Power supply

Tomcat825

Tomcat825

Tomcat825

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A few build questions

Hiya, I have a few questions about various build parts.

Firstly, I'll be putting an SSD into this new build, but it will be running XP. Is there anyway to activate the TRIM in XP as I know it's not optimized in XP compared to 7? And are there any performance downgrading issues from running XP on an SSD compared to windows 7?

Secondly, I'm looking for a power supply in the region of 500-650w. I'm not bothered about whether it's modular or not, but I'd like it to be a high quality, 80+ PSU.
I've found http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-007-XF&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=1497 which is the XFX 550w Core edition... but tbh, i'm not sure about the brand when it comes to PSU's. I also thought about the Corsair CX 500 or 600 and the Cooler Master GX 550 or 650.

Anyone have experiences or at least confirmation that these are decent PSU's?

Also, the XFX has a "5-year limited warranty"... what does this actually mean?

Thirdly, I need a GPU that is capable of running 3 screens, but won't ever be running games. I'm not 100% sure on the best way to do this though, whether to run all 3 off 1 card using 2x DVI + 1x Display/Mini-display (Eyefinity I guess) or to XFire and go 3x DVI (Assuming this is possible and with 2 cards eliminating the need for a non-legacy port (Display port))? Any input on that?
1 is a Dell 24" widescreen, 1 is a Dell 19" non-widescreen and I don't have the 3rd yet, but this will be another 24" I imagine.
 
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Any branded PSU with a 85% + efficiency are worth considering.. Decent prive and a 5 year warranty isn't bad either.. Any problems or faults with that period will be replaced by the manufacturer.. Subject to T&C of course :p
 
The XFX PSUs are rebranded Seasonics. One of the best manufacturers you can get in fact. Definitely suggest going with it. I have 4 Seasonic rebranded PSUs and none of them have ever let me down. Had a couple of whiny ones when I first opened them, but it's gone away with very little use. Awesome PSUs. :)
 
The Coolermaster GX range are poor, with high ripple and voltages that can go out of spec.

the XFX are seasonics and solid stuff, theres also the OCZ 600w stealthstreamII which is £50
 
Lovely, I was edging towards the CM GX550, but now I know this I'll probably aim for the XFX 550w Core Edition then. ;) Got a budget of roughly £650 excl. VAT, I'm not too fussed on price as I don't need a high end GPU.
Also, I've added some questions on SSD's on the OP :)

Thanks for the rapid replies!
 
For TRIM you need win7, the SSD may have its own type of garbage collection algorithm that will clear the cells out tho for xp use.
 
Win7 is completely out of the question, so do you reckon it will be ok on XP? Won't the software that comes with the SSD ( I assume most do like the Intel SSD Toolbox?) have a optimization tool to deal with that?

Added a GPU question ^^
 
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