Need a good Power supply?

C

cyrax037

New Member
Hi, I registered here on the forums, to get some advice on getting some new stuff for a computer I'm upgrading.

I'm looking to upgrade the PSU that is in it(a 350watt) to something a bit more substantial. I'm thinking somewhere around a 650watt. I'm really not that knowledgeable on computer hardware, so I was hoping to get some advice on what would be best for my setup.

For starters, here is the motherboard specs.
http://www.ncpcs.com/MobilePC/pc_special_mthbrd.htm

I'm not looking at changing the motherboard as of yet. I know it will only read 2gb of ram, and I will upgrade it at some point, but I think that'll get me by for now. (I also run XP, and do not plan on changin anytime soon)

I'm getting a new videocard, the Nvidia GeForce 9800GT 1gb.

I'm putting in a firewire card, and will have 2 harddrives, looking at 500GB SATA drives.(not sure which ones yet, that's why I have a post in the place for harddrives here as well.)

I'd rather not spend anymore then $100 on a PSU right now, but I do want something that will work for my needs, and be reliable.

What PSUs do you guys think would be best?


Thank you for you time!
 
I think you should save your money and do a completly new build. you're going to be replacing the majority of your components anyway.

The 9800gt is a good card but it's becoming dated.
 
what is your budget for this whole upgrade?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

would be a good, solid unit, especially for the rpice after MIR and the promo code, bringing it to ~$50. I agree with Linkin that a full upgrade would be better though, as DDR1 memory is so outdated, 775 is a dead socket now. Your PSU is the best place for you to start though, no point in upgrading if you can't power what you are upgrading to ;)
 
Hmmm. I actually did not notice the DDR1 on that before. I actually just bought 2 sticks of DDR2 ram. That isn't going to work is it?

The PSU seems good, I'll prolly go with that. You saying I may need to go ahead and add a new motherboard to the list?

The PC I'm upgrading, is one I got free from the library my mom works at, cuz it supposedly had problems with the motherboard, cuz it kept restarting itself. The computer company, came to this conclusion, after ten minutes of staring at it, and not even opening it up. I went in and turned off the automatic restart on system error, and hasn't done it since, so I don't think there is anything wrong with it.

I do like the tower tho, and would like to get it up and running, over buying just a complete new computer.


So am I screwed with my 2 sticks of 1gb DDR2 ram? I only paid $8 for em, so I'm not gonna send em back or anything, but would I need to get DDR1 sticks to be usable?
 
cyrax037 said:
Hmmm. I actually did not notice the DDR1 on that before. I actually just bought 2 sticks of DDR2 ram. That isn't going to work is it?

The PSU seems good, I'll prolly go with that. You saying I may need to go ahead and add a new motherboard to the list?

The PC I'm upgrading, is one I got free from the library my mom works at, cuz it supposedly had problems with the motherboard, cuz it kept restarting itself. The computer company, came to this conclusion, after ten minutes of staring at it, and not even opening it up. I went in and turned off the automatic restart on system error, and hasn't done it since, so I don't think there is anything wrong with it.

I do like the tower tho, and would like to get it up and running, over buying just a complete new computer.


So am I screwed with my 2 sticks of 1gb DDR2 ram? I only paid $8 for em, so I'm not gonna send em back or anything, but would I need to get DDR1 sticks to be usable?
Click to expand...

No, the DDR2 sticks won't work

As to the restarting, once the system is up and running, check your temperatures. I'd recomend HWmonitor to do it:

http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

and for upgrades, if you are only going to be using the system for internet browsing, office applications, stuff which isn't resource intensive basically, no, you won't need to upgrade.

However as you said you are getting a 9800GT, I'm assuming you plan on gaming. If that is the case, then you will need a full upgrade yes
 
Aastii said:
No, the DDR2 sticks won't work

As to the restarting, once the system is up and running, check your temperatures. I'd recomend HWmonitor to do it:

http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

and for upgrades, if you are only going to be using the system for internet browsing, office applications, stuff which isn't resource intensive basically, no, you won't need to upgrade.

However as you said you are getting a 9800GT, I'm assuming you plan on gaming. If that is the case, then you will need a full upgrade yes
Click to expand...


Dang, I was afraid of that. You are correct on needing more then an internet machine, but its actually for video editing, not gaming. (I am trying to get more involved in my film making, and visual effects.)

and I can't pick up even a single stick of 1gb DDR1 ram for less then $30. I think I have one around here somewhere, but I'll still need another, so that'll have to be added to the cost.



Thanks for the link to the temp monitor, I'll get that and check things out. I actually have the PC I'm upgrading setup already, as an extra internet browser, till I get all my parts. Cept I moved it to another spot, so now I gotta get me a loner Cat5 to reach to the router, but that's another issue lol.

