Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread - Page 87
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Cyro
United Kingdom20324 Posts
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Dgiese
United States2687 Posts
So my question is regarding my currently planned PSU A Corsair CX430. From my research a 430W PSU (bronze cert) is about the lowest I can go with a PSU and still be fine. I wanted to get some second opinions on this? At the moment the CX430 is $20 and I would really prefer not to pay more for a PSU if I don't have to. Other options might be a CoolerMaster 460W for the same price... but I've heard they don't have a great reputation. I'd be looking to run an i5 4570 in the setup, and not doing any overclocking. I might be forced into getting the 4570S if they don't restock the normal model at my microcenter... so that might help with power somewhat, but that's still unclear. tldr: would I be fine running a 2gb 7850 on a CX430? is there a more suitable PSU for a similar price? | ||
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Myrmidon
United States9452 Posts
If anybody made quality 200-250W ATX form factor power supplies at lower prices, you could buy one of those. But you can't. It's just not financially feasible for anyone. | ||
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Dgiese
United States2687 Posts
Ty for the quick response sir. | ||
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mav451
United States1596 Posts
(See JG's review of the 500B - score of 8.7 here: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story6&reid=351) We're talking $45 ($29 AR) vs. $39 ($19 AR), and for your needs, the CX430 Bronze (32A on the 12v rail) is still going to be plenty for you. 2. The CX500 is currently at $45 at Newegg ($60-$15 promo). Minus the $20 rebate, it comes to $25 AR. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID= I think either way, you're still putting up either $40 (CX430) or $45 (eVGA 500B or CX500) up-front because you won't get that rebate for a few months. | ||
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IMKR
United States378 Posts
Im pretty sure the CX is great for a basic rig (for office use such as web browsing, email, etc etc.) but i dont think its good for gaming and such. and definitly not for OC. EDIT: ![]() bit on the bad side for the 12v regulation. and also if im correct they are made with Panasonic capacitors, which isnt a great cap EDIT2: also, isnt this a bad specs? +3.3V@25A, +5V@20A, +12V@38A, -12V@0.8A, +5VSB@3.0A (question tho first, do those mean voltage on the rail? so for the +12V rail its 38 amps?) if so, it wont run many current and last generation GPUs,(if im correct) or atleast, not recommend | ||
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skyR
Canada13817 Posts
38a on the 12v rail is bad for a 600w unit but is what is expected of an older / cheaper 500w unit. 12v@38a means it can deliver 456w (12*38) on the 12v rail which powers all major components in the computer. The rest of the rails are irrelevant. It would run nearly every i5 with a single GPU setup. CX430 is great at $20 after rebate but not so great at before rebate price of $45 as the Rosewill Capstone is significantly better for $15 more. All the hate on the CX430 is because its predecessor, the CX400, was actually a much better product. | ||
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IMKR
United States378 Posts
for the price its at right now i still think is definitely worth it for what it gives. but i just wasnt sure as an overall unit due to hates on the CX series. (I hear the 750w is great though) and it also just seems to me that many random builds online defaults to the CX series due to the price only. | ||
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skyR
Canada13817 Posts
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Ginge
United Kingdom22 Posts
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Incognoto
France10239 Posts
Assuming you can indeed use your RAM, I would go with something along these lines. We go over your budget, but it's totally worth it as you get a ridiculously inexpensive 7970: PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks CPU: Intel Core i5-4670 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£159.72 @ Aria PC) Motherboard: MSI H81M-E33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£36.08 @ Dabs) Storage: Seagate Barracuda XT 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£55.99 @ Aria PC) Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (£203.75 @ Scan.co.uk) Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£32.00 @ Ebuyer) Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 450W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£35.34 @ Scan.co.uk) Total: £522.88 It hurts me to see how cheap the 7970 is in the UK when I bought mine for €315. XFX isn't one of the big brands like ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte or Sapphire. The difference between an XFX card and a card from one of the big brands is mostly in cooling and overclocking potential. Nonetheless at such a price it's hard to choose another card. No SSD since we threw all that money into getting a good GPU. | ||
