New Build: Please Help!

[lpj8]

Hello Everyone,

My PSU died last night. So, I thought it may be an excellent time for a new build. I use my computer to do heavy photo editing in Photoshop, light HD video editing, and general usage. I do very light gaming, think World of Goo.

The two components I'm using from my old build are:
Sonata II Case
ATI 850XT

Here is what I'm thinking:

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard

CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Antec earthwatts EA500 500W ATX12V v2.0 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

I'll add the aforementioned video card (ATI 850XT).

Price after rebates and combos is $430. Not bad! I'd like to keep this budget if possible.

So, a couple questions:

1. Any suggestions on my setup?
2. I've read that I need to make sure that the PSU and the Gigabyte motherboard CPU power plugs are the same number of pins. Will the PSU and motherboard I chose work well together?
3. Will my old case be OK for a new install?

Thank you in advance!

 

[krnmastersgt]

Originally posted by: lpj8
Hello Everyone,

My PSU died last night. So, I thought it may be an excellent time for a new build. I use my computer to do heavy photo editing in Photoshop, light HD video editing, and general usage. I do very light gaming, think Word of Goo.

The two components I'm using from my old build are:
Sonata II Case
ATI 850XT

Here is what I'm thinking:

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard

CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Antec earthwatts EA500 500W ATX12V v2.0 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

I'll add the aforementioned video card (ATI 850XT).

Price after rebates and combos is $430. Not bad!

So, a couple questions:

1. Any suggestions on my setup?
2. I've read that I need to make sure that the PSU and the Gigabyte motherboard CPU power plugs are the same number of pins. Will the PSU and motherboard I chose work well together?
3. Will my old case be OK for a new install?

Thank you in advance!

You know how to use Newegg so not much to say about the price/performance you chose. I'm kind of curious however, as to why you chose that specific PSU, when there's cheaper 500 watts of the same or better quality around

As per the PSU/mobo question, any modern quality PSU (if not, it should) have a 20 pin connector with a 4 pin clip-on so that it can be used with any board. Your old case should be fine too, I only recommend new cases when you had a problem/disliked the old one or the system it would be holding emits too much heat.

 

[lpj8]

Originally posted by: krnmastersgt

You know how to use Newegg so not much to say about the price/performance you chose. I'm kind of curious however, as to why you chose that specific PSU, when there's cheaper 500 watts of the same or better quality around

As per the PSU/mobo question, any modern quality PSU (if not, it should) have a 20 pin connector with a 4 pin clip-on so that it can be used with any board. Your old case should be fine too, I only recommend new cases when you had a problem/disliked the old one or the system it would be holding emits too much heat.

Thank you for you're quick feedback!

To be honest, I don't know much about PSUs...could you suggest a different PSU that would be a better option for me?

I can get $30 bucks off right now through a newegg coupon so the Antec PSU I chose comes comes out to be 59.99 instead of 89.99.

 

[krnmastersgt]

I rate Antec and OCZ on the same level in terms of PSUs, others might not agree but it's your choice ultimately. Here's a cheaper alternative: OCZ 500w

 

[DSF]

If the sale is still going on I'd strongly consider the Corsair 400CX. It's a good unit, has plenty of power for your computer's modest needs, and last time I checked it was going for $40 after rebate. If you use the Newegg newsletter coupon you even knock 15% off the $40.

 

[Denithor]

I'll second krnmastersgt recommendation on the OCZ 500W PSU for $25AR. That's an excellent deal on a solid model with great efficiency.

WD6401AALS Caviar Black 640GB/32MB $80

$5 more for a better optimized drive with twice the cache - yes, please!

Everything else looks good. Enjoy the build & post to let us know how it goes.

EDIT: And depending on how much you game, you would see a drastic improvement by adding a 4670 ($70AR). You won't believe the difference in games.