Advice: Gaming and HTPC Build under 2K.

[yellier355]

Ok, 2 against one so ill go for the 500 watt. lol. Thanks for the help and good to know to keep the electric bill down a bit. I ended up picking everything up from newegg instead. Paid a tad more, but amazon always takes ages to deliver my way for some reason.

Nice!! That'll make cable management a lot better then. Here is the final build. I nixed the value ram since i could get the corsair with a discount. Didnt buy just yet though. .

BitFenix Prodigy BFC-PRO-300-OOXKO-RP Atomic Orange Steel / Plastic Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case
Item #: N82E16811345021
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$89.99

SAPPHIRE 100351SR Radeon HD 7970 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card OC with Boost
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AMD Gift coupon: Crysis 3 + Bioshock Inf.
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SILVERSTONE ST50F-ES 500W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Item #: N82E16817256061
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CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9B
Item #: N82E16820233196
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$52.99


GIGABYTE GA-Z77N-WIFI LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813128568
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Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K
Item #: N82E16819116504
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SILVERSTONE NT06-PRO Low Profile CPU Cooler with Thin 120mm fan
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SAMSUNG 840 Series MZ-7TD250BW 2.5" 250GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Item #: N82E16820147189
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[Torn Mind]

500 watts is enough if the PSU can deliver it, and the Silverstone should be able to.

PSUs are rated in terms of power delivered to the components, not power at the wall. Many reviews take measurements of power at the wall. To get power delivered to the components, you need to multiply power delivered to the wall by the efficiency percentage.

Note that this benchmark has a hexacore i7 overclocked to 4.3 Ghz, and that can also affect power consumption.

Assuming 85% efficiency for the result with the Nvidia GTX 680, power delivered to the components is about 307.7 watts for the Metro results and 283 watts for the OCCT test.
Assuming 80% efficiency for the result with the Nvidia GTX 680, power delivered to the components is about 283 watts for the Metro results and 266.4 watts for the OCCT test.
Remember, this is with a hexacore i7, so a mainstream 1155 processor will draw less power even when overclocked.

Obviously, some of the components use the 5 and 3.3 volt rails, so if we assume 250-to-260 watts is used by the 12v rail, only about 20-to-21 Amps are going through the 12v rail. (watts=volts*amps)

A PSU is at its most efficient in converting AC power into DC power at half of its rated load, so for a 500 watt PSU, being around 250 watts will result in max efficiency of converting AC power to DC power.

 

[Sleepingforest]

You don't need a low profile cooler in the Prodigy; even the massive Prolimatech Megahalems will fit inside. For that kind of money, I'd rather have a $45 Xigmatek Dark Knight or a $50 Thermaltake Frio. The $60 Megahalems are a bit more than your original cooler, factoring the fan (this one has great static pressure and is quiet) you'll need to buy for it.

 

[yellier355]

Nice writeup!! So from the quick reading on net, seems a lot of people are getting higher rated psus for no reason. Money Making scheme? lol. Good to know though. Thanks Everyone for the help!!

Seems like my cpu cooler is coming from tn and the graphics is coming from CA. Lame!! Looks like next week to build now. lol.

 

[yellier355]

ooops just ordered!! should i opt for what you wrote or really no biggie? So of the first two which is better?

 

[Torn Mind]

Nice writeup!! So from the quick reading on net, seems a lot of people are getting higher rated psus for no reason. Money Making scheme? lol. Good to know though. Thanks Everyone for the help!!

Seems like my cpu cooler is coming from tn and the graphics is coming from CA. Lame!! Looks like next week to build now. lol.

With the loads of bad PSUs on the market, manufacturers do have to have high "official" minimum requirements or else those $50 power supplies rated for 1000 watts owners would initiate a ton of returns. People see the requirements, and get "a little more" just to be "safe".

But yeah, it also means more revenue(revenue is not profit, fyi) if people buy the bigger stuff, even for those companies that make those crappy 1000w PSUs.

