kboy said:
Do Ya really wanta go cheap on a PSU?? Probably the most important component. Antec's got a great rep and 100 bucks for a 550 watt is a great price. What's the box going to be used for? It makes a difference, Maybe ya could skimp somewhere else? If it's not a gamer or loaded up why all the watts?
I probly will end up buying an Antec when i do the upgrades, I was just hoping some of these up-coming companies had quality products as well. That is known to happen from time to time.
Anyways, the PC is gonna be used for gaming, movies, 3D modelling/rendering, etc..., so there'll probly be a bit of power consumption going on. The reason I'm going for 500+ watts is just to be on the safe side, I've heard by many that it's best to have some "padding" so you don't run the PSU at it's max output all the time.
Also, I'm not planning on overclocking my CPU or GFX card (maybe a little on GFX to see what sorta benches, but not for gaming), so those kinds of concerns don't really matter to me. I just want a supply with enough power to do what stock parts will want, and do it without dying.
spfd said:
btx launch is coming out soon, if i were you i wouldnt waste money on hard drives inless its serial ata, or PS.
New btx cases cant hold the old PS's
I just went and read the article about that on AnandTech, and I'm not so sure I'll be making the move to BTX right away, will probly wait a couple years. I'm looking to make upgrades this spring or later, when prices of today's top-notch stuff is dropping more.
I won't be buying Harddrives, and i don't know where you came with that advice
, but thanks for it anyways.
*oh, just checked the andandtech thing again, and current PSU's will fit in the tower BTX cases, just not the MicroBTX and PicoBTX (which i wouldn't want anyways).*
In case anybody is wondering, I'm planning on getting something like this for my upgrades:
Athlon64 or Pentium4 (w/ 800MHz FSB)
-not sure which yet, they seem about even for gaming, and each
have their own strong suits in other apps.
Radeon 9800pro
-unless the next gen of cards can beat it at a lower price
Motherboard for corresponding processor that supports Dual Channel DDR.
various other bits & pieces that aren't really in line for biggest power usage.
Current things that I'm probly keeping long term:
DVD Rom
CDRW drive
2 HDD's
thanks for all the tips so far, though.
i just really really wish that hardware sites would review the budget psu's as well for those of us without lots of funds or need for a good O/C'ing system.