Advice for a Beginnner: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply

[cwb50]

I have made a few posts asking for wisdom on my first gaming rig, because I am 100% new I have said I need simplified advice and just help... However they always become just a big argument. So I am changing my strategy.


Tell me what you think of this one part: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply

If you need it for reference here is my whole build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mZKtQ7

Expectations of my rig:
1. Great for gaming at high quality
2. Online ready (wireless/ethernet)
3. Preferred to be under $800 (currently over my "budget")
4. Types of games: Minecraft, Sims 4, Elderscrolls, Valve (half-life, portal), some others.
5. Also I do lots of video editing!

PLEASE do not argue, it just makes me so confused. And PLEASE keep the language simple. Avoid abbreviating cause I never have any idea what they mean.

 

[jaraldo]

Hey

I prefer the EVGA 500 B1 over the CX 500 because it doesn't seem to have as bad a fail rate and usually they are the same price.

I also had 2 dead on arrival CX 600's on my first build which caused quite a bit of problems, so I have a bit of a bias against them

There is usually a XFX 550w power supply for $45 (sometimes $25 onsale) and it's much better than either the EVGA 500w or CX 500w power supplies. So I don't end up recommending the CX much.

 

[RookieOfTheYear]

Jaraldo is absolutely correct in my opinion. I have a EVGA 600B in my system and it has held up quite well so far. Granted, I have only had it about 6 months. If you can find the XFX, that is by far the best one to go with though.

Here is a link to the EVGA 500B for $34. http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-100b10500kr

You might want to go with a 600W to keep from having to buy one in the future when you want to upgrade your graphics card to a better card that will most likely require more power. Here is a link to a refurbished EVGA 600B from newegg for $40.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438023

Maybe see what other people say about my suggestion. I prefer to error on the side of too much power than not enough and have to shell out another $50 in the future. Better to spend the extra $10 or so in the beginning I think. Hope this helps.

 

[cwb50]

So XFX is preferable, but EVGA is good as well

 

[RookieOfTheYear]

That is correct. EVGA is if you are on a tight budget. Honestly it would probably be best if you could save up a little more money and get the XFX. I think it would really be worth it for you in the long run.

 

[jaraldo]

well right now the XFX is a bit expensive, $59 last time I saw :S (yesterday)

If you were to go up to $60 power supplies, I'd get this one. Antec high current gamer 620w Bronze
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-power-supply-hcg620m

If you can't fit that in your budget, I'd get the EVGA over the CX 100%.

Just to be clear, it's not like the CX is poison or anything, jonnyguru recommends the crap out of it, but I think it's place is in some very light gaming/work computer and not $800+ builds like yours

 

[cwb50]

well right now the XFX is a bit expensive, $59 last time I saw :S (yesterday)

If you were to go up to $60 power supplies, I'd get this one. Antec high current gamer 620w Bronze
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-power-supply-hcg620m

If you can't fit that in your budget, I'd get the EVGA over the CX 100%.

Just to be clear, it's not like the CX is poison or anything, jonnyguru recommends the crap out of it, but I think it's place is in some very light gaming/work computer and not $800+ builds like yours

I am ok with expanding my budget a little bit where it needs to, I actually have $1800 to drop, I just would prefer to have a little left over (money is precious as a college kid, but burgers are a dollar at mcdonals...)

Do you mind suggesting an EVGA as well though?
Also, power supplies are easy as cake to replace are they not?

 

[jaraldo]

Oh dear, never say you have that much of a budget !
People will swarm this thread with $1,500 builds now :lol: (jokes)

If you have the money, I'd get the Antec no doubt.

I'd also suggest you go for an intel build , like an i5-4670k with a z97 (asus z97-a, asrock pro4 or Extreme 4), as it will get better performance.

Besides this, the am3+ platform is becoming dated (5 years old) and the motherboard you have isn't the best for overclocking
https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AgN1D79Joo7tdE9xMUFlMEVWeFhuckJEVF9aMmtpUFE&gid=0

The adjustment to an intel would keep you under $1000 while giving you FAR better performance.

