Advice on PSU Wattage and CPU cooler

kozalaq

Distinguished
May 3, 2011
31
0
18,530
Hi Guys,

I think I'm pretty much decided with:

Inter i5 2500k + Biostar TP67B+
KVR 4GB
Samsung F3 1TB
Samsung 22x DVD-RW
Ikonik En2
Sapphire HD5850 Xtreme 1GB
FSP Aurum 500W

Again, question:
-Is 500w PSU enough to overclock the CPU and GPU and addition of CPU cooler, casing fans and probably an SSD? What about if I decide to change the GPU to higher end one in the future?
-What wattage is recommended?

-Do I need a CPU cooler if I intend to do some mild-moderate oc-ing?
-which is more important? More casing fans or CPU cooler?

Thanks :)
 
^ For an overclocked CPU + GPU, I would suggest atleast 550W+ PSU
For a single card config, a 600W PSU should be able to handle any single chip graphics card out there,... If going Crossfire/ SLI, you would need more power depending on the cards with which you will be going,...

From where are you buying the parts ?? The Gigabyte board with the newer Z68 is cheaper and offers Crossfire/ SLI as well with x8x8 bandwidth
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128501
 

kozalaq

Distinguished
May 3, 2011
31
0
18,530
it's more expensive than tp67b+ by 50bucks in my area. anyway, i don't think i need any extra z68 feature. p67 is sufficient for my needs. any other p67 to recommend? i'm looking for best price/performance mobos.

i think i will only go for single card and upgrade accordingly in the future.. save the hassle, better support, less power and less heat. :)

so it'd be best to stay with 600w psu?
 

sync_nine

Distinguished
Nov 8, 2010
149
0
18,710
If you havent bought the components i certainly suggest you go for the combos on newegg, it gives good discounts of bundled purchases.
This is a good bundle
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.660820

or if you want to select a different GPU, then this bundle is good too
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.644166

The bundles contain all the parts you need and its cheaper to buy it together than buying the parts individually.(They already contain a PSU )
Its best to have at least 600W psu to be on the safe side.

if i5-2500k you can easily OC it to 4.5 ghz on air cooling (I dont think you need more clocks than that)
then you can go for the Cooler Master hyper 212+
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.644166

or if you want more than 4.5 ghz go for a liquid cooler. Corsair H50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181010&cm_re=h50-_-35-181-010-_-Product
 

kozalaq

Distinguished
May 3, 2011
31
0
18,530
thanks gkay09.

so i will be just fine with only a cpu cooler with stock fan that comes with the casing? will the heat drew out by cpu cooler accumulates inside the case? :D

I'm planning to get FSP Aurum 600w.

Thanks sync_nine. However I don't live in US and it's too troublesome to wait for the delivery and all. I believe others will find your post helpful. :)
 

RazberyBandit

Distinguished
Dec 25, 2008
2,303
0
19,960
Sorry sync_nine, but the Corsair H50 has been proven again and again to work no better than a CM Hyper 212+. The Hyper 212+ and several other HS/Fan air coolers outperform it, as do several other self-contained water cooling units. Frostytech's H50 review: http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2564
Take note of the last sentence on page 5 specifically. And for a comparison of all coolers Frostytech has ever tested, read their most recent review and find the H50 on the charts on pages 4 & 5.

To the OP. You mentioned "your area" in your last post. Where exactly is that? And as gkay asked, from what source(s) do you intend to make your purchase(s)? If we know where you are, where you intend to shop, and your budget, perhaps we can find a better package for you.

As far as the PSU is concerned, a 500W unit (such as the FSP Aurum) should be capable of powering such a system. But, it would likely have to operate well above 50% load capacity (which is where it achieves peak efficiency) while gaming. This would be especially true if you were to OC the CPU and GPU, which could cause it to run at or near it's maximum load. More plainly, while it should (man I hate having to use should) be able to power the system, if you're tempted to or intend to OC such a system, then a wee bit more 12V headroom would be wise.

To expand a bit on that PSU (as well as gkay's suggestion), a 550-600W PSU capable of 40 or more amps of 12V output would be more fitting to your intended build. I stress, this is especially true if overclocking. The FSP Aurum 500W has a maximum 12V output of 36A (432W), which is split evenly between two rails; one of which powers the motherboard, and the other feeds the PCIe power cable for GPU(s). Now despite the PCIe cable having two 6+2 pin PCIe connectors, it is a single feed powered solely by the 2nd, 18A 12V rail, meaning it's maximum output is 216W. A 5850 will commonly draw between 110 and 150W at maximum load. When overclocked to 5870 speeds and above, you can see their power draw numbers climb to the 150 to 200W range. The CPU can do the same, climbing from it's rated 95W TDP at stock speed to as high as 140W or so when overclocked to 4.5GHz.

If you add up the stock numbers and you'll see, a 500W unit works, but it will run above 50% load if both the CPU and GPU are being stressed in a game. Let us also not forget that fans, HDDs, lighting, and other parts also draw a bit of juice from the 12V output. If you add up the OC numbers, you can see how such a PSU's "sweet spot" is left far behind under heavy load. And as is the same with many things in life, stressing anything does generally shorten it's lifespan.
 

kozalaq

Distinguished
May 3, 2011
31
0
18,530
I am currently in Singapore. The parts I mentioned is the cheapest and, I think, the most cost effective build. Of course, since I haven't done any purchase I'm still open to suggestion. Anyway, it's a simple build and I don't think there's many alternatives.

Thanks RazberyBandit for the clear explanation on PSU. I understand from your reply that a 600w PSU is recommended, right? :D
 

RazberyBandit

Distinguished
Dec 25, 2008
2,303
0
19,960
You're welcome. And it's not so much the total wattage that matters, but the 12V Amperage output. You should look at the output rating sheet of the PSU itself when selecting one. I recommend using a PSU with a 12V output of at least 40 Amps, whether it be a single-rail design, or a multi-rail design's combined output.
 
^ Under the "OUTPUT SPECIFICATIONS:" section, check the Output Current:
That PSU has 4x 12V rails each having about 18Amps, so its a very powerful PSU,...

Forgot to ask about the video card, why the 5850?? Is the 6950 not available ??

As for your previous quesion about the cooler, when placing the cooler, make sure you orient it this way -
http://www.overclock.net/attachments/air-cooling/134207d1261518596-cooler-master-hyper-212-plus-club-006.jpg
Doing so will push the air outside the case through the rear fan,...So you wont have issues with hot air circulating inside the case,...
 

mgf derp

Distinguished
Jun 3, 2011
350
0
18,810
HD 5850 151w
i5 2500k 95w
P67 7w
System 100w (HDD,DVD,SSD,Fans)
400w with strong 12v rails will cover it. I would go 500w as it will probably have more amps on the 12v rails. And as suggested before go with the CoolerMaster 212+ cpu cooler.
 

kozalaq

Distinguished
May 3, 2011
31
0
18,530
cause 6950 is much more expensive. if i were to buy a graphic card of 6950 price range, i'd rather go with gtx560ti. then i read about hd5850 extreme from sapphire and heard many good things about it. not to mention that it will save me some $$.

of course, 6950 is definitely better than hd5850, but i think i can use the money save this time around for future upgrades as gpu technology advances to fast to catch up with what i'm earning now :(

thanks MGF Derp, but since I'm overclocking, as suggested by RazberyBandit, a 600w PSU will give me more headroom to avoid overstressing the PSU. :)
 

sync_nine

Distinguished
Nov 8, 2010
149
0
18,710