. Your not going to use anymore electricity, it will only draw what your current hardware needs.

I would grab one of these

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151100

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207011

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139022&cm_sp=Cat_Power%20Supplies-_-YTVideo-_-YT17-139-022

 

[Gaming machine]

Thanks, you've been a great help.

I think i'm going to go with either the xfx black edition 6870 or the msi r6870 card as i can't quite stretch the budget enough for a 6950.

I'm gonna go with the corsair 850w tx v2 psu, as you say its worth while getting it now.

1 other question i had was that if i do get the 6870, will this not be too much for the core i3 2120 to handle? In other words bottleneck it?

 

[sportsfanboy]

I don't think there will be any noticeable bottleneck, maybe in the future when you go crossfire, change out the dual for a quad core.

 

[Gaming machine]

Thanks mate.

 

[sportsfanboy]

np