Soldato
Worth an update or is it a waste?
- Thread starter igorm
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Soldato
+1
It's a nice unit, doesn't cost much and it will power all your kit.
However, there are a couple of downsides to it which aren't deal breakers but worth considering:
- it only has one PCIE 6pin power connector - the ASUS/OCUK HD 6850 OC technically needs two of these connectors, though you can use an adapter (that should come with the card) to convert two 4pin molex connectors into a 6pin PCIE power connector (like this one)
- it only comes with a 2 year warranty
Therefore, if you are willing to spend an extra £7 then you may want to go for the XFX 450W.
This supply comes with two PCIE power connections and a 5 year warranty. Here is an in depth review.
To be clear - the Corsair 430W is still a great PSU, will meet your needs and is a bit cheaper. But if you can stretch to the XFX it may make life slightly easier.
As for the Q8200 vs Q6600 - the numbers would suggest the Q8200 is better, but to be honest I would go for the Q6600 almost every time. This is because:
- The default clockspeed of the Q8200 is lower at 2.33GHz
- The CPU multiplier is lower on the Q8200 (and the default FSB is higher) - so you need to increase the FSB more to get the same overclock
- The Q8200 runs into an FSB wall pretty quickly - so getting it overclocked past 3GHz is a struggle
- In comparison, almost all G0 stepping Q6600s will hit 3GHz with no trouble and many getting to ~3.5GHz with a decent board and cooler (like you will have)
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Soldato
For your system, and the upgrades you'll be getting it will be yes 
Soldato
Do you know the model number/name of it?
Coolermaster have made a few different 430W PSUs, some are very good, some aren't.
Most likely it will be fine, but if it is one of the low end ~70% efficiency models with not-great regulation then I would suggest an upgrade (to the cosair 430W or XFX 450W),
Are these £7 worth spending on the difference like Cosair and XFX have? Or Cosair will be enough and XFX is just for the sake of convenience of connecting it? Because I have a lot of 6 to 4 pin adapters connected at this moment. As you mentioned Cosair has its downsides when compared to XFX, but I bet XFX has some downsides as well when it is compared to something better.
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No, no, I was still talking about cosair, was just concerned about small power upgrade from my old PSU, but you have already destroyed them by saying that cosair and xfx are efficient.
Soldato
Ah, my bad.
In that case, yes the 430W corsair will be more than sufficient for this setup and so long as you don't mind giving up two of the molex connectors (the PSU only has three) then it will be perfectly fine.
About the CPU cooler. I was measuring dimentions inside my case to check if it is going to fit or not and realised that I dont know which way round to put it in order to have the most efficient cooling. Is it better to put it so that the fan would be on either side of the sink, on top or on the bottom? On the bottom would be the best in order to get rid of hot air from the sink (since hot air goes up and fan will speed it up), but it will not cool the air so much and the hot air will go straight to PSU. If it is on the top it is best to cool down the air, since air will be trapped longer in the sink and will be affected by the fan longer, but there is a thred of hot air build-up. So I would suggest on either side of the sink would be the most efficient one, are my assumptions correct?
Soldato
Generally cases are set up to draw air in the front, and exhaust it out the back. Assuming any current fans in your case are set up like that, then having the cooler blow air over the heat sink 'sideways' is best [i.e. from front to back], then all the fans are working together
Soldato
Generally cases are set up to draw air in the front, and exhaust it out the back. Assuming any current fans in your case are set up like that, then having the cooler blow air over the heat sink 'sideways' is best [i.e. from front to back], then all the fans are working together
+1
While you are checking your case, may I ask what the size of the fan is on the rear exhaust? Generally they are either 80mm or 120mm (sometimes 92mm)?
Also, do you know the make/model name of your case? If it was a pre-build, do you know the make/model of the PC itself?
Rear exhaust are 2 fans 80mm each, but are not even installed (and only 1 at the front (out of 2), 80mm as well).
In terms of case make I am not sure (it wasnt pre-build), all the fans are zalman, but couldnt find the sticker or something like that with model/make of the case. The only thing it says is ColoursIt at the front.
Here we go:Codegen COLORSit ATX-G8015C Sorry the website is in russian, but that is the only place I could find it..
You cannot see it on the pictures, but there is one more place to put a fan is on the top (80mm as well)
So in total: 2 in front, 2 at the back, one on the top, one on the side and all 80mm + i have one 92mm inside (was directed on GPU, due to overheat of my last GPU) now reinstalled it to point at both HDD (one of them seems to be quite warm most of the time)
You cannot see it on the pictures, but there is one more place to put a fan is on the top (80mm as well)
So in total: 2 in front, 2 at the back, one on the top, one on the side and all 80mm + i have one 92mm inside (was directed on GPU, due to overheat of my last GPU) now reinstalled it to point at both HDD (one of them seems to be quite warm most of the time)
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Soldato
Ok, I see where you are coming from now. It may be worth using a non-conducting ruler or something to gauge how much depth is available in that case from the surface of the motherboard to the side of the case.
With that number we can take a bit off (to account for the thickness of the socket and CPU) and that will tell you the maximum height CPU cooler you can use in that case.
That said, it seems to be a rather old case which doesn't cool very well - so you may want to consider upgrading to a cheap but decent case - like this one. This case has generally much better cooling (120mm case fans, PSU on the bottom) and will allow you to use a larger CPU cooler (like the Gelid tranquillo).
Here are some reviews for the £32 Bitfenix alpha case:
http://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/simon-telford/bitfenix-merc-alpha-chassis-review/7/
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4913/bitfenix-merc-alpha-how-much-can-39-can/7
http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cases_cooling/bitfenix_merc_alpha_review/1
With that number we can take a bit off (to account for the thickness of the socket and CPU) and that will tell you the maximum height CPU cooler you can use in that case.
That said, it seems to be a rather old case which doesn't cool very well - so you may want to consider upgrading to a cheap but decent case - like this one. This case has generally much better cooling (120mm case fans, PSU on the bottom) and will allow you to use a larger CPU cooler (like the Gelid tranquillo).
Here are some reviews for the £32 Bitfenix alpha case:
http://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/simon-telford/bitfenix-merc-alpha-chassis-review/7/
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4913/bitfenix-merc-alpha-how-much-can-39-can/7
http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cases_cooling/bitfenix_merc_alpha_review/1
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Seems like a brilliant option for the case upgrade.
Soldato
Yea, it only has the one fan. So probably best to buy at least one more fan (so you have one for intake and one for exhaust).
I would go with this bitfenix fan personally, though the £4.69 zalman also seems decent.
I would go with this bitfenix fan personally, though the £4.69 zalman also seems decent.