Building first PC - Which power supply do I need?

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Mig

Mig

Mig

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Hi, I am planning to build my first custom PC and I'm not really sure about the power supply. How much wattage do I need?

This is what I have so far:

  • Intel Core i7 875K
  • Asus P6X58D Premium Intel X58
  • Corsair Vengeance 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C8 1600MHz Triple Channel
  • Smasung SpinPoint F3 500GB SATA-II 16MB Cache
  • Asus GeForce GTX 570 1280MB
  • Antex 300 Ultimate Gaming Case
  • Akasa AK-FN059 Ultra Quiet Viper 120mm
  • OcUK Crusade 450W Dual-Rail

Will that be OK? Also, any other general opinions on the setup, please let me know.

Thanks.
 
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No mate that PSU would be a disaster with those components.

You need to be looking at a Corsair 600/650w or an Anteec True power 650. They come in at over £70 but should never skimp on the power supply :)

And youve chosen a Socket 1156 CPU with a Socket 1366 mobo, so you need to either change to a P55 mottherboard or a 1366 CPU like the i7 930
 
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To be honest I'm already over budget at about £1200. Was hoping to keep it under £1000 but that's already gone out the window.
 
Mig said:
Can you explain why it is bad? What sort of wattage do I need?
Click to expand...

Well its only 450w for starters which isnt enough for the GFX card let alone anything else. I certianly wouldnt trust a cheapy £40 PSU with expensive bits youve chosen. Ask in the general hardware section for confirmation :)
 
To explain a bit-

You don't skimp on a PSU because a poor quality PSU can kill your system, or a high quality PSU can save your system from death.

There are choices available - but the Antec TruePower New series are reasonably priced for their quality and are actually manufactured by Seasonic (who make good PSUs).

PSUs aren't 100% efficient - more like 85%. They degrade over time - so you need a bit of headroom for that.

You also want to consider upgrades, you don't want to upgrade your GPU a year or so from now and find you need to also replace your PSU.
 
Read the tech sheet on your GPU - that'll have the highest requirement. I think it's 500W off the top of my head. So factor in efficiency, degradation, and future proofing and you're at the 650W Antec TruePower New which I recommended.

Really trying to save you a headache here - don't skimp on the psu!
 
MeatLoaf said:
And youve chosen a Socket 1156 CPU with a Socket 1366 mobo, so you need to either change to a P55 mottherboard or a 1366 CPU like the i7 930
Click to expand...

I'd be more worried about sorting that out first.

I've never used a 'formula', but 650w+ sounds about right for a system of that spec.

Budget PSU wise, personally I'd recommend an OCZ. Mine is great. Not sure if you can buy them any more, not looked.
 
Could've sworn I chose both with 1366. Must've read wrong. I will get the i7 950 instead, seeing as it's on offer.
 
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