Building a Gaming Rig with $700 Budget

[Nubbleet]

Vern is right that PSU is terrible. The PSU I suggested has 33A on a single 12V rail, and is a great brand.

 

[philbar71]

No you wouldn't need any adapters with that one, although I personally wouldn't use it. Never really heard of that brand and it has two rails. Don't quote me on this but I remember reading somewhere that a single higher capacity rail is more reliable and better than two.

not in all the time. a single rail PSU is nice but there are some good multi rail PSU's out there too. the brand and the amperage is the thing that matters the most.

 

[Apokalipse]

That's good to hear. I was worried that I would have to blow $150 on a new monitor I'm thinking of adding a sound card to my rig, but I have no experience with sound cards and do not know which is good or not. Could someone refer me to a decent sound card?

If you want a descent sound card, the Xonar DX is pretty good. And not too expensive.
You could just get one later on, along with a good set of speakers or headphones.

Umm, that PSU is pretty much the bare minimum for that GPU. Also you're gonna have to buy this since it requires 2x6 pin.

You can't compare PSU's based on the watts.
The PCP&C PSU is a very high quality PSU. It will perform a lot better than cheap PSU's rated at 550W.
It has 27A output on the +12V rail, which is 324W alone on the +12V rail. And that's continuous output, not just peak. A cheap PSU will usually only have peak values.
So it could easily run two 4850's in crossfire.

not in all the time. a single rail PSU is nice but there are some good multi rail PSU's out there too. the brand and the amperage is the thing that matters the most.

Actually, it's more the components used. Brand doesn't always mean quality.
Mind you, I haven't seen a bad quality PSU line from Corsair or PCP&C.

 

[Nubbleet]

I had read somewhere that 26A on a single rail was what was required for a 4870 (don't know if it's true) that's why I said that. Never said watts mattered that much or compared based on the watts ;].

 

[Apokalipse]

P (watts) = VI = 12 x 27 = 324W

and a single 4870 uses a max of about ~150W (4850's use about 100-110W max), and I think all of that power will be coming from the +12V rail.

Technically a 4870 would use up to about 12.5A from the +12V rail. Though you'd want headroom over that.

 

[Nubbleet]

P (watts) = VI = 12 x 27 = 324W

and a single 4870 uses a max of about ~150W (4850's use about 100-110W max), and I think all of that power will be coming from the +12V rail.

Technically a 4870 would use up to about 12.5A from the +12V rail. Though you'd want headroom over that.

Ah, ok. Anyways, with whatever PSU you go with PCP&C or Corsair (both high-end brands), you're still going to have to buy the adapter I posted previously to convert the molex to PCI-E.

 

[faideelah]

Okay, thanks alot guys. I'll tell you how it goes after I order.

 

[dario03]

Ah, ok. Anyways, with whatever PSU you go with PCP&C or Corsair (both high-end brands), you're still going to have to buy the adapter I posted previously to convert the molex to PCI-E.

Not really, the video card he picked out comes with 2 converters. Actually I'm pretty sure most cards that require extra power come with the converters (both cards that I've bought have).

 

[faideelah]

So, I just ordered my computer with the Corsair 550W PSU. Didn't have enough for the graphics card so I'm going to wait a little. BUT if things go smoothly, I will have it ordered by tonight Thanks alot for your help guys I really appreciate it especially since this is the first time that I am building a computer.

EDIT: What is a solid GPU that I can get with about $200? I'm going to be using it for gaming mostly (WoW).

 

[philbar71]

^ either a 4890 or GTX 275. they both have very similar performance, but the 4890 is cheaper