Power supply choices

[CLite]

Hi all,

I'm using ****** to finally get myself a nice rig.

The specs are:

1MB corsair Value select
x2 4200+
7800GT
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
Seagate 80GB 7200RPM 8MB cache HD

Now for the power supplies,

the cheapest one I can get from buyxg's options is:

NZXT PF-500 500Watt Power Supply

however I read that there are some issues with low amps on the 12v line for x2 chips
and the Max A. for this is 16 A for 12v1, and 17A for 12v2

THERMALTAKE 480WATT +30 dollars
has 18A on the 12v line

ULTRA X-Connect 500W ATX PS w/2 80mm Fans +40 dollars BUT 30 dollar mail in rebate
has 34A on the 12v line

So is the ultra X-connect my obvious choice?...... Is overclocking x2 all about the amps on the 12v line?

Also since I'm quite new at buying rigs I was wondering if the final price of 1500 dollars was resonable?
this includes a 200 dollar monitor (ViewSonic® E90F+SB 19 INCH .22MM ), and windows home xp, along
with free HL-2 Bronze edition, and Nero 7 Ultra

Thanks in advance for the help,

C-Lite

 

[bjc112]

Definitely DO NOT skimp on the PSU.

Quality over Quantity.

The Ultra X connect is a poor choice as well..

 

[Aznguy1872]

Seasonic S-12 500W or 600W if you have the extra money.

 

[CLite]

aight then my other options are these


Aspire 680W BEAST POWER W/ PFC ATX Power Supply +71 dollars
22A @ 12v1, 24A @ 12v2

Thermaltake Purepower 680 Watt Power Supply - SLI Ready +117 dollars
but this has terrible amps @12v, i.e. 15A

The link to the thread where they were talking about amps being important is here

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...&STARTPAGE=2&FTVAR_FORUMVIEWTMP=Linear

A quote from the thread is
"
Before you give up on those chips, I would try a more powerful PS with a strong 12v rail. IMO the first rule of thumb for overclocking is "overkill" the PS. Both of the PS's that you've listed have very low amps on the 12v rail, and I wouldn't even consider overclocking a single core with them. The dual rail 430 is a notoriously bad overclocker, I worked with a guy a few month's back that only had a 3000+ and a 6600gt and he couldn't get past 2.3ghz regardless of what he tried. He switched to a 480w single rail PS with 24a on the 12v and his OC went up to 2.65ghz. Can't hurt to try "

so is ****** just screwing me with power supply choices or is the Aspire choice good?

C-lite

 

[CLite]

Well ****** isn't providing me with any seasonic options, I suppose I could get default PS, ebay it and try to swap in a seasonic, but I can't say I'm the best handy man when it comes to working with computers. Hopefully the aspire is good enough?

C-Lite

 

[hubcap89]

The 680 watt aspire and thermaltake are extreme overkill for that system. Also I don't know from personal experience, but have heard that aspire PSU's aren't too reliable. Look for a quality PSU with lower wattage.

 

[tallman45]

Get a Seasonic 600Watt S12 from Ewiz for $116

They are listed on Ebay as Mp3superstore and are a reputable retailer

There is a 10% off coupon C11-GIFTGUIDE to get the final price to $116

For $116 this is a PSU that will feed your sysem and save some $$ due to its over 80% efficiency rating

 

[CLite]

alright I guess I will go with

Antec TPII-550 550Watt ATX 12V Power Supply +94 dollars

This forum has some decent reviews about the TPII, seems like its the only PSU w/ any name recognition that the website I'm using offers.

C-Lite

 

[hubcap89]

The antec is a pretty good choice and you will have a surplus of power and therefore room to upgrade or oc. Enermax and pc power and cooling are usually better for the PSU but antecs are still decent so that seems like a good choice