Please look over this build

[mglab]

Hey everyone,

I posted here a couple days ago, but decided to re-work my build to accommodate a better graphics card. I've put both builds up for comparison. My main concern is if my 430W PSU (which I already have) would be sufficient for the 7850. I searched around and got mixed opinions on this because the minimum wattage for the card should be 500W, but others said it would work fine.

Another question I have concerns the motherboard. I don't really know anything about this part. If it makes a difference, I have no intentions of overclocking (as evidenced in my choice of processor). Will the "Micro ATX" be an issue in an ATX mid tower case?

Any other opinions would be appreciated as well!

Thanks in advance.

This is what I had previously:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qvZp
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qvZp/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qvZp/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($149.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock B75M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($77.58 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($32.31 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($75.41 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card ($114.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($56.85 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($28.47 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On IHAS324-98 DVD/CD Writer ($16.53 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($96.99 @ B&H)
Total: $649.12
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-04 23:38 EST-0500)



This is the build that I'm trying to work on now:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qZEf
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qZEf/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qZEf/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($149.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock B75M-GL Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($72.19 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($32.31 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($75.41 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($177.77 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($56.85 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($28.47 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On IHAS324-98 DVD/CD Writer ($16.53 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($96.99 @ B&H)
Total: $706.51
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-04 23:35 EST-0500)

 

[g-unit1111]

The second build looks a bit better. The problem is B75 will prevent any long term expansion you want to do with your PC. The Corsair CX430 will have serious stability issues with that setup.

Try this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($87.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($200.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($51.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $731.45
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-04 23:52 EST-0500)

 

[mglab]

Thanks for your reply.
I already own the power supply, memory, and case. And I live in California where Newegg and Amazon charge tax, which affected a lot of the choices I made on my tight budget (The Sapphire 7850 2gb is $40 more than the 1gb HIS -- I'm not sure if this is worth it as it's already quite a stretch for me to from 7770 -> 7850).

I may just go with my original setup then because I'm not sure if it's worth returning the power supply to Newegg. None of the games I play now require the 7850, but I was considering it for the future.


Any other opinions? Thanks.

 

[jtenorj]

hd7850 will work fine with ivy on your cx430. it has a 28A +12v rail(336w). 7850 uses about 110w while gaming(more if you overclock, but not over 150w). ivy sips power(well under 100w). Those are the two main things you have to worry about(by far). those 2 parts and the rest of the components are well within the capacity of a cx430(not like they will EVER draw max tdp all at once). Running prime 95 and furmark at the same time wouldn't even come close, and that scenario is far more taxing on the system than any game will ever be.

 

[mglab]

hd7850 will work fine with ivy on your cx430. it has a 28A +12v rail(336w). 7850 uses about 110w while gaming(more if you overclock, but not over 150w). ivy sips power(well under 100w). Those are the two main things you have to worry about(by far). those 2 parts and the rest of the components are well within the capacity of a cx430(not like they will EVER draw max tdp all at once). Running prime 95 and furmark at the same time wouldn't even come close, and that scenario is far more taxing on the system than any game will ever be.

Thanks! This is good to know, but it seems like opinions about this is split as well. Does this seem at all risky to you or are you pretty sure everything will be fine?

Because I'm wondering if I should just drop back down to the 7770.

 

[g-unit1111]

Thanks for your reply.
I already own the power supply, memory, and case. And I live in California where Newegg and Amazon charge tax, which affected a lot of the choices I made on my tight budget (The Sapphire 7850 2gb is $40 more than the 1gb HIS -- I'm not sure if this is worth it as it's already quite a stretch for me to from 7770 -> 7850).

I may just go with my original setup then because I'm not sure if it's worth returning the power supply to Newegg. None of the games I play now require the 7850, but I was considering it for the future.


Any other opinions? Thanks.

That CX430 will struggle with a 7850, that's why I was suggesting something else.

I live in California as well but I order all my stuff through Newegg as I live not too far from City Of Industry and can get most of my stuff the next day.

 

[jtenorj]

The hd7770 has a 80w tdp. The 7850 has a tdp of 130w but generally uses only 110w while gaming(maybe it uses closer to 130w in a synthetic benchmark program like furmark). the pci express graphics(peg) slot on the mobo delivers up to 75w of power, while a 6pin connector delivers the same. 6+2pin/8pin can deliver up to 150w(75w from 6pin and 75w from 2pin).

Generally both 7770 and 7850 use only a single 6pin connector in addition to the power supplied by the motherboard. The corsair cx430 has one pcie 6pin power connector. It is enough for either of those cards. The reason amd puts a higher wattage power requirement on the box for hd7850 is because some power supplies can't deliver more than 1/2 to 2/3 their wattage rating without catching fire. amd labels their cards the way they do to limit the blame they might otherwise take for a catastrophic failure. The corsair cx430 has been shown capable of delivering more than its rated wattage by several site who know how to properly evaluate a psu(hardocp, hardwaresecrets, johnnyguru, kitguru, and hardwareheaven).

 

[mglab]

I appreciate your feedbacks! And thank you for the detailed explanations, jtenorj.

I will seriously think this over some more. I will not be building for another couple weeks until my final exams are over. I may come back here for some more advice as prices change and stuff.

But I would like to ask whether you guys think the 7850 is even necessary for me. At the moment, I play mostly Valve and older games which I hear the 7770 would do fine for. Things will probably change in the future, so would it be better to go 7850 now or perhaps upgrade in the future when different options are available?
Sorry about this. There are just so many considerations and I'm very overwhelmed with this process.

Thank you!