Case and PSU for my Gaming PC from India

[GODMODE09]

Hi,

I want to buy a Case for the below configuration. Also any recommendations for the PSU is welcome.

PPROCESSOR = Intel i-5 2500 (not over-clocked )
MOTHER BOARD = ASRock Z68 Pro 3 Gen 3
RAM = G. Skill 8GB RAM
GRAPHIC CARD = HD 7850 (Will update it to HD 7950 or GTX 670 in 6 months )
HDD = Seagate Barracuda 1TB @7200 rpm
SSD = 120 GB SSD
CD DRIVE =CD+DVD Drive
Wifi ADAPTER = Edimax EW-7728In Wireless PCI Card N300 3 Antenna 3 Yr.

Now I want to add a PSU and a case .
Budget for case = <80$ Cheaper is better . I want it to have USB 3.0 ports + Nice cooling for my components .
Size /Looks does'nt matter.


PSU = I want my system to be energy efficient

Thanks in advance

 

[ubercake]

The Antec Three Hundred Two at $70 USD.

Regarding the PSU, do you plan to ever run a crossfire setup?

 

[GODMODE09]

About the case How is Cooler Master Elite 430 Black Which is better?

About Crossfiring , Right now I have just 1 HD 7850 card. I might add a second HD 7850 after 1 year or just replace the HD 7850 with GTX 670 . Not really sure.

I'll change the PSU too when I add second HD 7850? Or will the same PSU be enough if I replace HD 7850 with GTX 670 or an equivalent HD model card?


PS : Correct me if I'm wrong, Can my mother board support 2 cards aka crossfiring ?

 

[ubercake]

About the case How is Cooler Master Elite 430 Black Which is better?

About Crossfiring , Right now I have just 1 HD 7850 card. I might add a second HD 7850 after 1 year or just replace the HD 7850 with GTX 670 . Not really sure.

I'll change the PSU too when I add second HD 7850? Or will the same PSU be enough if I replace HD 7850 with GTX 670 or an equivalent HD model card?


PS : Correct me if I'm wrong, Can my mother board support 2 cards aka crossfiring ?

Your motherboard can do 2 cards in SLI or up to 3 cards in crossfire.

A good PSU around 550W will do for a single card, but I'd recommend going with the higher 850W card for future expansion.

550W:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139032

850W:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256058

A power supply is the last place you want to look for cost savings when building the PC. Get a good quality supply and it will provide a stable foundation for the entire system. Get a bad quality supply and it may run well for a while, but you're likely to see you components start dying off over time.

I'd recommend paying a bit more now for the high wattage supply or else you will pay that much more when you decide to go with the second card. Although, if you're needs are limited to the single GPU graphics card (ie 1xGTX 670) The 550W supply I've recommended will be fine.

 

[GODMODE09]

Best answer selected by GODMODE09.

 

[GODMODE09]

Hi Ubercake,

I have decided to buy the i-5 3570K version, instead of 2500. I won't over clock it now, but I will overclock it as needed after 1 year. I may also overclock the HD 7850 graphic card after a year.

Now what PSU should I go for?

Also is the Coolermaster elite 431 case enough (future proof? )

I need some help buying a UPS for this system also. I don't know how much Watts/VA UPS I should choose. Is a non-sine wave UPS enough? Sine wave UPS are very very expensive.

Thanks in advance

 

[ubercake]

Use an appliance load tester to determine how much power your PC pulls from the wall. Play a demanding game or run a furmark benchmark. This will give you an idea of what you're going to max out at and help you determine which UPS you'll need. I use the Cyberpower AVRLCD series. They are a little more expensive, but work flawlessly with Active PFC power supplies. I use a CP1500AVRLCD on the PC in my signature as I've seen it max out in the 770 range when I had 3 5850s in crossfire.

The Coolermaster elite 431 is a good case, but is not really a "future-proof" case because it is limited on space. Cases are probably the only item I would consider somewhat future-proof when it comes to PCs since until the ATX standard is superceded, a good ATX case is a solid investment. I would go with the Antec Three Hundred Two, but are you looking for a case with a window on the side?

I listed the two PSUs I would select given a one-card or two-card configuration above.

 

[GODMODE09]

I'll probably use only 1 graphic card. I may over-clock the HD7850 later ( I heard it can be overclocked to HD7950's performance). Or I may replace it with a better card after 1 or 2 years.
So it does'nt matter if my i-5 processor is overclocked or not?
Is 550W PSU good enough?

About the case, I find the Antec and cooler master 431 to be exactly the same. I chose cooler master because it looked better than Antec.
Basically I wanted a case with front USB 3.0 port.

Just curious, if I buy the cooler master, what component might not fit in the future (f there is a possibility for that). I also prefer a case not too big.

 

[ubercake]

If you're going to be overclocking CPU and GPU, get at least a Corsair 650W. OC'ing is not an exact science so the padding of the available Amps on the 12V+ rail would benefit you.

I was primarily considering the CPU cooler height with regard to your case. The description on the CM web site states it accommodates the Hyper 212+ (158mm) so that's pretty good. It will be a tight fit since the case measure 192mm wide (side to side) in total and there won't be a whole lot of room behind the CPU tray for cable management. If you get an HX650 PSU, it can help a bit with that. I like the looks of the 431. It's a clean cool look.

 

[GODMODE09]

I read the reviews about Antec 302 and I really like it now I actually prefer a case without the parts showing out (Don't like side windows). I'll fit 1 or 2 Blue LED fans if I find the Antec case to be too dull.

About the PSUs, I have a doubt.
If a PC has a 550W and another PC has a 750W with exact same configuration and they run exactly the same applications (say playing a game/browsing and downloading a movie) . Will they use the exact same amount of electricity or the 750W will use a bit more electricity ?

Thanks you very much for your help. My choice is clear now

 

[ubercake]

I read the reviews about Antec 302 and I really like it now I actually prefer a case without the parts showing out (Don't like side windows). I'll fit 1 or 2 Blue LED fans if I find the Antec case to be too dull.

About the PSUs, I have a doubt.
If a PC has a 550W and another PC has a 750W with exact same configuration and they run exactly the same applications (say playing a game/browsing and downloading a movie) . Will they use the exact same amount of electricity or the 750W will use a bit more electricity ?

Thanks you very much for your help. My choice is clear now

Good choice on the case.

The components draw only what they need from the PSU and the PSU draws only what it needs from the wall socket. Given the same demand, both 550W and a 750W power supplies will supply the same amount of power. What you have to consider when overclocking is you really don't know how much additional load you are going to require.

550 is just above the minimum recommended PSU wattage for a stock clock CPU and a system with a GTX 670 (500W). You may require up to an additional 100W when overclocking the CPU. As a general rule and a personal preference, I will get and recommend 500W supplies for systems with integrated video, 650W for a system with a single high-end gaming GPU and 850W for one with two GPUs. Often you can get away with less, but the supply will give you what you need and it's nice to have cushion if there ever comes a day when you need it.

 

[GODMODE09]

Initially I hesitated about buying a bigger PSU bcos I don't want a big electricity bill.
So now I'll buy a 650W/750W then (The price differences between 550,650, and 750W is'nt much.

I might use 2 or 3 Dell U2312HM LED monitors.
I guess this PSU will fit perfectly ? Corsair Gaming 800W

 

[ubercake]

I would stick with the HX, TX, or AX series. The GS are OK but are the lower end supplies with only a 3-year warranty.

If I were going for a PSU, I'd stick with the TX, HX or AX models. This HX 650 would work well for the single GPU and has 7 years of warranty. If a company backs a product for 7 years, that's saying a lot. I would recommend this for a single GPU system where you're going to OC things a bit:

http://www.theitwares.com/corsair-series-cmpsu650hx-650w-atx12v-eps12v-ready-plus-bronze-certified-modular-active-power-supply-p-959.html

Or if you want to plan ahead for accommodating a second video card, this one:

http://www.theitwares.com/corsair-enthusiast-series-tx850-850w-atx12v-v231-eps12v-v292-plus-bronze-certified-active-high-performance-power-supply-p-2286.html