Video Card and PSU Upgrade

[andper10]

Sorry if this should be in the Video/Audio/Multimedia section, but I am upgrading a PC that I built and I would like the opinions of people who only browse this section of the site as well. This is kind of an extention of my ]"Video Card Glitch" Thread, but to summarize that thread down, my current Gecube X1600Pro 256MB GDDR2 Video Card is suffering from memory corruption causing some artifacting on my screen.

So I would like to upgrade my video card for better gaming preformance and then return my faulty card to newegg (1 year warranty ends July 9th) and sell the replacement on Ebay. I want my new card to be able to play the following games on High settings at at least 1280x1024, although my 19" Flat Screen CRT supports up to 1600x1200, so it would be nice to be able to use that resolution with high settings and still have playable framerates. The games that I have/will definitely buy are: CS:S, NFS: Carbon & whatever NFS comes out next, and RCT3 I also might get: Command & Conquer 3 and BF2142...any other game suggestions? I have determined that I should probably get a new PSU as well b/c my current 500W Xclio only has 29A combined on the 12V rails and the cards that I am looking at recommend a minimum of 30A on the 12V rails. Plus, my PSU model has a reputation for problems when under heavy load. So here is what I am looking at upgrading to: (please give your opinions/alternatives/whatever) By the way I have a budget of ideally under $400 for the video card and a good PSU. Also, I don't do Mail-In rebates b/c they void warranties.

$200 - SAPPHIRE 100186L Radeon X1950XT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 VIVO HDCP Video Card - Retail - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102067 - (supposed to come back in stock 6/18/07) This is currently my biggest contender, although I am considering the 512MB version:
$260 - POWERCOLOR X1950XT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 VIVO PCI Express x16 VIVO Video Card with Artic Cooling Fan - Retail - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131047 - There was a Sapphire 512MB version for $240 but it magically disappeared .
$? - X1950XTX - I can't find these many places any more. Does anyone have a link to some places that still carry them?

PSU:
$95 - OCZ StealthXStream OCZ600SXS ATX12V / EPS12V 600W Power Supply 100 - 240 V CB, CE, CSA, UL, FCC - Retail - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341010 - I just found this a few days ago and it looks like a great deal: 4 12V rails w/ 18A each for under $100. OCZ is blue for high end builds on the reference thread: http://www.forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=131195 . Who makes them? How do they compare with CWT (makers of the Xclio I am watching) and Seasonic (makers of the Corsair 520W that I am kind of watching)? Also, do you think that it is inferior to this more expensive version w/ the same specs except it is SLI certified?:

$120 (Free Shipping) - OCZ GameXStream OCZ600GXSSLI ATX12V 600W Power Supply 100 - 240 V CB/CE/CSA/UL/FCC - Retail - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341001 - Now that this has free shipping, I think that it is a strong contender for my purchase if the $95 version is inferior.

$110 - XCLIO GREATPOWER X14S4P4 600W ATX12V 600W Power Supply 100-240V / 200-240V UL, CUL, TUV, CB, VDE, FIMKO, DEMKO, NEMKO, SEMKO - Retail - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817189007 - I have heard that these are made by the same manufacturer as the Thermaltake Toughpower (Channel Well/CWT) and that they are pretty good units.

Please voice your opinions/suggestions/alternatives!
Thanks!

[minsonngo]

Here is a good PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139001


As for a video card... take a look at the EVGA lineup of video cards... The 8800 series GeForces are great performers.

[Mr.Ferrari]

The Corsair 520w minsonngo linked would be the better choice out of your picks.

The OCZ StealthXstream is the same FSP Epsilon unit as the GameXstream but is a bit stripped down and uses a slightly lower speed fan. Just not as much bling, hence the cheaper price.

And here is the 8800GTS 320mb. Yes it does have a rebate, but you dont have to use it. It comes out to $290 w/o it. This may be going over your budget.

The X1950XTX was a limited edition with GDDR4 memory as one of the plus points. But even if you did find it, it would be way out of the price range..$400+.

[andper10]

So who makes the FSP Epsilon / Gamestream PSU's? As for the Corsair PSU, I don't like the fact that it only has three 12V rails as opposed to the four 12V rails on the other ones that I am looking at. I don't want to end up having to buy another PSU the next time or two that I upgrade my video card if possible. There was an X1950XTX (used) on E-bay that had a buy it now for $240 just a few days ago. Is it worth getting a used video card off of e-bay or should I stick to retail? And are there any other good places to buy video cards online besides newegg that have good prices?
And I think that the 8800GTS would be a little more than I would want to spend, but I will keep it in mind.

[Mr.Ferrari]

The FSP Epsilon is made by FSP themselves. They are used as a OEM for many other manufacturers. Such as OCZ.

It does have 3 12v rails but I would trust it with a high power video card before I would with any others. High(er) quality, very good modular interface (little resistance and good cabling), super silent. Those 3 rails are actually one 12v rail, which is a good thing in this case, it will handle high power videocards without breaking a sweat, because there is no cap of "18a" on the rails.

