How much voltage to be future proof?

[Vaulter]

Im building a computer in may (graduation present) that i want to keep between 400 and 600 dollars. Right now in the build wishlist i have a OCZ modxstream 500w, which will power the rig as is, however, the main purpose of this build is to get quality base parts i can reuse (case, PSU, some ram, and a HDD). The motherboard and cpu are low end, a micro-atx board and an amd 620, so the 500w is more than enough, but if i decide suddenly i wanna see what triple sli looks like, than i dont think it will be enough. Should i spend 10-20 bucks more and get a 600w or 700w of the same type (I like it cause its semi modular, and ive actually had success with ocz products in the past.) or should i stick with the 500w. Heres my build so far, plus a 8800gt 512mb. also, i would rather have a spinpoint drive, but i cant find it on newegg for some reason.

sidequestion, will a pci-express x16 card work in a pci-express x16 2.0 slot?
Thanks, and sorry for being scatterbrained in my asking.

 

[HOOfan 1]

Triple SLi on a 500W unit wouldn't be a good idea. What type of triple Sli are we talking about?

 

[Vaulter]

Didnt know there was more than one kind, unless you mean type of card, or bus rate. Ill probably just be experimenting later on (SLI is overkill for what i do) so itll be lower end cards, like what my 8800 is now. and i'm assuming its going to run at either x16/x16/x8 or the like.

 

[HOOfan 1]

I mean what specific cards...

 

[cbn]

I would try to be completely honest and realistic with yourself about Triple SLI.

Using older cards (like 260 GTX) we are still talking a good amount of money.

In some cases running a single more modern GPU may give you better performance/per watt while letting you size the PSU smaller for efficiency.

 

[cbn]

Ill probably just be experimenting later on (SLI is overkill for what i do) so itll be lower end cards, like what my 8800 is now. and i'm assuming its going to run at either x16/x16/x8 or the like.

Well Nvidia really doesn't make new generation low end cards at the moment (like AMD does).

This means you would be using older cards for multi-GPU experience.

Ask around and find out if Nvidia has improved their SLI since then? triple 8800s might be less smooth than what Nvidia is doing today (ie, Multi-GPU drivers may be better on their newest offerings)

 

[Vaulter]

I mean what specific cards...

Its so far in the future that ill be doing this i wouldnt be able to tell you, they wont be high end cards though.

I would try to be completely honest and realistic with yourself about Triple SLI.

Using older cards (like 260 GTX) we are still talking a good amount of money.

In some cases running a single more modern GPU may give you better performance/per watt while letting you size the PSU smaller for efficiency.

Thats true, but ive been out of the computer game for so long that its more of just curiousity of what it can do, how to set it up right, that sort of thing. Also, this build is about being flexible in the future, i dont want to have to buy another psu a year from now because i skimped and then suddenly turned hardcore gamer that wants a two card or 3 sli setup.

Well Nvidia really doesn't make new generation low end cards at the moment (like AMD does).

This means you would be using older cards for multi-GPU experience.

Ask around and find out if Nvidia has improved their SLI since then? triple 8800s might be less smooth than what Nvidia is doing today (ie, Multi-GPU drivers may be better on their newest offerings)

Yeah, you're probably right, but I'm not a huge gamer, ill likely be playing left 4 dead 2 and whatever the newest call of duty is on medium settings on my 19 inch monitor. I know before ill spend bank on an sli setup ill spend money on a better monitor, and that will determine if i need sli as more than an experiment, and how much to spend on new video card(s).

 

[Udgnim]

buy a good 1K watt PSU

 

[TemjinGold]

Its so far in the future that ill be doing this i wouldnt be able to tell you, they wont be high end cards though.


Yeah, you're probably right, but I'm not a huge gamer, ill likely be playing left 4 dead 2 and whatever the newest call of duty is on medium settings on my 19 inch monitor. I know before ill spend bank on an sli setup ill spend money on a better monitor, and that will determine if i need sli as more than an experiment, and how much to spend on new video card(s).

If it's that far ahead in the future, I doubt your PSU would still be working by then anyways. If you're not much of a gamer, spending money on Triple SLI just to "see what it's like" seems really irresponsible considering money seems to be an object for you at least right now. To satisfy your curiosity, "what it's like" would be "a heck of a lot less efficient/smooth versus one good card and a huge bucket full of headaches in comparison."

 

[Vaulter]

What i meant by pretty far from now is probably a year or two. Which in tech years is forever. Just look at RAM, the prices of VCs could skyrocket, or they could drop suddenly. And as for money and responsibility, Ive got a job, I got a full scholarship to a university, and because i got the scholarship my parents are buying me a car that wont break every month like my current one. So money isn't my primary concern. If i wanted to try it right now i could go on ebay and buy two more 8800s (just so they all matched =P) for 100-120, and thats not all that expensive. Also, if i decided the cost/performace gain ratio wasn't high enough, i could turn around and sell them for probably close to the same price.

 

[ShreddedWheat]

nt

 

[Meghan54]

Right now in the build wishlist i have a OCZ modxstream 500w, which will power the rig as is, however, the main purpose of this build is to get quality base parts i can reuse (case, PSU, some ram, and a HDD).

Should i spend 10-20 bucks more and get a 600w or 700w of the same type (I like it cause its semi modular, and ive actually had success with ocz products in the past.) or should i stick with the 500w. Heres my build so far, plus a 8800gt 512mb. also, i would rather have a spinpoint drive, but i cant find it on newegg for some reason.

The major problem is your power supply will be underpowered for SLI of any sort, unfortunately, and OCZ has never been associated with high quality power supplies in any event. Even within the same model lineup, like the ModXStream line, OCZ uses different OEM manufacturers to supply their various wattage units.....like FSP for one unit, CWT for another, Sifra for a third.

But, given the fact that OCZ seems to be trying to move wholesale to Sirfa (their "top end" power supply, the Z-Series is Sirfa made), I'd be hesitant to buy another OCZ.

Corsair, on the other hand, has yet to produce a dog. Neither has Seasonic.....the two brands I'd look into. Enermax is another good brand, but tend to be overpriced compared to the competition.