Looking for a quiet power supply for my first build

[Germz]

I'm currently looking for a good quality power supply that would be quiet and it has to have enough power for the system in my signature. I've been considering these 3: Forton EPSILON FX700-GLN, OCZ Game X Stream 700W and Corsair HX620W. I'll be adding another x1950xtx card later on so that has to be taken into the account.Th power supplies are certified by ATI for crossfire as well.Will these give me enough power and which one is quieter? Or may be someone can recomend another power supply?

[flanzig1]

First choice would be the OCZ, toss up on the other 2.

[Germz]

Thanks for the rely! Do you know how quiet does the ocz one run?

[Mr.Ferrari]

The quietest psu's are those built by seasonic. And the Corsair HX 620W would be my choice out of your list. It is a top tier Seasonic built unit. Your not gonna get any quieter then this.

Also look at the Seasonic M12 Series. They are the same platform as the Corsair I just mentioned.

The Corsair 620w will power your setup plus crossfire.

[flanzig1]

The fan speed is automaticlly adjusted depending on load, so lite load probably won't hear the fan.

[Germz]

Originally Posted by Mr.Ferrari The quietest psu's are those built by seasonic. And the Corsair HX 620W would be my choice out of your list. It is a top tier Seasonic built unit. Your not gonna get any quieter then this. Also look at the Seasonic M12 Series. They are the same platform as the Corsair I just mentioned. The Corsair 620w will power your setup plus crossfire.

Perrhaps corsair is the way to go, though flanzig said that this is a toss up choice. Though i didnt understand if he was referring to performance or the fact that it wont be quiet. I was taliking to a friend a he told me that forton is among the best power supply manufacturers and he said that ocz game x stream is made by them too. But if you say corsair is quiet and its a high quality psu then i'll give it a shot.

[Staren]

Fortrons are one of the top brands, but they build for pure quality and power, not really for sound. Corsairs are a little new, but from what we've heard so far, they match Seasonic branded PSUs in quality and are probably what I'd go with.

[Germz]

Thanks for all your help guys! i still havent added optical drives, case and fans, wireless/network cards and cpu cooler, but if 620w will be enough to power all that corsair it is then.

[Mr.Ferrari]

We'll that corsair has more power on its 12v lines then the fortran. So if there was a psu that would power your setup, it would be the Corsair. It also has modular cabling for a cleaner case, and is as quiet as a 600w+ will get.

[Germz]

yea, having a lot of power on 12v lines is important from what i've been told. thanks again for your help!

[Germz]

I'm looking for some descent optical drives for the machine in my signature, they dont have to be fancy or anything, i dont plan to burn a lot of cds/dvds but once in a while i do need to use them. They dont have to be really quiet either since i wont be using them much. I'm not sure if i need IEDE/ATAPI or SATA though, i picked out 1 CD-RW and 1 DVD-RW drive based on reviews at amazon, i'm looking to get some opinions on them. this is what i picked: LITE-ON SOHR-5239S Black 52x32x52 CD-RW Drive EIDE OEM and SAMSUNG Super-WriteMaster SH-S182D Black 18x DVD±R/RW Dual-Layer Burner IDE/ATAPI OEM. I'm willing to spend no morethan $35 for a CD-RW and no more than $60 on a DVD-RW. When it comes to these i dont know which brands/products are considered to be good, but someone told me that Sony is no good since they offer no support/drivers for their products so i think i'll be avoiding them. i'll be glad if someone can suggest something better than what i selected or perhaps i'm better of getting 1 combo CD-RW/DVD-RW by a respectable manufacturer?

[glc]

Merged threads - please keep it to one build, one thread. Thanks.

[flanzig1]

Lite-On DVD/CD burner retail w/software $37.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106045

[Germz]

I accidentally posted the question about optical drives in here by mistake, i apologize, i intended to start a new thread in the drives section, i dont know how it wound up here.

EDIT:thanks flanzig, i think this looks good

[glc]

It wound up here because I moved it here. One thread per build, please. We need to see how all components interact.

[Germz]

oh, ok, sorry about that, wont happen again.

[Germz]

I have another question, this time about uninterruptable power supplies. I already picked out a corsair 620w PSU, but i'm wondering whether i need an uninterruptable one as well. I dont know much about PSU so my question this: what are they for and are they a must have for a pc?

