Upgrading my PC, do I need a new Power Supply ?

[PaperScissorsStone]

I posted a topic on this forum a few weeks ago regarding whether a new motherboard, graphics card, processor and ram I had decided to purchase would all work together and create a great PC. Also to ask if I had decided upon the best components.

From peoples feedback I have decided that the parts are the best parts to money ratio I can afford at the present time and will give me many years of gaming into the future

I have a quick follow up question though. The parts I intend to buy are:

AMD 64 X2 3800+ processor
Asus A8N32-SLI motherboard
GeForce 7800 GT video card - probably Leadtek
and 2 gig of ram.

I currently have an Antec True 430p (430W) power supply. Will this power supply be adequate to run the above parts or do I need to buy a new one? If I do, does anyone have any recommendations?

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Bobthelost]

Should do the job well enough. But are you sure you want the A8n32, it's not an economical board in any way shape or form

Also since 7900GTs are just round the corner, buying a 7800GT is rather silly if it's anything other than eVGA with the step up facility, and even there it's a waste of money.

 

[PaperScissorsStone]

Thank you for the reply.

I'm glad to know I do not have to buy another power supply

You say the A8n32 is not the best motherboard to purchase, I have read many reviews and have had quite a few people recommending it. Could you please tell me in more detail why this board isnt the best to purchase ? Do you have any other recommendations?

Thanks

 

[PaperScissorsStone]

Bobthelosts reply has kind of put a hamper on my plans

Could someone please give me some advice on the A8n32 motherboard. Is this a suitable motherboard to get or is Bobthelosts comment personal opinion. You will never find a piece of hardware everyone likes.

 

[Bobthelost]

I have the A8N32 and like it a lot, the PCIe slot layout isn't great, but it's a good board.

What it isn't is an economical choice, you can save $120 by going for an Epox single PCIe 16x slot motherboard, or similar on a DFI board. Both of which let you overclock heavily. If you're not going SLI (a bad idea if you're not doing it from the word go, especially when that $120 means you can afford a much better graphics card now) then it's a very silly idea to buy a SLI board.

That sort of saving is rather noticable. But seeking other advice is only a good idea.

Edited for stupid mistake.

 

[Operandi]

430 watts is plenty of power but I would only use it if it has a 24 pin ATX power connector, otherwise I think you are better off investing in a new PSU now.

The rest of your system looks great. The A8N32 is without a doubt one of the best S939 boards there is but as Bobthelost pointed out you definitely pay a premium for the best. The A8N has dropped a bit in price since the A8N32 arrived and has a very similar feature set. If you are not set on the nForce4 the MSI RD480 Neo2 looks like a promising board. The board has similar features and ATi's chipsets are known to run much cooler then nVidia's equivalents.

 

[obeseotron]

A8N32 is a very, very good board, you could make a convincing argument that it is the single best Athlon/Opteron board available. But here's a hint - if the cost of a new PSU is a concern, you should probably be skipping SLI anyway. If you bumped down the a DFI nForce4 Ultra though you could save $75, which you could use on any number of things in your system or put in your pocket. You don't want to buy a 7800GT under almost any circumstances - it's successor will be out at $299 on Thursday and ATI is dropping prices on the x1800XT 256MB to $299 to compete. Either one would be a much better buy. The $75 could be used to cover the price difference in video cards, to get better RAM, or get very good aftermarket air cooling for the CPU and GPU.

 

[acole1]

If you want to OC get the DFI Lanparty series (ultra-d or sli-dr), or if not OCing I personally like Gigabyte for their reliability and stability.

IMHO, if you have money to blow, spend it on the graphics card and not on the motherboard like Bob said. $224 is a lot for the motherboard when you can get one that performs almost as well for $120 less, like the DFI or Gigabyte.

Since you can't makeup your mind by yourself about this, or make an argument on why the about the A8N32-SLI is worth an extra $120, then I would strongly suggest you not get it and opt for a motherboard more in your price/skill range.

Compare

Again, IMO if you aren?t going to use all or most of those extra features, don't waste your money. If you think you will, go ahead! Just trying to help out a fellow builder.

 

[t3h l337 n3wb]

There's no point in getting a 16x/16x SLI board if you're only getting 1 7800GT. Just get the EPoX 9nPA+ Ultra or DFI Lanparty Ultra-D.

 

[PaperScissorsStone]

Fantastic, thank you very much everyone! That?s great advice about the motherboard, I will defiantly look into others before I make and hasty decisions. The A8N32 is £130 on ebuyer but if I could save a good chunk of that money and spend it on other things, thats always a good thing

I did not realise the follow up to the 7800GT is out so soon, I have not heard any news about this myself but I will wait and see what happens with the price.

Thanks again.