The others aren't poor quality, the corsair is just higher is all. Choose whatever you feel comfortable. Its just being nitpicky at this point .

Off the top of my head..i've had good experiance with www.zipzoomfly.com, www.mwave.com, www.directron.com, www.tankguys.com. Its hard to compare with neweggs level of service though.

As far as used components go, its a personal choice. If you do buy used, then buy from a reputable manufacturer, I believe Sapphire has a 2 year warranty. Although a while back they had 5 years.

[andper10]

So this is where I am at for right now. After digging back through some of my older upgrade threads, I found this quote from Mr. Ferrari:
"The OCZ Gamextreme is a rebadged FSP Epsilon unit. They are pretty good. However they do show a voltage ripple problem when put under stressful loads. Besides that they will churn out advertised power. They are quality...My favorite would of course be the Corsair 520W. But if it is too much, the just toss a coin between the OCZ and the Xclio. Since the Xclio is cheaper and has higher efficiency, go for that." Well now they are about the same price (but the StealthXstream is cheaper). What will the voltage ripple thing do to my components? When you said that the StealthXstream is stripped down and uses a lower speed fan, does that mean that the inside parts are of lower quality than the GameXstream or just that it lacks some of the fancy gloss finish and stuff? And I am guessing that 4 18A 12V rails would be better for the future if I go with a dual video card setup than 3 12V 18A rails all combied into one, correct?

[Mr.Ferrari]

Ripplie/Noise is something the capacitors on your mobo and videocard filter out. High ripple for prolonged periods of time will just lower the longevity of these capacitors.

I dont know too much about the stealthxstream, but it looks like the bling/gloss has only really been cut out, the inside of the OCZ gxs is painted, while the stealth isn't for one. Perhaps the interior components have been down graded, but not to such a extent that the FSP would be considered low quality.

Well for one, the power (in terms of wattage) on those 12v lines is actually higher in the Corsair, then in the other two. And, this is just my opinion, but 4 12v is something I would really go for with something like SLi or dual card configs when that power will be put to good use. But when you have a high power video card, combined with a heavily overclocked cpu (or many hard drives), a single 12v rail has its advantages. The power can be distributed in any amount to whatever component needs it.

But like I said before, this is me becoming nit picky . Any of the choices you presented will hold basically any SINGLE future video card. After debating the pros and cons, the only thing Corsair can really have a true upperhand in is a bit higher level of quality.

[andper10]

Well, after fighting against myself I think that I have decided to get a Corsair 520Watt PSU. I found it for a good deal at buy.com. Does anyone know if it is a reputable site (I am guessing that it is because I have heard of it before)? It will be $105 shipped plus $10 off for a Google Checkout account, so $95 ($85 w/ MIR but I don't do those). It seems like a very good deal.
http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-hx52...203270716.html

I am still wondering about the video card. I have been watching some X1950XTX's on Ebay and they have been going for as low as $250 before shipping. Do you think that it is worth the extra $50-$70 for the additional 256MB of memory and the rediculously fast GDDR4 @ 2Ghz over the X1950XT. And of course the ones on E-bay are used, so that is something to think about too. I have read about the 8800GTS 320MB and read that it can get choked up on high settings in some of the latest games (plus it is really pushing my budget). For DX10, will there be games coming out that I have to have a DX10 card to play or will they be backwards compatible with DX9? Thanks for all of the help. Hopefully I will be able to order my PSU in the next few days and my Video Card over the weekend.

[andper10]

I went ahead and purchased the Corsair 520 Watt PSU and the Sapphire X1950XT 256MB Video Card. It was under $290 total and I am happy about that! Hopefully they will both preform very well and last me a long time. Does anyone have any experience with how long it takes Buy.com to ship items?

[andper10]

I successfully installed my new Video Card and PSU! The modular cables are nice and keeps things better organized. I have done some gaming and it looks great. The wierd corruption thing is gone! Now I am wondering if I should Overclock the video card. I read online that it has 1ns Ram chips which means they are capable of running at 2000mhz w/o voltage changes (stock is 1800mhz) and that the core clock can be bumped up to XTX speeds just fine. What is your advice? Will I void warranties if I O.C. the video card? Just to give you an idea of the current heat I have ATI Tool 0.27 Beta installed and after about an hour of CS:Source it said the max temp reached was 66C. And from 0-70C the fan runs at 27% speed automatically (nice and quiet).

[Mr.Ferrari]

The advantage that ATi's new X1k series have is software voltage control. So you dont have to permanetly mod the card as you do with nvidias.

That is a small overclock and I dont see anything wrong with it. 100mhz on the mem and 25(i believe) on the core shouldnt be too much trouble.

Ultimately its up to you. If all your playing is CS:s you really shouldnt notice any difference.

Congrats on the psu and videocard.

[andper10]

So does it void the video card warranty or any other warranties if I overclock the video card?

[andper10]

So does it void the video card warranty or any other warranties if I overclock the video card?