Choosing a Power Supply for a new build

[barnabas1969]

What do you think of the rest of my spec?

It all looks fine. Only questionable thing is the 95 watt CPU. Depending on the case and how quiet you want it to run, you might want to go for a lower wattage (cooler) CPU.

I did wonder about that, but all the quad core cpus in that range are rated at 95w. The i3 2120 is a dual core, faster rated chip with a tdp of just 65w.

Would I be losing performance dropping to a dual core? Would the quad be a big enough improvement to justify the extra wattage? Based on your reply above, would the quad ever actually draw 95w?


Looking forward to getting these parts ordered now!

A dual core is fine, as long as you don't plan to run more than two extenders simultaneously.

I have the GT430 (fanless) and it does a beautiful job. Way better than the cable box from the cable company... and I have a 64" plasma TV connected to it.

[assassin]

Assassin, if you had read my post, you will see that my HTPC pulls 150 watts at idle (according to my Kill-A-Watt meter) and can pull up to 200 watts when running. 150/500=30%.

I also did not say that lower power PSU's have lower quality components. I said that higher efficiency, quieter PSU's tend to be higher quality. And... that those tend to be the higher power PSU's.

I read your post. While it might be 200w for your system that is not going to be the case of many people on here and its important to make that distinction when offering advice. I have 2 HTPCs that use less than 35w while playing back 1080p.

And, again, higher efficiency PSUs are not of any higher quality and definitely not any quieter than their lower efficiency counterparts. I have used all of the above and unless you can provide a reference to a third party we will just have to agree to disagree. I have used 400w Seasonics OEMs from various manufacturers and all are completely silent. I have one in my server (Antec Neo 400w) and one in my primary HTPC (PCP&C 400w) and can't hear either even when the top of the case is open and I am right next to it.

[newfiend]

Along with all the tech in this thread.. keep in mind a couple other tidbits..
Get a PSU from a reputable company and Check the warranty period as well. God forbid something goes bad in your PSU.. (it happens) You want to be able to send it in for repair/warranty replacement.
I had one PSU from Corsiar I got on eBay.. ya.. not the smartest move I know, But I was on a budget.. At any rate after a few months the PC wouldn't sleep and wake correctly. I traced it back to the PSU. I contacted Corsair and they replaced the PSU as it originally came with a 5 Year Warranty.. No questions asked. In fact they no longer made that PSU and swapped it our for the next best supply which was slightly higher in wattage at no extra cost. It's good to know that they stand behind their products 100%. That's why I continue to buy from them.

[critcher]

Yes, the PSU in my PC knackered up a year or 2 after I got it. The warranty didn't even cross my mind.

[critcher]

A dual core is fine, as long as you don't plan to run more than two extenders simultaneously.

I have the GT430 (fanless) and it does a beautiful job. Way better than the cable box from the cable company... and I have a 64" plasma TV connected to it.

I didn't notice that this had gone to 2 pages, and only just noticed your reply. Sorry.

I went with the intel i5 2500 3.30ghz sandybridge in the end. It was a fiver more than the other processor I was looking at. Hopefully I'll only buy it once! And I went with the gt430 as well.

[newfiend]

A dual core is fine, as long as you don't plan to run more than two extenders simultaneously.

I have the GT430 (fanless) and it does a beautiful job. Way better than the cable box from the cable company... and I have a 64" plasma TV connected to it.

I didn't notice that this had gone to 2 pages, and only just noticed your reply. Sorry.

I went with the intel i5 2500 3.30ghz sandybridge in the end. It was a fiver more than the other processor I was looking at. Hopefully I'll only buy it once! And I went with the gt430 as well.

Good Processor and Vid Card.. The Video Card has had a few 29/59 flicker issues as of late with the nvidia drivers.. I just installed the latest BETA 304.79 and have no flicker issue like before.. Might want to keep that in mind for when your building and installing drivers. The card works great you just have to be careful what driver you install or you might get the 29/59 flicker issue on TV content.

I pretty much test every new Nvidia Driver as they release them and post results here on TGB.tv. If you run into problems configuring the GT 430 send me a PM and I'll clue you in on a few tweaks that make it work correctly.
newfiend~

[barnabas1969]

My nVidia GT-430 is still on an old driver. I don't remember exactly which one, but it's in the 260's. Honestly, if things are working fine, there is no reason to update firmware/drivers/BIOS/etc. If you aren't experiencing a problem that is supposed to be fixed by a later version, there is no reason to upgrade. Basically, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

EDIT: I looked, and it's on 266.58. Works fine.

[newfiend]

Check my post about the latest tmt5 update.. It would not launch for me with the older NVIDIA driver.. I had to update to get tmt5 working again..

Sent from my WP7 using Board Express

[barnabas1969]

Check my post about the latest tmt5 update.. It would not launch for me with the older NVIDIA driver.. I had to update to get tmt5 working again..

Sent from my WP7 using Board Express

Wow, that's good information. I've been thinking about installing the update for TMT5. I have a problem with TMT5, but I haven't gone to their website to see if there is any information about it. My problem is that when I check the box that says something like "play all 3D BluRays in 3D mode", it will play ALL BluRays in 3D mode... which makes the video stutter when the movie isn't filmed in 24fps. I have been leaving that box un-checked for normal movie viewing, and then I have to remember to check it before putting a 3D BluRay in the drive. Without this box checked, I cannot play a 3D movie in 3D mode.

[newfiend]

Ya I spent a good part of yesterday troubleshooting why tmt5 wouldn't load after patching.. Finally found a post in Arcsoft's forum with someone with a similar issue and he resolved it by updating video drivers.. I was hesitant about updating video drivers because of 29/59.. But the latest NVIDIA beta works sweet so far! And TMT 5 now launches .. Needless to say I was happy to see both issues fixed!

Sent from my WP7 using Board Express

[STC]

^^ the trials and tribulations of the upgrade path

Something nearly always gets borked.

[newfiend]

Yep, and us PC users always have to figure out how to de-Bork it.. Thank god for forums like this.. W/o them I would have given up a long time ago.

Sent from my WP7 using Board Express

[critcher]

I pretty much test every new Nvidia Driver as they release them and post results here on TGB.tv. If you run into problems configuring the GT 430 send me a PM and I'll clue you in on a few tweaks that make it work correctly.
newfiend~

That would be great! Most of the parts have arrived now, just waiting for the tv card and optical drive. Oh, and the OS!