PSU Wattage?

[Furius92]

Hey guys,

Looking at building myself a computer really soon, but It's been a while since I've done something that is similar to what I'm doing. Since I built my first PC for myself, all I've built is either "cheap" rigs for general business stuff, or high end workstations for audio editing. I need an above average PC that will last me a few years and plays games nicely.

I was looking at an Antec Truepower Trio 430 Watt PSU to power my system. I know Antec makes quality products, and the addition of the third 12v rail will help distribute power. But is 430 watts enough for a modern PC? I was looking at the following components:

Asus P5B-E
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600
2GB DDR2 800 (GeIL maybe? Seems cheaper than mushkin or the others, is it ok?)
2 x 250GB Western Digital HDDs, 16MB cache, 7200rpm etc.
ATI X1950Pro 256MB video card
1 DVD+-RW, 1 DVD-ROM drive, does Asus make good optical drives?
Creative Audigy 4 sound card

That just about covers it as far as important components, and it will hopefully be inside of an Antec P180-B case. My main concern is about the PSU, but any suggestions will be appreciated. Thank you guys.

[not important]

Power Calculator

[glc]

Corsair XMS2 standard CAS5 is the recommended DDR2-800 for the P965 chipset.
Asus optical drives are good, but due to the JMicron IDE controller, I'd recommend a SATA rom drive. An IDE burner is fine.
We're recommending Seagate 7200.10's as being the best drives for the $$$ now. Why 2 drives? Remember the hazards of using RAID.
If you are using a P180 and want an Antec PSU, get a 500 watt Neo HE. You need extra long cables and short PSU length due to the way the PSU mounts.

[Furius92]

GLC, I don't plan on doing RAID. I do want a ton of hard drive space so I don't have to pick and choose what I keep on there though. My first PC I built for myself had the "standard" 80GB hard drive at the time. It ended up not being enough space, so I figure this is cheaper than buying a single 500GB HD.

I just got a reply from Antec saying that the Truepower Trio and P180 are an excellent combination and I shouldn't run into any trouble. The NeoHE 500w is $10 cheaper than the TP Trio 550w. Modular cabling on the Neo does sound nice. You think 500w is enough for a non-SLI PC?

EDIT: Ok, I just looked at the prices. For a 400GB 7200 RPM 16MB drive it is $120 for both Seagate and Western Digital. For the same price, is the Seagate a better choice? Thanks

[freakitchen]

500w is plenty good enough for that system, the ATI x1950Pro isn't a power hog. I will ask as to exactly which x1950pro you plan on getting, since the ones with the smaller coolers (I'm thinking the standard Sapphire here) have problems cooling the voltage regulators on the card. I'd suggest you go for the PowerColor model - it has a great heatsink made by Arctic Cooling. I just purchased one for myself, and am very happy with it.

FK

[glc]

The Seagate 7200.10 is the best drive out there - and I bet one big one is cheaper than 2 smaller ones.

[Furius92]

Ok, what about performance for 1 big HD vs. 2 smaller HDs? Also, what about if I wait a couple months and I get ATI's new R600, though probably not their highest end model. How will that affect my power requirements? I know nothing is for sure on unreleased components, but do you have any idea what the projected power requirements are for them?

[freakitchen]

My suggestion for anyone wishing to 'future proof' their build for a new Direct X 10 video card, is the Corsair 520w PSU. It's a VERY high quality unit. As you say, it's very tough to guess power requirements of the future cards.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139001

FK

[glc]

With the new perpendicular recording technology, I don't think you will notice the difference between one big drive and 2 smaller ones.