Building a new Rig, Need Advice.

I

iBuildNiceRigs

Geek Trainee
Hey all. I'm building a new Rig since my last one had a problem.
Apparently, something went wrong with the motherboard and the entire processor got killed in the process.

I have no idea how it happened, I'm not planning on figuring it out, so I just want to make a new one.

So.. This is my new build:

Processor: AMD Phenom 2.6 GHz Quad Core $130
Motherboard: Gigabyte AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX $130
--------------Combo (Motherboard & CPU) Discount - $40

PC Case: Thermaltake Swing RS 100 $135
Hard Drive: Western Digital 1TB 32MB Cache 3.0Gb/s $95
Graphics Card: XFX Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit ATi $215
RAM: OCZ Gold 8GB 240-Pin DDR2 $93
CD Drive: HP / with lightscribe $24
Power Supply: CoolMax 700W $45
Monitor: Acer 22" $150

Total --------------------------------------$ 977.00

What do you guys think?
Any advice?
Anything I should change?
Please voice your opinions on what I should do to make it better
My Budget is below $1100, though I strongly would like below $1000
 
iBuildNiceRigs said:
What do you guys think? Any advice?
Anything I should change?
Please voice your opinions on what I should do to make it better
My Budget is below $1100, though I strongly would like below $1000
Click to expand...
OK...You may not like this...But I think that moving onto a new computer...without finding out what went wrong with the last one...is a recipe for disaster...But that is entirely your choice.

And the above has been confirmed by your choice of power supply. Any one...that even entertains the thought of...purchasing a power supply for $45.00 is clearly is headed for disaster.

What one needs to know about...the relation of the negative effects of heat on the computer...That can be caused by the power supply.

Manufacturers test their PSU's at a set temperature...from this their rating is determined... for most this No. is 25 degrees Celsius...which falls short of the temperature that most computers are capable of achieving.

Given that a PSU will actually lose 2-5 watts per one degree of heat above the 25 Degree Celsius testing temperature...coupled with the fact that computers tend to run at 10 degrees higher than room temperature... In the summer time when the room temperature can easily reach 80 degrees F... your computer will be running at 33 Degrees C. or 90 Degrees F.

So the...math can make...your 500 watt power supply into a 460 watt unit.

In addition to this...what needs to be taken into account is that each degree that your computer components are operating at...under powered...adds more heat to the equation.

Consider also...the possibility...that ratings given by the manufacturer of single components...such as graphics cards...need to be treated with skepticism... Manufacturers may minimize support issues and under rate the power required...in order to make a larger profit.

The above has not taken into account...the issue of high quality vs poor quality units...Power supplies convert voltages from wall outlets to lower levels used by the PC. During this conversion, some power is lost as heat. The efficiency level of the PSU determines how much extra power must be put into the power supply to run the PC. A high quality PSU can help reduce the noise and heat generated within a computer system. The higher the efficiency rating the less heat the PSU has to deal with.

Therefore heat is the computers enemy...The hotter the temperature your PSU is forced to run at...the poorer the supply of power the rest of the components will receive...which has been known to lead to such things as crashes, freezing, rebooting, BSOD’s, and video distortion, as well as partial and complete failure of other components.

The fact is very few PSU’s are capable of producing the wattage that the companies advertise.

For a very good comprehension of recommended brand names, wattage, and models in listed categories...Plus much more...check out this link. Power Supply Information and Selection - Tech Support Forum
 
iBuildNiceRigs said:
Alright, how does this one sound?

Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Power Supplies
Click to expand...
That is the one I have in my computer...it is more than I need...for what I use my computer for...but I do not regret it...If you are a heavy gamer you might need a bigger one...Depending on what size video card you have.

Edit: I am not an expert on determining what kind of PSU is required for a certain Video card...But this one might work for you...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004
 
750W PSU is perfectly fine for that setup will run the Radeon 4870 no problem.
The PSU is from a well known brand so shouldn't have any problems, has only one 12v rail but still good enough, its also an excellent 80% + efficent. Only downside it's not Modular but that's just my opinion.
 
So, your saying, overall its good for my build, and I could even add more later without having trouble and it should handle it, correct?
 
Hard Drive, don't get 1TB, too much space and if you need to run a recovery forget it. Better off with 2 500s.

CD/DVD- Deactivated- Newegg.com - LG Black 22X (CAV) DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X (CAV) DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner - CD / DVD Burners

Power Supply No No No!!!!!!!!
Get it, and good luck using your computer for about a week until it frys.
A power supply is not the area to save money.
Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Power Supplies

Get that, plenty of power and allows for future upgrades, I have the same brand but mines 850, and I love it! you won't regret it.

As for the RAM, will you ever need 8 gigs of ram?

You CPU will be at 100% before you even use 5 gigs, so 4 gigs is plenty.
Newegg.com - Patriot Extreme Performance 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory

More than enough.

Also case, just get one from newegg, heres mine and it has plewnty of room and is very cool (3 fans included)
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases

good luck, I suggest you follows my guidelines as you won't regret it.
 
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