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Ginge
United Kingdom22 Posts
thanks alot, will start buying these parts asap! the RAM is a DDR3 but are you saying it needs to be a 1.5v? or with the new build is it fine at 1.65v? thanks again ![]() | ||
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skyR
Canada13817 Posts
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Incognoto
France10239 Posts
I know we discussed this before but sometimes I forget the details. I know that having 1.5v RAM is better than 1.65v because it's just slightly more efficient in terms of power. If you put 1.5v RAM at 1.65v, you get a little more oomph than would with with "stock" 1.65v. It doesn't matter all that much really. | ||
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iTzSnypah
United States1738 Posts
On November 03 2013 22:00 Incognoto wrote: ^There you have it. have fun I know we discussed this before but sometimes I forget the details. I know that having 1.5v RAM is better than 1.65v because it's just slightly more efficient in terms of power. If you put 1.5v RAM at 1.65v, you get a little more oomph than would with with "stock" 1.65v. It doesn't matter all that much really. You could always run your DDR3 at ~2.16v like mine is. | ||
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Incognoto
France10239 Posts
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iTzSnypah
United States1738 Posts
On November 03 2013 23:45 Incognoto wrote: Haha you aren't afraid of frying it something? :p My motherboard assumes it's DDR2 (my motherboard supports both DDR2 and DDR3; DDR2 was way more popular when the board came out). Since I got this computer the RAM voltage has been on auto (~3years). So it took my RAM rated for 1333 c7 1.5v and made it so I need over 2.1v (max 'safe' for DDR3) to run 1348 c8. Yay. | ||
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Myrmidon
United States9452 Posts
i.e. earlier DDR3 kits manufactured on larger transistors may be fine with 2.1V, but if you're talking some modern 1.5V kit on 2x nm, it may not go over as well? That's just speculation from me. I never looked into it. Also, the extra voltage is bad for the memory controller as well (supposedly? I'm not sure where the controller would be seeing the extra voltage... maybe in the signal it's getting?), so going to high on a modern platform is bad for that reason as well. | ||
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iTzSnypah
United States1738 Posts
On November 04 2013 01:05 Myrmidon wrote: Are you sure that 2.1V is "safe" for DDR3? Wouldn't that depend on the manufacturing process? i.e. earlier DDR3 kits manufactured on larger transistors may be fine with 2.1V, but if you're talking some modern 1.5V kit on 2x nm, it may not go over as well? That's just speculation from me. I never looked into it. Also, the extra voltage is bad for the memory controller as well (supposedly? I'm not sure where the controller would be seeing the extra voltage... maybe in the signal it's getting?), so going to high on a modern platform is bad for that reason as well. 2.1v is the only number I've came across. RAM is incredibly hard to kill (probably due to how basic it is), so I don't think manufacturing process would have that large of an effect maximum voltages. A few years ago before everyone adopted Intel's 1.65v maximum they sold kits at 1.8v because AMD's memory controller could take it. | ||
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Elkster
United States2 Posts
$800-900 What is your monitor's native resolution? 1920x1200 What games do you intend to play on this computer? What settings? World of Warcraft Starcraft II Diablo 3 Path of Exile Hearthstone What do you intend to use the computer for besides gaming? Web browsing and watching streams. Do you intend to overclock? I'd rather not, but will if necessary. Do you intend to do SLI / Crossfire? No. Do you need an operating system? No. Do you need a monitor or any other peripherals and is this part of your budget? No. If you have any requirements or brand preferences, please specify. None. What country will you be buying your parts in? United States If you have any retailer preferences, please specify. None. Basically my parents offered to pay for a new computer for Christmas. This will be my first build, so I thought I would come here for advice. I noticed the "Typical Gamer" build in the OP fits right into my budget, but I was wondering if that was current. If it isn't, I could use some advice on a more up to date build then. Thank you in advance. ![]() | ||
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![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/m3z8wDN.gif)

thanks alot, will start buying these parts asap! the RAM is a DDR3 but are you saying it needs to be a 1.5v? or with the new build is it fine at 1.65v? thanks again