My antec 900 rig :D

Pimp

I like that case looks really nice but one thing i would like to mention is what CPU do you have?

- Also i don't like the white DVD drive at the front, should be black but that's just me being silly.

- If i was you i would upgrade the PSU defo and also the GPU that's way too old what can you play on it? i guess css but not any new games that are out. That's if your willing on spending some money

- Your cable management is better then mine so don't worry about that it looks fine to me.

-Asrock is a really good mobo very cheap and reliable but not very gd at OC. Mind you Asrock is owned by Asus so off course they are good mobos.

- Just one other thing, you really don't need an Antec 900 to cool your rig tbh its not that powerful any cheap case would have done the job but i guess it adds style.

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Ashton

Thanks for that. I have a Pentium Dual-core E2160, which runs at 1.8ghz. I am aiming to overclock it to 2.7ghz, once I get some DDR2. That is why I have the good cooling. The board is fairly good overclocking, atm I'm just taking care of afew bios issues before I start.

My DVD drive is white because my previous case was white, didn't get round to replacing it.

My gpu can play some games, it managed to hit 22fps for Bioshock at 1024x768. And it runs smothly on fairly older games. Might buy a 8800 GT 512MB at the end of the year, if it gets cheaper.

I have 2 psu's lying around, the old one and a "besta 550W", which I replaced with the old one after concerns it was abit dodgy and could surge.

Since I own both and a surge protector (the 4yr old 250W one) and this new one:New Computer PC 550W ATX Power Supply Silent Dual Fan - eBay Standard ATX, Power Supplies, Components, Upgrades, Computers. (end time 14-Feb-08 14:17:02 AEDST)

Which one is better to use?

I'm pretty poor atm and I'm thinking of spending my next $100 on some DDR2-800 to help overclock. Can't really afford a new psu or hard drive when they fail (both 4 1/2 years old) I'll have to dig into my pockets, I'll just use it for as long as possible.

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Pimp

Not sure about the new PSU never heard of the company but 550watts is good just wondering if the psu is reliable and solid output.

Also if your a bit tight on the budget why bother buying and Antec 900 those are like £70 or to put it in your currency its like AU $160. You could have put that money to more use on the rig. Sorry if it sounds like I'm having a go at you lol but i ain't just wondering. o well go for the psu but i suggest you find some info about it.

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Ashton

I also decided to spend that much now, and it would last for years and I wouldn't have to spend more later on

Please read the ebay link, that shows the psu specs

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Pimp

the specs seem fine to me but like i said i don't know about the company have you used them before?

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Ashton

no, never used it before. Just got it randomly off ebay to be cheap

I'm gona spend my money on this
2GB 800 Corsair Dual Channel 2*1 GB DDR PC 6400 CL4 RAM - eBay DDR2, Memory, RAM, Components, Upgrades, Computers. (end time 16-Mar-08 18:09:32 AEDST)

Using that and my good cooling, I'm aiming to OC to 2.7Ghz

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Pimp

Good idea i think you should go for it nice bit of memory and plus i like the latency

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Ashton

Yeah, by the time I got to DDR 500mhz and 2.3ghz I had to clr_cmos

temps are low, need faster ram

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donkey42

well, a new beefy PSU would provide upgradabilty for the future, personally, i have an Antec True Power Trio 550W & i would highly recommend them / itthat doesn't mean anything to me, the fact remains, does the system work ?

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Ashton

Probably rather spend it on the ram.

If my old psu fails
New Computer PC 550W ATX Power Supply Silent Dual Fan - eBay Standard ATX, Power Supplies, Components, Upgrades, Computers. (end time 14-Feb-08 14:17:02 AEDST)

I have that one still in my cubboard as a spare.

Don't really need a better one, my gpu is not very demanding

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donkey42

yes RAM is important, but, if you don't have a decent enough PSU it won't power all the stuff you have / try to connect to your system, but, it's your money, all i can do is make recommendations

Edit: BTW: & yes your right, there is always ebay, but, personally i would be suspicious of that PSU because it doesn't say anything about how much power it can supply on each rail, as cheaper PSUs often / always "claim" to be able to output more wattage than they actually can, i've heard of a decent 300W PSU that could power more stuff than a "generic" (PSU included with a case) or crappy PSU

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Ashton

oh sorry! I thought the railings were on that page
Here's a photo of the psu


All i need is less than 220W, don't really give a about railings, just don't want my parts to be destroyed

Not that good, but I don't need a high-end psu. As long as it works, I'd rather spend money on something that improves performance ect. It's just a choice between the 4 1/2 yr old 250W psu that would have lost heaps of wattage or the cheap new "550W" one.

It meets my needs. I just want to know if it's in danger of surging, I wouldn't care that much about my $80 motherboard, I don't want all my other parts destoryed..

Recommended PSU Wattage: *

PSU Prices: 1200W 1000W 850W 620W 500W

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gazaway

You need MUCH more that that. Especially if you plan on getting an 8800GT, overclocking, and any other upgrades in the future.

Big B

A single 18A +12V rail is fine for Socket A and Socket 478 Pentium systems with AGP. If you're running PCIe, the bare minimum you should look at would provide 25A, but ideally at least 30A.

Antec, Corsair, Seasonic, Thermaltake (specifically the Toughpower line), Enermax, FSP/Fortron/Sparkle, XClio, Silverstone, OCZ, PC Power & Cooling...those are brands you're gonna look at.

As already mentioned, don't go cheap on your power supply. That's the starting point of your components health and stability, so it's not the place to skimp.

The Corsair VX 450 and 550, TX650 or HX520/620 are some excellent units, and usually run around $100 or less here in the US. The HX units are modular, so you can remove cabling you don't use. That's something to consider to help keep your cabling neater.

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