help me choose a case for my sli-athlon rig

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
S

seattledesi

Member
Nov 16, 2004
87
0
0
hi folks,
i need to build a athlon 64 rig soon..

can someone help me with the case? what will be stable for a asus-sli board, running 2 6600gt's (someday.. i start with one right now), athlon 3200 939..

I would also like to overclock.. my case budget with psu is $100.

thanks..
 
Pohemi

Pohemi

Lifer
Oct 2, 2004
10,911
17,010
146
Good luck with that... :roll:

You should probably plan on spending at least $100 on just your PSU. If you are planning on using SLI and OC'ing your processor, you'll need a PSU with more TRUE power than you're going to get out of a PSU included with a case for $100. You'll also need a case that has more than sufficient cooling.
 
Gamingphreek

Gamingphreek

Lifer
Mar 31, 2003
11,679
0
81
Those are very nice cases however im afriad that PSU isn't powerful enough. The Antec True Power line are in dire need of an update (It will be out soon). I would look for that case without a PSU and then buy a higher end one.

-Kevin
 
Pohemi

Pohemi

Lifer
Oct 2, 2004
10,911
17,010
146
SLI power consumption

If I were you, I'd make sure I had at least a 500W PSU. As you can see in the link above, two 6600GT's in SLI configuration use just over what one 6800 Ultra uses at load. Something to consider...especially if you should ever choose to stop kidding around and go for two 6800 cards ;)
 
Pohemi

Pohemi

Lifer
Oct 2, 2004
10,911
17,010
146
OK but if 2 6600GT's drew the same or slightly more than a single 6800 Ultra system, shouldn't you assume you need the same minimum PSU as a single ultra system? Just to be safe? I would...
 
C

cleanerPA

Member
Nov 27, 2001
65
0
0
If just 2 video cards use 329W, what are you going to power the rest of your system with? HDs, optical drives, etc. all use power. Maybe not a whole lot, but having only 71W of headroom after the video cards isn't really enough. I'm using an Antec Neopower 480 on a non-SLI 6600GT setup, that's about the bare minimum I'd go with.
 
Pohemi

Pohemi

Lifer
Oct 2, 2004
10,911
17,010
146
Basically I just think it would suck if you went with a lesser PSU and wound up having to replace it when you start having problems. It is possible that this 400W PSU supplied with the Antec server case may be enough, but I wouldn't count on it personally. IMHO it's better to have more than enough power than to be shaving it too close to not enough. ;)
 
O

Operandi

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
5,508
0
0
Originally posted by: seattledesi
so 2 6800's take 329watts of power.. why cant a 400W psu handle it?
Click to expand...

It should be fine, but it would be nice to know how many amps it can deliver on the 12v rail however.

Originally posted by: cleanerPA
If just 2 video cards use 329W, what are you going to power the rest of your system with? HDs, optical drives, etc. all use power. Maybe not a whole lot, but having only 71W of headroom after the video cards isn't really enough. I'm using an Antec Neopower 480 on a non-SLI 6600GT setup, that's about the bare minimum I'd go with.
Click to expand...

First its 329 watts total for the whole system not just the 6800's. Second that?s AC power drawn by the PSU, not DC output power. Since no PSU is 100% efficient output is going to be 20-30% less then less in then its input.
 
Spike

Spike

Diamond Member
Aug 27, 2001
6,770
1
81
Originally posted by: Operandi
Originally posted by: seattledesi
so 2 6800's take 329watts of power.. why cant a 400W psu handle it?
Click to expand...

It should be fine, but it would be nice to know how many amps it can deliver on the 12v rail however.

Originally posted by: cleanerPA
If just 2 video cards use 329W, what are you going to power the rest of your system with? HDs, optical drives, etc. all use power. Maybe not a whole lot, but having only 71W of headroom after the video cards isn't really enough. I'm using an Antec Neopower 480 on a non-SLI 6600GT setup, that's about the bare minimum I'd go with.
Click to expand...

First its 329 watts total for the whole system not just the 6800's. Second that?s AC power drawn by the PSU, not DC output power. Since no PSU is 100% efficient output is going to be 20-30% less then less in then its input.
Click to expand...

400 is more than enough, but it is always nice to have some headway. As it is, that stock 400 will be fine. have fun with the SLI!

-spike
 
Pohemi

Pohemi

Lifer
Oct 2, 2004
10,911
17,010
146
So do you think Nvidia is just being rediculous when telling people that a 480W PSU is required to power a system with a single 6800 Ultra? According to the SLI power consumption testing done by AT, a single 6800 Ultra system (239W) should be able to theoretically run on a 300W PSU. I just don't see that as possible. I think your system would have some problems...? I don't know first hand of course :confused:
 
O

Operandi

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
5,508
0
0
Originally posted by: Pohemi420
So do you think Nvidia is just being rediculous when telling people that a 480W PSU is required to power a system with a single 6800 Ultra? According to the SLI power consumption testing done by AT, a single 6800 Ultra system (239W) should be able to theoretically run on a 300W PSU. I just don't see that as possible. I think your system would have some problems...? I don't know first hand of course :confused:
Click to expand...

nVidia backed down from that statement, a good 350 watt PSU will have no problems with a high end system with a 6800 Ultra. The power figures in that AT article are for input power (AC) by the PSU not power outputted by the PSU (DC), so output will be less then 239 watts.
 
S

seattledesi

Member
Nov 16, 2004
87
0
0
i ended up getting an Antec 2650.. good deal at bestbuy for $60-$20 rebate. Quiet case with 120mm fan.

It has a SL350S PSU.. its rated for 21A on the 12V, and 35A on the 5V.

Check out the Takaman's Power calculator

http://takaman.jp/D/?english

Looks like video cards pull juice on the 5V rail.. the 350W psu I have seems to have plenty of headroom for that.
 
C

cleanerPA

Member
Nov 27, 2001
65
0
0
Not totally true- the PCIe connectors and the 4-pin molex on the ASUS A8N-SLI for example are all 12v connections.

Check out the other thread about this- it's interesting. I'm thinking about getting the Enermax Noisetaker 600W to replace my Antec Neopower 480- the 480 is good enough for single card, but I doubt it can power a SLI setup, considering how it's wired. The Enermax is definitely configured better for SLI- that Voodoo PC uses them is a testament to that- no one is dumb enough to sell a megabuck system and spec a PSU so crappy that everything gets fried -the warranty claims and the hit to their reputation would kill them.
 
T

thegimp03

Diamond Member
Jul 5, 2004
7,420
2
81
Ok, why would you spend $$$ on an sli system if you're going to spend $ on a psu...the power supply these days is arguably the most important part in the whole computer. Spending 90-120 bucks on a really good psu now will save you hundreds later. Just my 2 cents. There's no chance in hell that that pos 350w power supply that's in that case will power a system with 2 videocards. Good luck with that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom