My new build for 2011

[batkinson001]

Hey all, first time here, figured I would post my new tower...

the mother board:
Asus M4A78LTM AMD AM3

The CPU:
AMD Phenom II X4 840 3.2Ghz cpu (955 Black Edition was sold out, same 3.2Ghz tho)

The Video Card:
Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 1GB PCI-E card

The RAM:
4GB Corsair (2x2GB) ram

CD/DVD-rw drive:
Samsung 22x drive with lightscribe

The Hard Drive:
Seagate ST3500413AS 500GB sata hard drive

and last but not least to house it all:

Cooler Master USP 100 (RC-P100) Mid-tower case with a Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 550W Power Supply (it came with the case)

not too shabby for $900 after taxes and build fee.

only thing that concerns me at the moment is the temps, especially for the video card...

I have successfully gotten Dawn of war 2 and star craft 2 to work on this system (64-bit windows decided to be difficult, especially with star craft 2), and have seen the video card temps go into the high 60's...

[dma0991]

Those temps looks pretty normal to me. I've seen higher temps with the HD6870 and it is around 75C+ but still acceptable. Not trying to be picky but the CM EPP 550W does not seem to be favored by many. Still very usable though but do consider changing the PSU to a better unit other than CM EPP if it dies.

[batkinson001]

Originally Posted by dma0991

Those temps looks pretty normal to me. I've seen higher temps with the HD6870 and it is around 75C+ but still acceptable. Not trying to be picky but the CM EPP 550W does not seem to be favored by many. Still very usable though but do consider changing the PSU to a better unit other than CM EPP if it dies.

I did ask the guy at bestbyte where I bought my parts, if the psu would be stong enough to handle a video card needing a min 500w psu as well as run the whole system including any usb devices, he said it was fine since he was using the same case for a display comp which had been running constantly for 6 months...

just how big a psu should I go to get a stable system? 1000w seems like a bit much to me (also very expensive)...

[dma0991]

Originally Posted by batkinson001

I did ask the guy at bestbyte where I bought my parts, if the psu would be stong enough to handle a video card needing a min 500w psu as well as run the whole system including any usb devices, he said it was fine since he was using the same case for a display comp which had been running constantly for 6 months...

just how big a psu should I go to get a stable system? 1000w seems like a bit much to me (also very expensive)...

He is right about the PSU's capacity to handle your rig. I am commenting on the fact that CM PSU's are not very well known for its reliability. I've have heard some complaints about buzzing and such and other complains. Don't get the wrong idea though, your PSU is definitely usable but I'm just being picky and usually if there is a new build I wouldn't recommend getting a CM EPP.

Should you decide to change your PSU for whatever reason in the future, you could get a 500W unit and still be able to support cards up to a single HD6870 or GTX560 Ti flawlessly. 1000W PSU for that rig is way overkill and totally unnecessary as your rig does not even consume more than 500W of power. In fact you could get a 450W PSU for your current rig and it will still work just fine.

[batkinson001]

Originally Posted by dma0991

He is right about the PSU's capacity to handle your rig. I am commenting on the fact that CM PSU's are not very well known for its reliability. I've have heard some complaints about buzzing and such and other complains. Don't get the wrong idea though, your PSU is definitely usable but I'm just being picky and usually if there is a new build I wouldn't recommend getting a CM EPP.

Should you decide to change your PSU for whatever reason in the future, you could get a 500W unit and still be able to support cards up to a single HD6870 or GTX560 Ti flawlessly. 1000W PSU for that rig is way overkill and totally unnecessary as your rig does not even consume more than 500W of power. In fact you could get a 450W PSU for your current rig and it will still work just fine.

even with the graphics card requiring a minimum of 500w?

originally I was going to go with a Antec 300 gaming case and a separate 600w psu but this caught my eye and was the only one in stock, saved maybe 20 bucks on the overall build...

if i do replace the psu i am thinking of springing for one of those modular ones to cut down on cable clutter... my only complaint about the USP100 case is the placement of the hard drive cage (sideways is good and all but not if it completely blocks the intake fan on the front of the case)

[_dangtx_]

that psu will be fine with one card, wouldnt put a second one necessarily...:)

[batkinson001]

Originally Posted by _dangtx_

that psu will be fine with one card, wouldnt put a second one necessarily...:)

I never planned to use 2 video cards anyways, and I won't until there is a massive increase in performance from having more than 1... I would have to get a new motherboard anyways...

[dma0991]

Originally Posted by batkinson001

even with the graphics card requiring a minimum of 500w?

originally I was going to go with a Antec 300 gaming case and a separate 600w psu but this caught my eye and was the only one in stock, saved maybe 20 bucks on the overall build...

if i do replace the psu i am thinking of springing for one of those modular ones to cut down on cable clutter... my only complaint about the USP100 case is the placement of the hard drive cage (sideways is good and all but not if it completely blocks the intake fan on the front of the case)

Depending on the GPU that you want to use but those GPU that I mentioned are good even with a 500W no sweat. If the CM EPP eventually dies you can get one from FSP, Silverstone, Seasonic, Antec, PC P&C and Corsair which are good and reliable PSU brands.

[batkinson001]

anyone know where i can find a good disk scanner? free preferably...

This is the 2nd day in a row that the computer has had trouble starting windows (2nd time was due to a patch, first was a blue screen)... seems to get past post ok so shouldn't be the ram...

[fishingfanatic]

I agree that the temps are normal. if you're that concerned, you can change the intake/exhaust case fans for higher cfms. If you do, make sure to check the noise rating, dbs. Anything under 20 dbs is pretty darn good.

A previous build was a bit warmer than I liked, it dropped the temps 6 C in temps by switching my fans.

It's cheap way to decrease temps.

Should be a good system, enjoy!