PSU for new Sandybridge build

~Mike~

~Mike~

~Mike~

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Joined
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Hi everyone, new to the OC forums.

I am looking at building my own new system (I have updated motherboard and CPU before) but am a little confused at what size PSU I am going to need. I have looked at various sites but have been given conflicting info on size, one site said 400W another said 700W minimum!

My chosen spec for new system so far:

1. Intel Core i5-2500K
2. Asus P8P67 PRO
3. Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800 1600MHz
4. Coolermaster CM 690 II Advanced
5. Antec TruePower New 650W
6. ATI Radeon HD 6850 (Sapphire)
7. Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB
8. CPU Cooler not yet decided - any suggestions?
9. BD-ROM/DVD Writer

As you can see I have specified a 650 watt supply - is this too big/too small/about right?

I don't plan on adding a second graphics card but expect to play with overclocking at some stage. May also add a SSD later on.

Also I plan to use an exisitng DVD/CD-ROM drive (TSST SH-S203D) and a Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE.

Your advice greatly appreciated. (including any changes you think I should make to spec)

Mike

P.S Still to choose a monitor.
 
The Antec 650W will run that spec with ease. I have very similar spec with the same psu.
 
Sorry Mike306 for jumping in here but I was going to post the exact same question about what factors help you decide on the size of your PSU.

I'm also building a system around the i5 2500K with an Asus P8P67 board and an ATI Radeon HD 6850.

Can I please ask what factors do you have to consider in the power of the PSU that you need?

I only ever plan on having 1 video card in my system but unlike Mike306 I will be running 3 internal Sata HDD's and 3 external USB HDD's and at least another 4 USB devices (mouse, keyboard, printer, monitor hub)

I was going to order the Corsair HX 650W PSU but do my requirements mean that I 'really' need to consider jumping up to the Corsair HX 850W instead?

Help!!
 
FWIW my [email protected]/4Gb XMS3/1HD/5870 system draws 340W with Prime95 and Furmark running, which is as tough a continuous test as my PC will ever get.

My power meter seems pretty accurate measuring appliances with known power use, so I think it's safe to say you need an 850W power supply almost as much as you need a hole in the head. Not unless one of your USB devices is a kettle. :-)

Andrew McP
 
Cheers Andrew - I've been using a Corsair HX 520W PSU for a few years that has been rock solid and assumed I had to 'update' it because of going with a new Sandy Bridge based system and a 6000 Series ATI video card. My old system was a Pentium 4 with a HD3850 AGP video card so do I really need to ditch the HX 520W PSU?
 
I use a overclcked i7 which had crossfire 5850 and this pulled 430w from the mains, at the moment I use a 580 GTX which pulls around 600w ~ - Can't remember the correct figure.

650w PSU will be fine, same will go the THE EGG.
 
The latest CustomPC included (obviously) an SB review. Their test system (2500K @ 4.8, 5850 + other stuff) used well under 300W at full load.

Therefore a 500 to 650 watt PSU is probably the sweet spot.
 
My 2500K/4890 system runs from my Corsair CX 500W just fine I'll pull the meter out in a minute and check actual consumption.

Edit: 259W with Prime running here.
 
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THE_EGG said:
Sorry Mike306 for jumping in here but I was going to post the exact same question about what factors help you decide on the size of your PSU.

I'm also building a system around the i5 2500K with an Asus P8P67 board and an ATI Radeon HD 6850.

Can I please ask what factors do you have to consider in the power of the PSU that you need?

I only ever plan on having 1 video card in my system but unlike Mike306 I will be running 3 internal Sata HDD's and 3 external USB HDD's and at least another 4 USB devices (mouse, keyboard, printer, monitor hub)

I was going to order the Corsair HX 650W PSU but do my requirements mean that I 'really' need to consider jumping up to the Corsair HX 850W instead?

Help!!
Click to expand...

I did use the Antec Power Supply Calculator, which can be found here: http://www.antec.outervision.com/index.jsp

It gives the minimum PSU wattage, when I used it it was around 500W but had to base the calculation using the core i5-760 as the Sandybridge CPU's are on there yet.
 
@ The_Egg

There are a few websites (like Mike has linked to) that can allow you to estimate the total power requirements of a PC. You can also gather information from hardware reviews as they usually give whole system power draw, and actual data from users who have power meters attached to their PCs.

However - the one fly in the ointment is that not all PSUs are created equal. As modern PC components predominantly use the 12v rail, a good PSU will have a very high % of its wattage delivered by the 12v rail. Some cheaper PSUs will have low 12v rails but high 3 and 5 v rails.. which is not good!
 
Regarding the ATI Radeon HD6850 I have now found this: http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2010/10/22/ati-radeon-hd-6850-review/2

It says max power draw 127W, idle power draw 19W, rec psu Unkown!!!

now to work out the other components!

i guess min would be 500W but 550/600 would be better.

CORRECTION:

Quote
"the HD 6850 1GB’s power consumption is suitably diminutive. At 229W at peak and 131W at idle it’s a good 10W more frugal than the HD 5850 1GB under load, and a whole 40W less demanding than the GTX 460 1GB."
 
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I bought this Corsair HX 520W a few years ago now solely because I was trying to run an AGP Radeon HD 3850 video card and the manufacturer recommended a good PSU with a decent output from the 12v rail. When you consider that a high end 650W PSU is the best part of £100 I'm just wondering if a new system can cope with my current Corsair HX 520W PSU so I could put the £100 towards other components - but I want to be sure on getting and spending the most on the main important core components more than anything else!
 
I've seen a lot of people recommend the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus CPU cooler for £20? Is there anything better for the price?
 
Grimley said:
This if you want quiet.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-001-GD

This if you want cooling performance.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-031-TT&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=1395



This seems to be popular.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-124-SA
Click to expand...

Thanks Grimley.

The Frio and Samsung monitor are on my shortlist!

Do you know what the viewing angles are like on the samsung?

I need to make sure the Frio will fit the motherboard with the memory I have chosen.
 
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