Anyway, hmmm. I'm gonna have to think some things over a bit. See how much a decent motherboard will cost, vs getting some DDR1 ram, and how I wanna work this. I was hoping to get everything up and going in the next month or so, but if I gotta shell out another $100+ extra for the new motherboard right away, it'll push things back.


I have already purchased the 9800GT so I'm set on that. I'll probably go with the PSU suggested here, and I still need to pick out a good harddrive that wont give me any issues with XP.(Please see my other topic on that issue.)
 
if it is for video editing, it is more CPU than GPU intensive. A 9800gt is plenty enough. Your CPU however, in fact just about any supported CPU on that board will be holding you back, so yes, a motherboard upgrade would be required, along with a new CPU.

For the hard drive, any drive will work. I just looked at your other thread, and the one you picked is a decent drive, and at a good price (so long as shipping isn't expensive)
 
So you don't think I will have any issues with stacking 2 or more of those HDs? The XP issue is the only thing holding me back on that, but if you think I wont run into any issues, then I'll get that then.


So, Going another route, I was looking at this motherboard, minus processor.
http://oemxs.us/shopping/index.php?...d15c7d6f42b258085bed9719cbf32&sl=EN&currency=

I can switch the processor in the one I have, and get 2 more 1gb sticks of ram, and I believe, even tho its not ideal, it is a heck of alot better then what I've been getting by with on my video editing for the past 3 years. I'm only working with SD video, so its not going to tax me as much as HD would. (I've been running on a AMD Sempron, clock speed 1332mhz. The program I'm using to read the system info isn't telling me the Ghz of this one tho. It also only has a 1gb and a 512mb DDR sticks of ram.)


Anyway, I think I'm gonna go with this for now, and look at saving up to get a better quad core motherboard in a few months.

Thanks for your help!!!:D
 
So I got a question. Looking at these PSUs, I've notice alot of the have the fan on top, instead on the back like all the ones I'm used to have. How does that work exactly?
 
cyrax037 said:
So I got a question. Looking at these PSUs, I've notice alot of the have the fan on top, instead on the back like all the ones I'm used to have. How does that work exactly?
Click to expand...

The ones you are used to having are probably cheap units. That means that they spend as little as they can, and essentially, you get what you pay for, which is a pile of crap that is putting your system at risk.

Why spend the extra money on a 120mm fan, when you can put a 60mm one in there instead?

Also if you have only used low wattage power supplies, they don't need the cooling of the higher wattage ones, as they have less power running through, so less being wasted as heat, even if it is a cheap, inefficient unit
 
Ohh, ok. So it wont make a difference on install then? I thought that fan was on top, needing an hole on top of the tower or something. So your saying it will point down into the tower, and bring air through the PSU and out the back.



as for as the ones I'm use to, this Earthwatts 430 watt PSU that is in the computer I'm on now(not the one I'm upgrading, the main PC we've had for years) has been working pretty much 24/7 for the past 3 or 4 years with no problem.
 
cyrax037 said:
Ohh, ok. So it wont make a difference on install then? I thought that fan was on top, needing an hole on top of the tower or something. So your saying it will point down into the tower, and bring air through the PSU and out the back.
Click to expand...

Right it points down. Unless you have a case with a bottom mounted power supply, then you turn it up. Most power supplies now do have the bottom mounted fan. The biggest reason, you can mount a larger 120/140 (quieter) fan. Then you can in the back. The trade off is, since the air blows directly into the bottom of the supply, the flow through it is not as good.



cyrax037 said:
as for as the ones I'm use to, this Earthwatts 430 watt PSU that is in the computer I'm on now(not the one I'm upgrading, the main PC we've had for years) has been working pretty much 24/7 for the past 3 or 4 years with no problem.
Click to expand...

Antec makes some good models. Plus XFX/Silverstone/Corsair/Seasonic/PC Power & Cooling (but their Silencer Mk II series are not as good as they use to be) but still a good supply. And a few other makes in the middle of the road.
 
Yeah, I'm still looking at that Corsair one posted earlier in this thread, even with the increase in the sale, it still seems like a good supply. I actually didn't realize the on in this machine was an Antec till just today, after looking inside. The side of the case if broken, and it has a cooling issue, so the side is off
completely, with an additional regular small tabletop fan blowing inside. Not the best thing in the world, but it gets by. Just gotta blow it out a little more then normal. Anyway, it allows me to look inside without as much hassle as a normal tower would LOL.

The good thing about using a tabletop fan, is it plugs into the wall, and not your PSU so you get cooling without the PSU strain, LOL.
 
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