Power supply question

[ja6on]

building Pc question

im currently building a pc

the motherboard is an intel dh55hc

intel I5 3.33 prossesor

4gb dual channel corsair ddr3 1333mhz (xms3 dhx)

hd 1gb ddr3 radeon 4800 series graphics card. pci express

would i need 500w or would 430w or even 400w be ok?

still unsure on coolin fan as yet.

thanks for help in advance

 

[Indigo]

Re: building Pc question

4gb dual core corsair ddr3 1333mhz (xms3 dhx)

That should be dual channel by the way.

cooling fans ship with processors, so unless you plan to overclock, there's no reason to buy a third party heatsink or fans for a case that already ships with them (you didn't specify however...)

500 watts is fine for a 48xx family video card, as long as you don't skimp out and get a cheap power supply (i.e. a $30 unit that claims it can do 500 watts)

 

[Teris]

I probably wouldn't go less than 500w but there's no real problem going higher if you can ... just dont go mad and get a ThermalTake 1500w Toughpower or something because it's might be a bit wasted...

But like og said, dont cheap out, get a decent brand of PSU and a 500w should be fine.

 

[stroudyit]

I would agree with the others, 500w would be the best. It will actually be more energy efficient. A 500w will spin up its fan slower than a 400w as there is less demand on the unit.

Think of a small car pulling a caravan, its going to use more fuel and energy getting up to speed than a big off roader despite having a smaller engine.

Daniel Hunt
Stroudy IT
www.stroudyit.co.uk

 

[ja6on]

CiT 500W Micro ATX £20
Colors 500W Gold 12Cm Silent Atx £17
1938 600 Watt Black Storm £23
650 WATT Power supply Alpine Black 650 WATT Silent Quiet PC ATX PSU £24
Are any of these any good?

I will prob upgrade graphics card in 6-7months

 

[Indigo]

I've never heard of those brand names, and if you're going to be a cheapskate on the power supply, you shouldn't be upgrading at all. You need to look at serious contenders for the power supply, it is what keeps everything else working and ensures that your system won't blow up.

As a minimum:
Cooler Master RS550-ACAAE3-UK GX-Series 550W Power Supply Unit: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

and my recommendation:
Corsair TX Series, 650 Watt, ATX, PS/2, Power Supply, UK Version (CMPSU-650TXUK): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

 

[ja6on]

i cant see how a branded power supply would make a difference but ill takee your word for it

CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 V2 - Power supply ( internal ) - ATX12V 2.3 - AC 90-264 V - 600 Watt - active PFC - Europe
found this one for £39 so ordered thanks for the advise dude.

 

[Indigo]

Branded power supplies are made by manufacturers who put their name on them for a reason. The fact that you don't see why there would be a difference is gravely disturbing in the computing world. Lower quality power supplies made by no-name companies, or cheap knockoffs are made with lower quality components, and due to the nature of how a power supply works, if those components aren't of a certain quality, you introduce things like noise, ripple and component failure which can not only cause a power supply failure, but in the case of cheaper power supplies, actually take out other components in a system. A friend of mine cheaped out on the power supply for a high end computer, and the PSU fried on him one day, it took out his motherboard, his CPU AND his video card and hard drive. His "savings" turned into a liability because he didn't spend the extra $30-50 on a high end power supply. It's a type of insurance that really does matter.

A good gauge of power supply credibility is its weight. Cheap units will weigh less, because they don't use as many heatsinks and quality components, which tend to weigh more. It's not the only indicator, brand names fall into play as well, but generally between reviews online, the weight of a unit and the name brand can be used to gauge a good unit. Here's a couple of links that go into the whole deal on these devices:

Everything You Need to Know About Power Supplies | Hardware Secrets

How to choose an ATX Power Supply - PC Power Supply - How to Select Computer Power Supplies-Best Computer Online Store Houston Buy Discount Prices Texas-Directron.com