noob looking for a power supply

[ibmikeg]

I am building a computer (first one) and plan on going w/ the Duo Q6600 and the 8800GTS. I need a power supply and have a couple of questions

1. Is 1 large rail or 3 - 4 smaller rails better?

2. What are some good brands to look at, I'm looking for something in the 700W+ and spending around $200 give or take.

Thanks in advance.

 

[tomoyo]

Originally posted by: ibmikeg
I am building a computer (first one) and plan on going w/ the Duo Q6600 and the 8800GTS. I need a power supply and have a couple of questions

1. Is 1 large rail or 3 - 4 smaller rails better?

2. What are some good brands to look at, I'm looking for something in the 700W+ and spending around $200 give or take.

Thanks in advance.

A majority of "multi-rail" psus are single rail. I would not even think about this.
Just looking at what you mention, if you're not going sli, you shouldn't need anything beyond a 400W psu. Just pick something sensible in the 400-550w range by a good maker such as Seasonic, Corsair, etc. My personal favorite being the Corsair HX520.
Some decent lists noted here:
http://www.jonnyguru.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1460
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article699-page1.html

 

[Dazed and Confused]

If you got $200 for a PSU just get a Pc Power & Cooling 750 - 1kw PSU and you'll get a minimum 3 year warranty ans up to a 7yr warranty on the 1kw units giving you power for the future with warranted reliability

 

[ibmikeg]

thanks for the advice

 

[dclive]

Originally posted by: ibmikeg
I am building a computer (first one) and plan on going w/ the Duo Q6600 and the 8800GTS. I need a power supply and have a couple of questions

1. Is 1 large rail or 3 - 4 smaller rails better?

2. What are some good brands to look at, I'm looking for something in the 700W+ and spending around $200 give or take.

Thanks in advance.

I had a Q6600, 8800GTS/320, 4 500GB HDDs, 4x1GB sticks, 1 dual tuner PCI card, 1 single tuner PCI card, all working in an Acer E700, with the stock 300W PSU.

A 700W PSU is massive overkill for most, and that $200 could be used elsewhere (RAM? Better gfx card?).

 

[Dazed and Confused]

You'd think that most people would realize there are maybe 3 items that can be carried from upgrade to upgrade. Thats your Case, PSU and Optical drives. Those are the 3 items that if done right the first time, can last you 3 - 5 years easy. If he gets a 750w PSU now he won't need to upgrade for a long ass time. If he gets a 300 - 500w then he'll be upgrading in a year or 2 at the most.

 

[MDE]

Originally posted by: Dazed and Confused
You'd think that most people would realize there are maybe 3 items that can be carried from upgrade to upgrade. Thats your Case, PSU and Optical drives. Those are the 3 items that if done right the first time, can last you 3 - 5 years easy. If he gets a 750w PSU now he won't need to upgrade for a long ass time. If he gets a 300 - 500w then he'll be upgrading in a year or 2 at the most.

Isn't that what people were saying 1-2 years ago about 400-550W PSUs?

 

[Lunyone]

Originally posted by: Dazed and Confused
You'd think that most people would realize there are maybe 3 items that can be carried from upgrade to upgrade. Thats your Case, PSU and Optical drives. Those are the 3 items that if done right the first time, can last you 3 - 5 years easy. If he gets a 750w PSU now he won't need to upgrade for a long ass time. If he gets a 300 - 500w then he'll be upgrading in a year or 2 at the most.

I hear what your saying, the only problem with that is the connectors can change on you. I know that they come out with adapters, but just thought I'd throw that out there for thought.

 

[o1die]

Newegg has a fortron fsp 700w for $105 after $25 rebate. I've never had a problem with fortron (or sparkle).

 

[ibmikeg]

My planned system is

Q6600
8800 GTS 640 or 2900 Pro
Not sure on mobo but probably a P35 something
2GB of Ram and will upgrade to 4 eventually
2 7200 WD Hard drives

If I want the option of SLI or Crossfire later on down the road, along with the option of adding a couple hard drives. What size PSU would handle all of that? The reason I originally said that I was looking at a 700W+ was because I was sure that amount would be enough, however if 500W could do everything I need without stressing, then I don't mind saving money.

 

[Lunyone]

Your going to be right around the $100-$150 range for a quality PSU to do SLI (which I don't recommend). Here are some to consider for your proposed SLI rig:

PSU - $100 shipped - $10 MIR = $90! Good solid PSU for the $, hard to beat.
Corsair 520W SLI Certified Modular ATX Power Supply - CMPSU-520HX
http://www.buy.com/prod/corsai...loc/101/203270716.html

PSU - ~$125 shipped Good solid PSU, straight from OEM and cheaper than Newegg
ULTRA-QUIET PSU: SILENCER® 610 EPS12V
http://www.pcpower.com/product...roduct.php?show=S61EPS

PSU - $100 shipped , hard to beat for this price.
Antec NeoPower NeoHE 550 ATX12V 550W Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CUL, TUV, CE, FCC, CCC, CB, C-tick ? Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817103941

PSU - $130 shipped Nice a quiet and cheaper from OEM, not from newegg.
ULTRA-QUIET PSU: SILENCER® 610 EPS12V
http://www.pcpower.com/product...roduct.php?show=S61EPS

Any of these will do, but most people will recommend a 650w or more for 8800gtx's SLI'd. Here is a link to show you how well a quality 380w PSU can power a OC's e6600 w/a 8800gtx system! Not that I would bet my expensive system on it, but you can see what were talking about.

8800gtx on 380w PSU!
http://www.overclockers.com/articles1452/

PSU - $49 shipped! Can power 8800gtx and an OC?d e6600! See link above for proof!
Antec Earthwatt 380W P/Satx 12V v.2.2 80MM P/S2 Fan 80-Plus Certified - EA380
http://www.buy.com/prod/antec-...loc/101/203477214.html

 

[tomoyo]

Originally posted by: Dazed and Confused
You'd think that most people would realize there are maybe 3 items that can be carried from upgrade to upgrade. Thats your Case, PSU and Optical drives. Those are the 3 items that if done right the first time, can last you 3 - 5 years easy. If he gets a 750w PSU now he won't need to upgrade for a long ass time. If he gets a 300 - 500w then he'll be upgrading in a year or 2 at the most.

That is EXACTLY why you should get a good 400-500W psu. If you're buying parts that need more than 400W, you fail imho. Stop buying energy wasting parts and get something good!

 

[s44]

Actually, 700W isn't the worst idea if he really is going to do SLI with the GTS. Some overkill, but also some margin for error (and degradation over time).

 

[jonmcc33]

Originally posted by: s44
Actually, 700W isn't the worst idea if he really is going to do SLI with the GTS. Some overkill, but also some margin for error (and degradation over time).

A pair of 8800GTS in SLI won't pull more than 500W let alone 700W.

 

[tomoyo]

Originally posted by: s44
Actually, 700W isn't the worst idea if he really is going to do SLI with the GTS. Some overkill, but also some margin for error (and degradation over time).

700W is ridiculous unless you're running dual Radeon 2900's with like 10 hard drives and some other crap.