Sometimes, it might be the person is considering SLI or Crossfire (and get the bigger PSU. Even if it is not worth it to SLI/Crossfire over getting the next single card, they might not know that at the time of purchase.

Sometimes, there's a deal they just couldn't refuse, such as the Antec NEO ECO going for $30 after rebate.

 

[ViviTheMage]

I am building that EXACT rig for a friend of mine, cost 1200$ ... and that was without the SSD.

I am also getting the noctua LH12 for him....as it worked great in my rig.

http://vivithemage.com/2012/10/silv...77-i-deluxe-noctua-nh-l12-the-itx-mini-beast/

 

[mfenn]

ooops just ordered!! should i opt for what you wrote or really no biggie? So of the first two which is better?

From your previous post, it sounds like they're already shipping the parts out. A tower cooler would have been a better choice, but it's no so much better to be worth the hassle of a return IMHO.

 

[yellier355]

From your previous post, it sounds like they're already shipping the parts out. A tower cooler would have been a better choice, but it's no so much better to be worth the hassle of a return IMHO.

I was actually saved or annoyed since my cc company declined so I had time to change the order up. I ended up getting the thermaltake frio. This thing is HUGE. I just got all my parts today except the graphics card.

Thermal grease: How much do I apply? Which is the best way!! Things change so I am curious. Also, the socket of the mother board says 1155, I am not seeing this on the frio as supported...does say i5 though.

VIVi, that was the exact build from the link I was going to do. I chamged it up and ended up with the bifenix. Gotta say, Its gorgeous even with the obnoxious color of orange in the living room. lol.

Tornmind, nice writeup and helped me understand more about psus.

I placed the psu down so that the fan blows the airout. Hope thats good. Seems the motherboard plate just covers the fan entirely so it seems to make sense,

 

[Sleepingforest]

Like a grain of rice. Then press down on it using the cooler, applying force evenly. I took it back off to check how it spread (that takes a bit of force), and then put it back.

 

[yellier355]

okay, so basically it will look like a spot in middle and then spread accross evenly later? Looks like the second fan will not fit with a graphics card. So the fan blows in and then just hits the back of the card. Dont have it but visually that is what it looks like will happen. EEK.

 

[yellier355]

So there is only 1 fan that I can plug in except the cpu. Do they make spliters of some kind?

 

[mfenn]

okay, so basically it will look like a spot in middle and then spread accross evenly later? Looks like the second fan will not fit with a graphics card. So the fan blows in and then just hits the back of the card. Dont have it but visually that is what it looks like will happen. EEK.

Yes, the force that the heatsink exerts on the CPU will spread out the thermal compound for you.

As for the fans not fitting, I think you are mounting it the wrong way. You want to mount it so that the fans are on the left and right. The air should flow from right to left.

 

[mfenn]

So there is only 1 fan that I can plug in except the cpu. Do they make spliters of some kind?

Yes, there are splitters out there.

 

[yellier355]

Yes, the force that the heatsink exerts on the CPU will spread out the thermal compound for you.

As for the fans not fitting, I think you are mounting it the wrong way. You want to mount it so that the fans are on the left and right. The air should flow from right to left.

Doing it the other way the pipes get in the way for some reason.

Issue:

If I'm connected with hdmi to receiver or my tv I keep getting strange noise, popping kinda and also when connected to receiver keeps switching from PCM and stereo. I tried uninstalling driver switching from hdmi on motherboard or graphics card and same issue. Any insight?

 

[mfenn]

Doing it the other way the pipes get in the way for some reason.

Pipes get in the way of what?

If I'm connected with hdmi to receiver or my tv I keep getting strange noise, popping kinda and also when connected to receiver keeps switching from PCM and stereo. I tried uninstalling driver switching from hdmi on motherboard or graphics card and same issue. Any insight?

Go to the Supported Formats tab of the playback device's Properties page and uncheck any boxes that your receiver doesn't support.