What PSU should I buy?

ukwired

ukwired

ukwired

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Joined
21 Sep 2008
Posts
17
Browsing through the forums it is blatiantly clear that this question is asked quite a lot 'What PSU should I buy?'. Well I need help with the exact same thing - I dont know which one to get :( Mainly because i am genuinely confused, with all this talk about 20/24 pin connectors ATX 1.0 or 2.0 or something or other :confused:. I admit it - i'm a total n00b xD! :eek: Though there seem to be some elites on this forum, so im pretty confident someone out there will help me with this :)


Here is my current 'rig':

Model/Name: HP Pavilion Media Center TV m8070.uk - Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4 GHz


Processor
Type: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 / 2.4 GHz
Multi-Core Technology: Quad-Core
64-bit Computing: Yes
Installed Qty: 1
Max Supported Qty: 1

-Cache memory
Type: L2 Cache
Installed Size: 8 MB
Cache Per Processor: 8 MB

Mainboard
Chipset Type: Intel P965 Express

Storage controller
Type: 1 x Serial ATA - integrated

Optical storage
Type: DVD±RW (±R DL) / DVD-RAM - Serial ATA
Disc Labeling Technology: LightScribe Technology

Card reader
Type: 15 in 1 card reader

Graphics controller
Type: PCI Express x16 - plug-in card
Graphics Processor / Vendor: ATI Radeon X1650 SE
Installed Size: 512 MB
Digital Video Standard: Digital Visual Interface (DVI)

Multimedia functionality (TV Card)
TV Tuner Type: Digital and analogue TV
Digital TV Reception: DVB-T

Source:
Code: 
http://www.ciao.co.uk/HP_Pavilion_Media_Center_TV_m8070_uk_Core_2_Quad_Q6600_2_4_GHz__6733366

So, my current PSU is (i think) 300-350w. This won't be sufficient as i'm planning to add a Graphics card to my computer. An 8800 GT XXX Alpha Dog.

What PSU should I get? :S
-WiReD-
 
Claimed UK wired


a corsair 620wt hx will do you fine buddy. Its modular to so will cut down on the clutter of cables. Im assuming ure mobo is a modern day one and the corsair will have the correct 24pin cable that also can be changed to a 20 pin cable if needed
 
Thanks for your quick response:)

So, one of these should be all-good?:
2217_large_corsair.jpg


-WiReD-
 
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Would a 620W Corsair cope with two 4870s? Just curious, as I know they are quality PSUs so you dont necessarily have to compensate by banging a 1000W PSU in :).
 
From looking around the net, quad core system with 4870 crossfire shows a total power consumption of 430watts, so I would say the HX 620w has a bit of room to spare and still keeping the efficiency well within reason.
 
fobose said:
From looking around the net, quad core system with 4870 crossfire shows a total power consumption of 430watts, so I would say the HX 620w has a bit of room to spare and still keeping the efficiency well within reason.
Click to expand...

all depends if u overclock the cards and the cpu tbh, plus u have to add in hdds and dvd writers etc. So i would say a 620wt is to low
 
Hard drives and optical drives barely use any power. The review I was using for reference was using an overclocked QX9770 (@ 3.852Ghz). 190watt overhead is more than enough.
 
Interesting stuff :D
No, i don't really think i'll be overclocking any components; maybe do an sli in the future, would this be sufficient for that too?

Plus, from what i've heard, the fan on the 8800gt (alpha dog) is mostly operating @ 100% - even whilst resting (apparently) Can anyone shed any light on that? :S

-WiReD-
 
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ukwired said:
Interesting stuff :D
No, i don't really think i'll be overclocking any components; maybe do an sli in the future, would this be sufficient for that too?

Plus, from what i've heard, the fan on the 8800gt (alpha dog) is mostly 100% - even whilst resting (apparently) Can anyone shed any light on that? :S

-WiReD-
Click to expand...

Are you getting this GPU second hand or?
 
mishima said:
Yeah, the 8800GT's are running thin as they are quite old cards now. Still very powerful though. I would go for a 4850 if you can. It's a little bit more but they offer bang for buck. Something like this: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showp...3 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail
Click to expand...

"*24x custom filter anti-aliasing (CFAA) and high performance anisotropic filtering
* PCI Express 2.0 support
* Shader Model 4.1
* Microsoft DirectX 10.1 support "

wow, that sounds future-proof (for a little while lol). I'll be playing at 1440x900 mostly. Do you think this card will be able to run the upcoming GTA IV/Saints Row 2 without any hitches at that res? (couldn't resist asking *drools* xD)

My budget for a card is somewhere around 100-120 possible 130 pounds :P

-WiReD-
 
Well, the 4850 is very much on par with the 8800GT but does excel in certain games. I think the best option for you is to get a 2nd hand HD 4870. You could pick one up for the top end of your budget, and this would run GTA IV very well. It does depend though not just on GPU power but GPU and memory. You could do with overclocking your CPU to maximize everything.

With a nice overclock and upgrade on the GPU you would see a sweet improvement!
 
Fantastic! :D

Well, im looking at reviews and benchmarks for this card and it certainly has an advantage over the 8800gt. Most noticably the 4.1 shader and dx10.1 :D

Thanks again for your help, it feels like the right card for me :)

-WiReD-
 
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