First time building computer, quick question on required PSU.

Joobs

August 29, 2012 10:30:43 PM

Hello -

As I said in the title, I'm building a computer for the first time. I've done a fair amount of research, but I just wanted to confirm that I was correct before I bought my PSU. If you could help me by either verifying that I got my numbers right or by suggesting a PSU that provides the best bang for my buck, I'd greatly appreciate it. I'll list my components below. I've estimated that I need a minimum of 450W and 37(?) Amps on the 12V+ rail.

Processor:
i5 2500k

GPU:
Radeon HD 6870

RAM:
8gb G.skill 1600

SSD:
Vertex 4 128gb

Mobo:
MSI Z77A-GD55

HDD:
200gb (Came with old computer)

Does a minimum of 450W and 37 (?) Amps on the 12V+ rail seem reasonable?

Thank you.

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mocchan

Power supply Master

August 29, 2012 10:43:52 PM

Someone did his homework

However, with a 450w unit, you may run into an issue where you may not have enough PCI-E 6 pin connectors for your HD6870, so I will recommend a 500w PSU so you can don't have to use adapters.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Something like this will provide more than enough power

Enough headroom for you to OC your CPU as well!

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Joobs

August 29, 2012 11:24:33 PM

Thanks a ton to both of you - mocchan brought up a point that I forgot to include in the OP. I'd like to have the option (although I won't do it now) to overclock both my processor and GPU without having to buy a new power supply. Does that change my power requirements?

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delluser1

Power supply Master

August 29, 2012 11:30:11 PM

Joobs said:

Thanks a ton to both of you - mocchan brought up a point that I forgot to include in the OP. I'd like to have the option (although I won't do it now) to overclock both my processor and GPU without having to buy a new power supply. Does that change my power requirements?

Not unless you're looking for world record overclocks and planning to test for stability 24/7

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giovanni86

August 29, 2012 11:47:28 PM

Joobs said:

Thanks a ton to both of you - mocchan brought up a point that I forgot to include in the OP. I'd like to have the option (although I won't do it now) to overclock both my processor and GPU without having to buy a new power supply. Does that change my power requirements?

http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

That could help. :whistle:

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mocchan

Power supply Master

August 30, 2012 12:00:23 AM

Joobs said:

Thanks a ton to both of you - mocchan brought up a point that I forgot to include in the OP. I'd like to have the option (although I won't do it now) to overclock both my processor and GPU without having to buy a new power supply. Does that change my power requirements?

No, as delluser has stated, as long as you aren't going to OC your CPU with LN2 or anything, your PSU requirements won't change dramatically.

OCing your chip may just mean you will require 100w to power your CPU instead of 85w, again, this is just an example. It isn't a very big jump that requires you to change your PSU.

Any of the PSU's listed above will get the job done, however, I would prefer to go with the unit I listed due to it's price. If you're an efficiency freak, however, you may want to go with one of the units delluser has listed due to its 80+ Gold certification.

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Joobs

August 30, 2012 1:12:39 AM

Appreciate it everyone - everything has been cleared up for me. I went with the modular Rosewill Capstone that Delluser1 posted.

Thanks again all.