[Mr.Ferrari]

A UPS is basically like a back up battery pack for your pc. If you live in an area where you have random power outages or other power interruptions, it might be a good idea to keep one. If the power goes out, it will basically provide you with some time to save what your doing or more, depending on the life of the batteries in the UPS.

Its totally optional.

[Germz]

Well, i guess the logical question is this: can pc components get damaged during a power outage without the UPS, i dont know if its worth getting just to save your work, if i do something on the pc i hit the save button like every 5 to 10 min. so i wont lose much. As a matter of fact i we do get power outages in my area but they are very rare. I never had anything happen to my current machine during that time.

[flanzig1]

Yes, a PC can get damaged during a power outage especially if it isn't a clean power loss. If not want to go the UPS route, at least get a quailty surge supptessor outlet strip.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812120302

[Staren]

I live in central Florida which is known for bad black outs and brown outs. I've always been just fine with good surge suppressors. Unless you work on something that is critical and which you can not afford to lose since your last save, I don't think UPSs are necessary. Unless you live somewhere where there is bad power (outside the US or major European countries) or don't use surge suppressors, you're not going to fry your computer with the next storm.

[Germz]

ok, thanx, in that case i'll get that surge protector to go with my machine.

[Germz]

Ok, I just looked again at the power supply requirements for the graphics card and noticed something that i should have paid attention to earlier. This is what they are saying:

450-Watt power supply or greater, 30 Amps on 12 volt rail recommended (assumes fully loaded system)
For CrossFire™: 550 watt power supply or greater, 38 Amps on 12 volt rail

What i'd like to know is whether the corsair psu meets the requirements of 38 amps on 12v rail? I looked at the specs at newegg but didnt see a number 38 anywhere, but then again i'm a moron when it comes to this stuff so i need someone to clear this up for me. It doesnt matter which card i choose a x1950xtx or x1950 pro they both have exactly the same requirements.

[glc]

If you are going to actually use Crossfire, you need a power supply certified by ATI for the particular card combo. The HX620 is certified for dual X1950's.

[Germz]

yep, thats the reason why i chose this power supply, that and the fact that its quiet and recomended by folks here, in fact all of the other components i have are crossfire certified. So i guess i'm worrying about nothing then. thanks for your help glc.

[newbuilder14]

I know this isn't about power supplies, but it's about your memory selection... I don't think I would choose OCZ memory, although they revised their memory, you are running a risk of incompatibility in my opinion, I'd suggest Corsair memory. Don't fall into the SLI/Crossfire certified memory gimmick.

[glc]

Where do you see OCZ memory, NB? I see OCZ *PSU* in the first post.......

[newbuilder14]

I was looking at his signature.

Originally Posted by Original Poster's Signature First build proposed specs, still incomplete Intel BOXD975XBX2KR board /Intel Core 2 Duo E6700/ OCZ 2GB dual module kit DDR2 800 PC2-6400 OCZ2A8002GK ATI Certified/ 2x ATI Radeon x1950xtx or 2x x1950 pro/ 150 GB WD Raptor/ 250GB Seagate Barracuda / Creative SB X-FI Extreme Gamer Fatal1ty Pro / Creative Inspire P7800 7.1 Speakers/ CORSAIR 620W 620HX/ Lite-On SATA DVD Burner SH-16A7S-06/ Lite-On E-IDE DVD-ROM SHD-16P1S

[Germz]

Originally Posted by newbuilder14 I know this isn't about power supplies, but it's about your memory selection... I don't think I would choose OCZ memory, although they revised their memory, you are running a risk of incompatibility in my opinion, I'd suggest Corsair memory. Don't fall into the SLI/Crossfire certified memory gimmick.

Hello Newbuilder,

I appreciate you looking out for me, i honestly dont know if your concern is valid or not. Let me explain why i picked this memory to begin with. I read reviews that said that this memory should be compatible with any crossfire certified board.I also visited other forums particularly diy-street ( i was considering dfi crossfire board) and chatted with an ocz rep there who assured me it would be ok, furthermore one of the moderators there claims to have tested it with 975x boards and it works fine. I'm a firsttime builder and thats why i'm picking parts certified by ATI to play it safe, can you explain to me exactly what the problem with this memory is?

[glc]

What I'd actually do is use the Intel tested memory list for the Bad Axe 2.