There is also an r9 280 for the same price as your r9 270x.
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-r9280gaming3g

Are you planning to overclock? If not, the i5-4670 and any h97 board would be good.

 

[cwb50]

Oh dear, never say you have that much of a budget !
People will swarm this thread with $1,500 builds now :lol: (jokes)

If you have the money, I'd get the Antec no doubt.

I'd also suggest you go for an intel build , like an i5-4670k with a z97 (asus z97-a, asrock pro4 or Extreme 4), as it will get better performance.

Besides this, the FX series is becoming dated (5 years old) and the motherboard you have isn't the best for overclocking
https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AgN1D79Joo7tdE9xMUFlMEVWeFhuckJEVF9aMmtpUFE&gid=0

The adjustment to an intel would keep you under $1000 while giving you FAR better performance.

There is also an r9 280 for the same price as your r9 270x.
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-r9280gaming3g

Are you planning to overclock? If not, the i5-4670 and any h97 board would be good.

This is actually my updated parts list http://pcpartpicker.com/user/caleb50/saved/BPbwrH sry I never changed it in the thread. Uhm, I dont really know why one would over clock and I am not into gun games or racing games and I understand they are the most tasking and overclock asking

 

[jaraldo]

Oh, the overclocking part was just a question. The FX series can all overclock so that's why I was wondering. I believe that the intel would be far better for you in this case.

If you want to keep something simple close to your build, I made these adjustments for $40 which should help extend the life of your build. (PSU/GPU) The 8320 is an option to for $30 more but I'd recommend at least the Hyper 212 CPU cooler for it, another $30. That part is up to you.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/dpBkgs

If you would like an intel build, this one will out perform the fx 6300 at stock(no overclocking) by a long shot.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($76.66 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($75.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 280 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($57.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: LG 23MP55HQ-P 60Hz 23.0" Monitor ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Logitech MK120 Wired Slim Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($14.18 @ B&H)
Total: $979.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Changes:

CPU
The i5-4590 will be miles ahead of the fx6300. The FX6300 is getting old now, and the competition really isn't even close in the $800+ builds. I just found out in a thread today that even intel $70 pentium CPUs have better duo core performance than something like the 8320. They really are dated.

Motherboard
A newer motherboard with a brand new chipset (the 970 from amd is old aswell) and will provide all the features you'll ever need.

Hard Drive
The Blue will be marginally slower than the Black, but you won't notice it while using your computer. However, I do think you will notice the noise the black makes. Another point is recently the blues seem more reliable than the black drives. Just something to consider as it's $30 less. I have 3 seagate and 4 Blue western digital drives, all the $50 1TB ones and they have lasted 3-5 years so far.

Graphics Card
The r9 280 was $10 more and is better than the r9 270x, not much else to say

Power supply
The EVGA I would trust more than the CX, just my opinion; but I see it recommended far more than the CX in the last few months also.

Monitor
The monitor in your build is a TN panel and is a bit old tech (getting sick of me saying that yet? )
The IPS monitors have better quality and I found one for $20 more and with a bigger screen size.
You can read about TN vs IPS here.
http://www.tnpanel.com/tn-vs-ips-va/

The price can be lowered quite easily to around $920 if you want by getting a different i5, motherboard and monitor. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask

 

[cwb50]

So I do lots of video editing and I have heard that 6-core is essential for that?

 

[cwb50]

Also, is the fact that I don't have a cooler on my build alarming? No body ever says anything about it is my rig go just burn up to a crisp?

 

[Pondering]

Go with the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO and get the Antec HCG 620M

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2

The 200R has Maximum CPU Cooler Height of 165mm
http://www.corsair.com/en-us/carbide-series-200r-compact-atx-case (Tech Spec Tab)

 

[cwb50]

Go with the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO and get the Antec HCG 620M

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2

The 200R has Maximum CPU Cooler Height of 165mm
http://www.corsair.com/en-us/carbide-series-200r-compact-atx-case (Tech Spec Tab)

Does the case or something like that not come with a fan?

