Upgrade help

JoeBoi

JoeBoi

JoeBoi

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Joined
29 Dec 2005
Posts
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Location
Northants
Ok so at the moment I've got a 500w OCZ StealthXStream PSU will this be ok with the following?


Asus ATI Radeon HD 6950 DirectCU II 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card **Supplied with Battlefield 3 & Deus Ex PC Games**

Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail

Asus P8Z68-V PRO Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard

OCZ Agility 3 120GB 2.5" SATA-3 Solid State Hard Drive (AGT3-25SAT3-120G)

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050)

Corsair Hydro H60 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (Socket LGA2011/1366/1155/1156/775/AM2/AM3)

G.Skill RipJawsX 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL

And lastly is this a worthwhile upgrade for £864, it'll all be going into an old Antec P180 replacing an ancient 939 4200+ and 8800GTS!

Cheers

JoeBoi
 
stulid said:
Why not save some money while making it better?

1) SSD - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-009-CR&groupid=701&catid=2104&subcat=1427

2) Watercooler - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-005-AN&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=1395



Massive upgrade. Are things like your optical drive SATA for this?
Click to expand...

Damn thought I could still play BF3 :p

The Crucial SSD is this a lot better than the OCZ?

Also is the Kulher a lot better that the H60?
 
The Crucial SSD is this a lot better than the OCZ?
Click to expand...

It is, also the last 009 firmware made it faster,
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18316485&highlight=ssd

Also is the Kulher a lot better that the H60?
Click to expand...

It is if you add a fan, http://translate.google.com/transla.../13538-antec-kuhler-h2o-620-och-corsair-h60/1 - the only direct comparison I could find.

Oh, heres another - http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/03/22/corsair_hydro_series_h60/3
 
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Will the PSU that I have be up to the job for this? I don't wanna risk ruining all this good hardware :).
 
hmm suprised stulid hasn't had a go at the asus mb yet ;)

the asus 6950 has triple slot cooler so xfire will mean restricted airflow, plus you'll need to order it tonight as price will go back up tomorrow.
 
I'm going to see what tomorrow offers with the weekly deals, I can't decide between this and a laptop. I am swaying towards the desktop with it not only being cheaper but more powerful. The laptop I was looking at is the Samsung 700G7A which looks really nice but isn't cheap.

I'm worried that the PSU will be pushing it with this card.
 
JoeBoi said:
I'm going to see what tomorrow offers with the weekly deals, I can't decide between this and a laptop. I am swaying towards the desktop with it not only being cheaper but more powerful. The laptop I was looking at is the Samsung 700G7A which looks really nice but isn't cheap.

I'm worried that the PSU will be pushing it with this card.
Click to expand...

One option would be upgrade with your current PSU. Try the 6950 with your current PSU and if your concerned about the PSU then use the onboard GFX on the 2500K until youve got the cash for a new psu from maybe flogging your old kit.

This would be my preferred option over getting a laptop. Ive sold my main rig twice now and tried to cope with a laptop and ive always ended up going back to a desktop :)
 
Ok so seems to be some good deals on this week so I've revised my upgrade, was looking into the possibility of getting a PSU what is the best ~£100 value & performance.

Was also looking at getting the antec 300 case because I think it looks quite smart, I'd like some purple or green lights quite like the OCuK rig what are the best ones to get?

Thanks

JoeBoi
 
 
stulid said:
There are two XFX PSU's on offer, one 850w and non modular, the other is 750w and is modular.

The modular one has some green on it also;)


Modular - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=ca-001-xf&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=
non-modular - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=ca-005-xf&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=

both built by seasonic.

reviews,
http://www.hardwareheaven.com/revie...s-650w-750w-and-850w-review-introduction.html
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/933
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=184

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story3&reid=217
http://www.hardwareheaven.com/revie...s-650w-750w-and-850w-review-introduction.html
Click to expand...

I was looking at the green XFX a review on the site states he got an all black one :( so not quite sure. Out of interest would a higher watt PSU use more electricity?
 
Power consumption is determined by the components, a bigger PSU wont just use more power as there is a few more factors to consider,

Most PSU's have an efficiency rating (the XFX modular is Silver rated) which gives you an idea of what it uses at the wall socket.

Also a PSU is best run about 50-60% load for peak efficiency.
 
stulid said:
Power consumption is determined by the components, a bigger PSU wont just use more power as there is a few more factors to consider,

Most PSU's have an efficiency rating (the XFX modular is Silver rated) which gives you an idea of what it uses at the wall socket.

Also a PSU is best run about 50-60% load for peak efficiency.
Click to expand...

Would that be because the something at a higher load/lower capacity will run hotter?

Any idea about the fans?

Thanks Stulid you've been a great help pal +1 internet cookie.
 
Thats something to do with it sure, the harder you push a PSU the more the fan ramps up and gets louder, its also possibly got something to do with the design of pc psu's and they just have a natural characteristic of working best when under 50-60% load.


imageview.jpg


Thats the bell curve for a TX750, you can see that the efficiency drops of the more load its under, also if its under too little load then efficiency suffers too.

This may also help explain it - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vnXNyh9vIg
 
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