power saving pc

[BobBrainy]

Hi all, I'm after changing my pc around into a more power saving pc. I don't really game on it much anymore, but certain games such as starcraft 2 and when it arrives, diablo 3 will see some serious play time. (Other rts/ rpg that you can't get on consoles will also see some playtime)

So at this current moment in time my rig is this,

e8400 stock
4x1gb crucial ballistix 8500
asus p5k deluxe
8800gtx
320gb samsung hdd
xfire gamer soundcard
750w thermaltake toughpower
cm stacker 831

had it for a good few years now, has served me well.

I've been racking my brains on what to change and what not to change, essentially I've thought of every possibility from changing a few pieces from this to getting rid of it all and starting again.

Essentially whatever I do, I don't want to spend too much money.

I understand that the 8800gtx and psu will probably eat too much so they should go, so one idea is,

idea #1
keep main pc
8800gtx out - ati 5750/5770/4850/4770 in
psu out - corsair 430cx in
smaller case (need a smaller one anyway)

idea #2
mini-itx board zotac 9300 ddr3
e8400
mini-itx case w/ psu
4gb ddr3 ram

idea #3
ddr3 775 board
e8400
corsair 430cx
ati 5750 etc
3x2gb corsair ddr3
smaller case

idea #4
amd x4 955 cpu
880g mainboard
psu, ram, case, gcard from above

idea #5
intel celeron ulv + ion2 build
mini itx etc.

think thats pretty much it. Basically the pc will 80% be used for doing my work on, browsing the web and streaming stuff. The other 20% will be sc2 and diablo 3 (when diablo 3 is released, probably 50/50 time!)

Hence an idea of perhaps onbaord graphics now - upgrade later did come to mind, however. I really would like to get 6gb or more of ddr3 ram, and I saw some at the mo for a really good price but its 3x2gb hence I need 4 slots...

Soz for the confusion guys, but I've spent a good week thinking about this and really I just need some comments to help me across the line.

THanks.

 

[BobBrainy]

thanks for the replies,

my pc pulls about 200w idle (based on one of those elec monitors the above poster spoke about) and 320w when playing a game.

I think most of this is due to the gcard, but I did read that due to my psus wattage that it won't really be running that efficiently?

 

[BobBrainy]

Just changing the graphics card will make a huge difference. However if the 8800GTX works with everything then any cost savings on leccy will be insignificant next to the cost of buying the new card.

It'll take years to make up the difference in cost between a 460/5770 etc and what you have at the moment. 8800GTX uses about 150W load and maybe 50W idle. The 5770 has a low power usage of 18W and uses about 120W at load ( I think).

30W per hour = 360W per day (12hrs per day) = 131KWh or £15.72 per year.

A 5770 will set you back about £100. You could sell your 8800GTX to offset the cost but I'd imagine you might get £50 for it. So based on 12 hours use per day it would take 3 1/2 years to recoup your investment.

How well does the 8800GTX underclock at idle? I was able to underclock my HD4890 quite drastically for idle usage and save over 40W without spending a penny by using third party software.

good point - how would i underclock the 8800gtx? rivatuner?

Also - I don't really understand why its pulling about 200w from the plug at idle?