Upgrade Questions

[sK_Cookie]

for cost and scalability I would hover around the 500watt mark.  no less than 430watt.

[E.J.FUDD]

but look for the best deal on a 650...

[FourScience]

The power supply was a bitch for me to pick out. Unlike CPUs, there's a lot to choose from, and there are several factors to consider. Higher wattage doesn't always mean enough power for your needs... power supply wattage is actually determined by the amperage available on a few different "rails." There are a couple rails in particular that are more important, and lesser power supplies don't put enough amps in them. A good 430W psu is sometimes better than a cheap 550W! I personally got the 430W Seasonic S12, and it has two (instead of one) +12V rails, which is what you really need to see your amps on.

If you care about case temps or noise, you might also consider efficiency ratings; a power supply is there to convert AC current (your wall socket) into DC current (your computer components). This conversion isn't a 1:1 ratio, and anything your psu doesn't convert becomes heat. Heat also causes noise if any of your fans spin faster when things are warmer. I pay my own electric bills and I wanted a quiet, cool case, so efficiency was a big deal for me. 70% or better is good, but try not to get one rated lower than 65%.

If you want to keep things simple and cheap, just get a case that has a 500W+ rating as was suggested by Fudd and Cookie. Also, you can always upgrade your psu later if your stock PSU can't handle SLI.

[HUD]

Wow FourScience dropped some...science on all of use right there! Thanks for all the tips guys. I'm only going to have one vid card running right now with the intention of running duals down the road. I am realizing that I don't actually know what sli is. I bet it means more than 2 vid cards? I am going to go ask google. I haven't paid attention to new tech since I built my last rig like 4 years ago...

[sK_Cookie]

sli is the form factor that mobo manus use to support raid across multiple video cards.

[FourScience]

sli is the form factor that mobo manus use to support raid across multiple video cards.

Yeap. That means, for SLI, you must have a motherboard that supports it. Good info here: http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=ODY5

SLI is an nVidia technology. The ATI counterpart is Crossfire.

[HUD]

Ok guys here's what I ended up ordering. My 500-600 budget ended up up at 800, but that's the nature of the beast. I rushed it and paid for 2day so I could have it built and kicking ass for my 5 day turkey weekend. I appreciate everyone's input, you helped me out alot. I got a nice ps and a $20 case, for now. I feel good about my purchase and how it will hold up to future upgrades!

So, now the question is what game to replay in high res first, Far Cry, HL2, BF2, COD2, AOE3, Brothers in Arms.... My first priority is to finish Gun before I need to format my HD. It is a cool game if you like westerns. You can tomahawk people, shoot them in max payne style slomo, bang whores and play hold 'em at the saloon etc. I am counting this game to tide me over til my new baby arrives.


1 CASE LINKWORLD|3210-04-C2628 BLK/SL - Retail
Item #: N82E16811164040  $19.99  $19.99
1 MB ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe NF4 RTL - Retail
Item #: N82E16813131517  $157.95  $157.95
1 VGA XFX|GF 6600 GT 128MB PVT43GNDF3 - Retail
Item #: N82E16814150098  $139.00  $139.00
1 >POWER SUPPLY ANTEC TPII-550ATX RTL - Retail
Item #: N82E16817103931  $89.99  $89.99
1 CPU AMD 64 |3200+ ATHLON 64 939P RT - Retail
Item #: N82E16819103535  $152.00  $152.00
1 CORSAIR D400 512MX2 VS1GBKIT400 R - Retail
Item #: N82E16820145440  $73.00  $73.00
1 KB&MS LOGTCH|INTERNT PRO DSKTP BLK% - OEM
Item #: N82E16823126152  $16.00  $16.00
1 DVD+/-RW LITEON|SHW-1635S BK % - OEM
Item #: N82E16827131419  $39.99  $39.99
   Subtotal: $687.92
    Tax: $63.63
   Shipping: $46.38
   Rush Order Fee: $2.99
   Grand Total: $800.92

[MuffDiver]

dont skimp on the quality... you can get buy with a 350, for a while, pick up a 50-$80 PS that throws out 450-580.  Stick with name brands like thrmaltake and such.  Not sure who makes the best P/S, but the important thing is quality.  You need it to be stable and reliable.  make sure you get one with 2 or more fans, and some kinda varible speed fan.

[MuffDiver]

oh, I see someone recommended lite-on for the dvd... godo choice,but Plextor has a SATA DVDRW out, little pricy but pretty darn cool.  just a suggestion.

Also consider a 256MB video card if you can find one you like.  Future games will require 128 as a minimium if they don't already.