How big of a power supply do I need

[NarcoticHobo]

For a a64 3500+
2x 6800 GT's
2x Optical SATA drives
1x 74 gig Raptor
1x Kingwin arctic cooler
1x audigy 2 platinum
and 1x internal card reader

I plan on overclocking... so... how much, and what is a good power supply to get. I have heard good things about OCZ, Antec, and x-connect.

 

[NarcoticHobo]

Oh and I would like it to be decently quiet if possible.

 

[Hajime]

...

For that much, go with an OCZ Powerstream 520w.

2x 6800GT's are going to be power-hungry.

 

[jpeyton]

At LEAST 500W, but I wouldn't feel comfortable (especially overclocking) with less than 600W.

Enermax makes some 600W+ PSUs, and I expect OCZ to come out with one once SLI arrives.

Stay away from Ultra if you want a quality unit.

BTW, FalconNW uses 600W PSUs in their SLI systems, if that makes any difference.

 

[NarcoticHobo]

http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=17-103-497&depa=1

that look good?

 

[jpeyton]

Yup, Enermax is good people.

 

[Hajime]

Spiff PSU. Should do everything you need.

 

[NarcoticHobo]

Here is what I have so far (copy pasted from newegg so excuse the poor format)

Atech USB Digital Card Reader/Writer(Black) INTERNAL/EXTERNAL, Model PRO-9 Black
Item# N82E16820176815
Status: In Stock
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$36.00

$36.00



**This item may only be returned for a replacement of the same make/model.

Extended Warranty Coverage


Cases (Computer Cases, ATX Form)


Cooler Master Wave Master Black MID-TOWER CASE, Model "TAC-T01-EK" -RETAIL
Item# N82E16811119030
Status: In Stock
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$139.00

$139.00




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CD/DVD Burners (RW Drives)


MSI 52X24X52X16 SATA Combo Drive, Model X52P - Retail
Item# N82E16827100055
Status: In Stock
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$47.00

$47.00




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Plextor 12X DVD+/-RW Drive, Black, Model PX-712SA/SW-BL, Retail
Item# N82E16827131329
Status: In Stock
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$136.00

$136.00




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Fans, Heatsinks (Case, CPU, Chipset)


KINGWIN Arctic Liquid Cooler System For Intel P4/AMD K7 & K8, Model "AWC-1" -RETAIL
Item# N82E16835124005
Status: In Stock
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$99.99

$99.99




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Hard Drives


One Day Sale, Ends 11/23/2004 5:30 PM PST
Western Digital Raptor 74GB 10,000RPM SATA Hard Drive, Model WD740GD, OEM Drive Only
Item# N82E16822144160
Status: In Stock
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$176.00

$176.00



$-25.00 Mail-In Rebate
Purchase this Item and Receive a $-25.00 rebate by mail.
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Memory (System Memory)


OCZ EL Platinum Revision 2 Dual Channel Kit 184-Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200 - Retail

Item# N82E16820146890
Status: In Stock
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$278.50

$278.50




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Motherboards - Intel


GIGABYTE "GA-8ANXP-D" 925X Chipset Motherboard For Intel LGA 775 CPU -RETAIL
Item# N82E16813128246
Status: In Stock
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$245.00

$245.00




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Processors


AMD Athlon 64 3500+, 512K, L2 Cache, Socket 939 Windows Compatible 64-bit Processor - Retail
Item# N82E16819103463
Status: In Stock
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$267.00

$267.00




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Software - Operating Systems


Microsoft Windows XP Professional With Service Pack 2 -OEM
Item# N82E16837102153
Status: In Stock
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$146.00

$146.00



**This item may only be returned for a replacement of the same make/model.

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Video Cards


MSI nVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT Video Card, 256MB GDDR3, 256-Bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, Model "6800GT-TD256" -RETAIL
Item# N82E16814127140
Status: In Stock
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$409.00

$818.00




Am I missing anything?