 

[Pondering]

That goes onto the FX 6300 if and when you are concerned about the temperatures. The 200R can accommodate a tall CPU heatsink.

 

[cwb50]

That goes onto the FX 6300 if and when you are concerned about the temperatures. The 200R can accommodate a tall CPU heatsink.

What?? Sorry, too stupid to understand that

 

[jaraldo]

hehe , your rig would be fine. That is a damn good 970 motherboard you have, the best budget one possible. The FX CPUs do run hot though which is why I said if you want to get the 8320 for $30 more, you should pick up a CPU cooler.

If it's the 6300 vs the i5 it's a no brainer that the i5 is better. If you do the 8320 vs the i5 it becomes a little bit closer. To get the 8320, you have to up your build by $60 at least from my adjustments already.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/dpBkgs
This would put you at $980.

The intel build I showed is $980.

It doesn't matter to me either way but you really have to understand that the 8320 even though it has more cores, they are very bad compared to the i5's.
This will explain the differences between them pretty well.
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2173648/4150-4590s-8320-8350.html

One thing I know forsure is that 16gb of ram will help you more with editing than either of these CPU will

 

[jaraldo]

That goes onto the FX 6300 if and when you are concerned about the temperatures. The 200R can accommodate a tall CPU heatsink.

What?? Sorry, too stupid to understand that

He is saying the CPU cooler will be mounted to the top of your CPU and is reassuring you it will fit in your case. Sometimes CPU coolers won't fit in smaller cases.

 

[cwb50]

hehe , your rig would be fine. That is a damn good 970 motherboard you have, the best budget one possible. The FX CPUs do run hot though which is why I said if you want to get the 8320 for $30 more, you should pick up a CPU cooler.

If it's the 6300 vs the i5 it's a no brainer that the i5 is better. If you do the 8320 vs the i5 it becomes a little bit closer. To get the 8320, you have to up your build by $60 at least from my adjustments already.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/dpBkgs
This would put you at $980.

The intel build I showed is $980.

It doesn't matter to me either way but you really have to understand that the 8320 even though it has more cores, they are very bad compared to the i5's.
This will explain the differences between them pretty well.
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2173648/4150-4590s-8320-8350.html

One thing I know forsure is that 16gb of ram will help you more with editing than either of these CPU will

so i need more ram?

 

[jaraldo]

If you really do a lot of editing, yes I'd get 16gb along with the 8320.
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-fd8320frhkbox

 

[cwb50]

If you really do a lot of editing, yes I'd get 16gb along with the 8320.
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-fd8320frhkbox

what is better about tthe 8320?

 

[jaraldo]

Well it's like you've been tell me so far about the 6300 vs the i5
The 8320 has more cores than both; 8 cores.

It's just a good step up from the 6300.
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1883433/6300-8320.html

As I mentioned before, an i5 will still destroy the 6300 in pretty much everything. The 8320 at least can compete and beat an i5, especially in editing.

 

[cwb50]

Well it's like you've been tell me so far about the 6300 vs the i5
The 8320 has more cores than both; 8 cores.

It's just a good step up from the 6300.
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1883433/6300-8320.html

As I mentioned before, an i5 will still destroy the 6300 in pretty much everything. The 8320 at least can compete and beat an i5, especially in editing.

So the 8320 will be an overclocked 6300?

 

[cwb50]

Not that i 100% know what significance that has on my life, but still ^_^

 

[jaraldo]

xD it's ok.
Well i suppose you could somewhat call it that yeah. But if you were going to get the 6300 because it had 2 more cores than an i5, why not spend $30 more for something that has 2 cores more than the 6300? I rarely ever see a $1000 build with a 6300, as you can get far better performance with a i5/8320.