300 dollar budget for card and psu

[Arkitech]

I just bought an Acer quadcore this week, Best Buy had a nice deal on it at 549.00. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ol...tab=2&id=1192232280889


I plan on trying to OC it and then adding a new PSU and video card. Right now I'm trying to decide if I should go with a 3870 or an 8800gt 512mb. I would like to be able to play games at a resolution of 1680x1200 at high settings (or as close to high as I can get). Can anyone give me a little feedback on your gaming experiences? How does Crysis play on a 8800gt or 3870 at higher resolutions? What about SupCom, I heard this game is a real resource hog? I'm hoping a q6600 paired with a good card should be enough to play it at high settings.

Thanks for any input guys and if you know of a better alternative to the 2 cards I have listed above I'd love to hear about them.

 

[CatchPhrase]

corsair 450w 33 amps on 12 volt rail = $80 good azz psu
For $220 get yourself a 3870 or w/e

 

[nanaki333]

oops

 

[richwenzel]

cooler master real power pro 750w $80 AR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817171024

you might even be able to find it cheaper...a lot of companies have been running really good deals on good psu's...

if you can find it like $10 cheaper, find a 8800gt 512mb for $230...

recently i got a cooler master real power pro 850w for $70 and a MSI 8800gt 512mb for $215...

check the deals page...i found the 8800gt there.

 

[AVP]

Dunno why-tf people suggest the corsairs when the Antec's always have such good rebates. Then get an 8800gt 512.

Courtesy of Zap:

psu is $34.99 after $30 MIR (expires 1/31) and coupon code EMCABCCBF (expires 1/28, must be Newegg Newsletter subscriber, coupon codes do NOT stack)

 

[richwenzel]

actually,

here is a cooler master real power pro 650w for $50,

http://www.microcenter.com/sin...duct_id=0265147#rebate

that would give you plenty of options for an 8800gt...

 

[Arkitech]

Originally posted by: richwenzel
actually,

here is a cooler master real power pro 650w for $50,

http://www.microcenter.com/sin...duct_id=0265147#rebate

that would give you plenty of options for an 8800gt...

That's a great price for a 650w, is Cooler Master a good company? I've heard some horror stories about inexpensive psu's.

 

[swtethan]

Rosewill RP550 PS was rated pretty good by jonnyguru, and its around $50, save the rest for a 8800GT

 

[richwenzel]

the extreme power series is not top notch, but the real power pro series got very good reviews...

here are some reviews, all say good/recommended or better, my favorite is the last one, where they test and conclude that the 850w really has 6 dedicate +12v rails:

http://www.extremetech.com/art.../0,1558,2087156,00.asp
http://www.bigbruin.com/2007/cmrealpower750_1
http://www.techwarelabs.com/re.../peripherals/cm650rpp/
http://www.neoseeker.com/Artic..._850w_rs-850-emba_psu/
http://www.viperlair.com/revie...oolermaster/psu/RS650/
http://www.pcstats.com/article...?articleid=2119&page=5
http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/cmrpp750/
http://www.hi-techreviews.com/...wer_Pro_750W/Page1.htm
http://www.cluboverclocker.com...realpower650/index.asp
http://www.techaddicts.net/rev...cm_rp650/cm_rp650.html
http://hardware.gotfrag.com/portal/story/35892/

 

[v8envy]

Coolermaster has a LOT of huge rebate offers atm, which is why I picked up an earthwatts 500 for $35 instead. For a single card a quality PSU like the EA380 should suffice ($19 AR) as well.

You don't need 3x 12 volt rails unless you're going SLI.

 

[BlueAcolyte]

Why is a big rebate bad? CM makes good stuff.

Oh, and a HD 3850, 3870, or 8800GT (all three should have 512MB memory) would be fine for SupCom. With most details on high or medium, my 8800GT never dips below 30FPS, even in the most explosive battles. Im running an Acer TFT 20' at 1680 x 1050.

 

[BOLt]

Originally posted by: AVP
Dunno why-tf people suggest the corsairs when the Antec's always have such good rebates. Then get an 8800gt 512.

Courtesy of Zap:

psu is $34.99 after $30 MIR (expires 1/31) and coupon code EMCABCCBF (expires 1/28, must be Newegg Newsletter subscriber, coupon codes do NOT stack)

agreed, but the corsair psu is pretty awesome. great specs. earthwatts psus have nice efficiencies and good amperage, though. price after MIRs are hard to argue with, too.

 

[mruffin75]

Originally posted by: Arkitech

Originally posted by: richwenzel
actually,

here is a cooler master real power pro 650w for $50,

http://www.microcenter.com/sin...duct_id=0265147#rebate

that would give you plenty of options for an 8800gt...

That's a great price for a 650w, is Cooler Master a good company? I've heard some horror stories about inexpensive psu's.

I've got a Real Power Pro 850W which works fine for me...

Can't say much for the company itself....emailed them once asking about connectors and never got a reply..

 

[angry hampster]

Originally posted by: Arkitech



That's a great price for a 650w, is Cooler Master a good company? I've heard some horror stories about inexpensive psu's.

Never had any problems with mine. Built much more solid and the fans run quieter than my old Rosewill 450w.