 

[NarcoticHobo]

Oh the motherboard is just a place holder cause it is about the same price as an SLI motherboard, and I already have the sound stuff and a monitor.

 

[jpeyton]

You want the $290 90nm 3500+ if you want to overclock. I would skip the Raptor altogether; waste of money. The 12x Plextor is a waste of money too; NECs 16x drive is better and sells for $68, which is a low enough price to just buy two of them and skip the combo-drive. The ThermalTake Tsunami Dream is a better version of the Wavemaster case and sells for less, and you can get it with and without a side window. PDP 1GB Dual channel with XBL will perform almost as well as the OCZ but sells for only $227.

 

[vincentvega18]

are u going for sli? if so what are u getting 2 agp cards for.......if not why are u getting 2 cards? although i do see an intel board in there.......
edit: wait a moment, thats a 925 board, so whatever your going to need at least one pci-e card.

 

[CraigRT]

600 watts give me a break.... i ran a dual MP1800+ system with 2 hard drives and 2 opticals with a 300W Sparkle power supply and never had a problem.

anything quality 400W and up should be fine IMO.

 

[Goi]

Originally posted by: Hajime
...

For that much, go with an OCZ Powerstream 520w.

2x 6800GT's are going to be power-hungry.

According to AT's latest SLI article, 2 GTs use about as much power as a single Ultra, or just a bit more.

 

[NarcoticHobo]

Originally posted by: jpeyton
You want the $290 90nm 3500+ if you want to overclock. I would skip the Raptor altogether; waste of money. The 12x Plextor is a waste of money too; NECs 16x drive is better and sells for $68, which is a low enough price to just buy two of them and skip the combo-drive. The ThermalTake Tsunami Dream is a better version of the Wavemaster case and sells for less, and you can get it with and without a side window. PDP 1GB Dual channel with XBL will perform almost as well as the OCZ but sells for only $227.

Hmm, did I not put the 90nm I meant to do that.

As for the raptor, why is it a waste?

I was getting the plextor and MSI cause of the SATA connections, making for an alltogether cleaner and more efficient working system.

Thanks for your input I will look into all that stuff.

 

[NarcoticHobo]

Originally posted by: vincentvega18
are u going for sli? if so what are u getting 2 agp cards for.......if not why are u getting 2 cards? although i do see an intel board in there.......
edit: wait a moment, thats a 925 board, so whatever your going to need at least one pci-e card.

Just price holders until the real components come out

 

[Rike]

Originally posted by: NarcoticHobo

Originally posted by: jpeyton
You want the $290 90nm 3500+ if you want to overclock. I would skip the Raptor altogether; waste of money. The 12x Plextor is a waste of money too; NECs 16x drive is better and sells for $68, which is a low enough price to just buy two of them and skip the combo-drive. The ThermalTake Tsunami Dream is a better version of the Wavemaster case and sells for less, and you can get it with and without a side window. PDP 1GB Dual channel with XBL will perform almost as well as the OCZ but sells for only $227.

Hmm, did I not put the 90nm I meant to do that.

As for the raptor, why is it a waste?

I was getting the plextor and MSI cause of the SATA connections, making for an alltogether cleaner and more efficient working system.

Thanks for your input I will look into all that stuff.

The only thing the SATA connections on the optical drives will give you is a clean case interior (thinner cables). Optical drive just don't move enough data for the SATA interface to give you any performance advantage.

On PSU wattage, look here. According to this, a 400 watt PSU is just fine with some overhead. 430-480 would give you comfortable OC wattage. With 520 watts or more you should be able to OC everything until it glows.

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: NarcoticHobo

Originally posted by: jpeyton
You want the $290 90nm 3500+ if you want to overclock. I would skip the Raptor altogether; waste of money. The 12x Plextor is a waste of money too; NECs 16x drive is better and sells for $68, which is a low enough price to just buy two of them and skip the combo-drive. The ThermalTake Tsunami Dream is a better version of the Wavemaster case and sells for less, and you can get it with and without a side window. PDP 1GB Dual channel with XBL will perform almost as well as the OCZ but sells for only $227.

Hmm, did I not put the 90nm I meant to do that.

As for the raptor, why is it a waste?

I was getting the plextor and MSI cause of the SATA connections, making for an alltogether cleaner and more efficient working system.

Thanks for your input I will look into all that stuff.

SATA optical drives have the advantage of a smaller cable; that's it. No performance advantage. No use paying much more for a Plextor drive when a better performing NEC drive is much less.

You can tidy up the inside of your case with rounded ATA cables, or do some Cable-Gami.

 

[Rike]

Great mind think alike!

 

[NarcoticHobo]

Yea I knew the SATA didn't improve performance, I should save money and go with the NEC drive.

As for the memory I'm worried about if the PDP will be as compatible with the Asus A8N-SLi motherboard as the OCZ memory would be, would you foresee any problems with that?

 

[plagiarist]

Look into the Thermaltake Xaser 1000 Supertower.

Toolless installation for internal 3.5" bays and the case front 5.5" bays.
Seven practically silent fans.
Nice window (if that model).
Attractive LED logo on front.
Locking case front with the option to also lock the case bay door.
Topside ports.
Lots of handy clips for routing wires.
LOTS OF SPACE.
Chassis intrusion detection alarm.
Heavy 1mm thick steel (aluminum on the 2000 series).
Black or silver.
HIGHLY reviewed.
Same price range as your chosen case.

Big and bold.

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: NarcoticHobo
Yea I knew the SATA didn't improve performance, I should save money and go with the NEC drive.

As for the memory I'm worried about if the PDP will be as compatible with the Asus A8N-SLi motherboard as the OCZ memory would be, would you foresee any problems with that?

Both the PDP and the OCZ use the same Samsung brand TCCD ICs, and they both use PCBs from a Taiwanese company called BrainPower. They will both be equally compatible.

 

[NarcoticHobo]

Originally posted by: plagiarist
Look into the Thermaltake Xaser 1000 Supertower.

Toolless installation for internal 3.5" bays and the case front 5.5" bays.
Seven practically silent fans.
Nice window (if that model).
Attractive LED logo on front.
Locking case front with the option to also lock the case bay door.
Topside ports.
Lots of handy clips for routing wires.
LOTS OF SPACE.
Chassis intrusion detection alarm.
Heavy 1mm thick steel (aluminum on the 2000 series).
Black or silver.
HIGHLY reviewed.
Same price range as your chosen case.

Big and bold.

It is ugly to me, to each his own you know. I like the brushed metal look, and this tsunami dream seems to be the best performing case I have found that looks good so I think I'll be going with it... unless someone has more suggestions.

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: NarcoticHobo

Originally posted by: plagiarist
Look into the Thermaltake Xaser 1000 Supertower.

Toolless installation for internal 3.5" bays and the case front 5.5" bays.
Seven practically silent fans.
Nice window (if that model).
Attractive LED logo on front.
Locking case front with the option to also lock the case bay door.
Topside ports.
Lots of handy clips for routing wires.
LOTS OF SPACE.
Chassis intrusion detection alarm.
Heavy 1mm thick steel (aluminum on the 2000 series).
Black or silver.
HIGHLY reviewed.
Same price range as your chosen case.

Big and bold.

It is ugly to me, to each his own you know. I like the brushed metal look, and this tsunami dream seems to be the best performing case I have found that looks good so I think I'll be going with it... unless someone has more suggestions.

I agree wholeheartedly. Tsunami Dream all the way. I will warn you, if you value silence, buy two quiet 120mm fans to go with the case (Panaflo, Vantec Stealth, etc.). Alternately, you could get a fan controller.

 

[plagiarist]

I like A-10 Warthogs too, I guess I like ugly.

 

[NarcoticHobo]

It comes with 120mm fans, are they not silent enough?