PSU for a XFX 6870?

[washburn3]

I hope to build a gaming rig soon, although I am still deciding on what PSU to get. I will be using a XFX Radeon HD 6870 GPU and from what
the XFX site says, they reccommend a 550w psu, and a 500w psu as the minimum requirement, im on reasonably low buget right now and
I need to know a decent psu I can use for this GPU for under £45, It will most likely have to be a 500w Psu. I need some sort of guidance on
what psu to get! - Many thanks

- Also if it helps, here is the link for the GPU: http://xfxforce.com/en-us/Products/Graphics-Cards/AMD/AMD-Radeon-HD-6000-Series/AMD-Radeon-HD-6870.aspx

 

[manofchalk]

Its a bit over budget but the PSU is the last place you want to cheap out.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-Builder-Series-Bronze-Supply/dp/B009RMP2VE/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1356142451&sr=8-6

 

[washburn3]

I've come across this psu a few times and decided whether to get it or not, I noticed a perhaps "underated" psu by coolermaster, which is a 500w,
i've read good things about it, what do you think? - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cooler-Master-Elite-Power-Supply/dp/B004XG6I1W/ref=pd_sim_sbs_computers_4

 

[manofchalk]

That particular unit can only output 360W through its dual 12v rails, isn't 80+ Certified (so efficiency and voltage control are unknown) and doesn't have Active PFC.
As well as Coolermaster just not generally being a good brand when it comes to PSU's.

EDIT: Newegg and Amazon customer reviews arent reliable. Most people just plug it in and see that it works, they dont know all the background stuff. The first review gave it 5 stars after just 6hrs of it working.

 

[washburn3]

Ah ok, I guess il have to reach a little further into my wallet on this one, just a quick question though, what processor would you reccommend,
a AMD phenom ii X4 965 black edition, or a fx-6300? Phenom = £70, Fx = £103 Ive seen mixed comments on this, and I am still really confused
on which one to get? Bare in mind, I am most likely to overclock at some point, it is not something I have tried before, but im sure it wont be too hard! - Thanks

 

[manofchalk]

The FX-6300 is much better.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/102?vs=699

You can overclock on both chips.

 

[chain220]

Pending your exact budget and whether or not you plan on upgrading, around the same price range as the AMD Phenom II X4 965 is the Intel G860. The G860 is pretty solid for the price and will allow you to upgrade into the newer intel chips with the right motherboard.

 

[washburn3]

I see, do you think the extra £30 would be worth it for the 6300? Im abit of a newb when it comes to overclocking, how would I go about
OC'ing a 6 core processor?

 

[washburn3]

*Correction £40, my total cost seems to be rising considerably :/

 

[manofchalk]

I would say yes.

This is a tutorial for the basic overclocking method.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCIWTX-jy9A
Unfortunately it is done on the Intel Ivy Bridge chips, so the numbers and such you will see will be different, but the method involved is still the same.
May want to look around and see what other people are getting on this chip, then undershoot that by a bit and work your way up.

 

[washburn3]

Ok thanks, and yeah, Im trying to steer away from the intel cpu's, I know there good, I just havent got the budget for it really. Thanks for all your help btw! I just wish psu's would come cheaper eh?

 

[washburn3]

Oh another thing to mention, I did hear on a different forum post I created, that the 6300 overclocked can potentially run at the same speed as a stock speed i5? whereas neither of the others come close?

 

[manofchalk]

Not sure to be honest. I will admit I am not as well versed in AMD CPU's as I am in Intel, so on relative performance between them I am not so sure on.

 

[washburn3]

Do you think a corsair 430w would be enough for my GPU? (XFX 6870)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CMPSU-430CXV2UK-Builder-Series-CX430V2/dp/B0057GTW56/ref=pd_cp_computers_0

 

[BreadWhistle]

Yes it is enough to power your system, but you always want to have about 150w or more preferably left over for overclocking, future upgrades, and just having wattage to spare. In that case, I'd grab a 500w at least, though I'd recommend a XFX Pro 550W PSU for good measure.

 

[washburn3]

Il most probably get that one then, funnily enough the XFX website for the 6870 card recommends this PSU - Thanks

 

[washburn3]

I think I have just about enough for my rig now! The specs are as follows:

Motherboard: Asus-M5A78L-M-USB3
GPU: XFX 6870 ( From a friend )
CPU: Fx - 6300
PSU: Xfx Pro 550w
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB
Case: CiT Vantage Midi Mesh
RAM: Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 8GB
Disc Drive: LG GH24NS90.AUAA50B
Aftermarket cooler: Coolermaster Hyper 212 evo

Any advances? Does this look like a good setup for the price? Total cost excluding graphics card is £377.

 

[manofchalk]

Would avoid getting that Green drive for your OS. You want to get a proper performance boot drive like a WD Black or Seagate Barracuda.
Green drives are meant and only should be used for storage, not running programs or OS' off.

Otherwise looks good.

 

[washburn3]

Could you reccommend a specific HDD? also, I am most likely to get a SSD at some point after I have built it to load the OS on

 

[manofchalk]

Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM. 58.5 Pounds.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Seagate-ST1000DM003-inch-Barracuda-Drive/dp/B006GAK6EI/ref=sr_1_6?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1356220509&sr=1-6

 

[washburn3]

I had actually just found the same one and added it to the list! - Thanks anyway
Do you think 1tb is overkill? Or shall I go for the 500gb?

 

[manofchalk]

Whether its overkill or not depends on whether you think you will need the space. For me a TB isnt much, in total I would have about 4TB of storage, not including a 500GB external drive and a 500GB desktop drive that I cant fit in my case.

 

[washburn3]

I guess it will mainly be used up by gaming and downloads I expect, I'm not sure if 1tb is really necessary if I am using it for these things?

 

[manofchalk]

Only you know how much space you will need.
I know people with laptops that somehow survive on 200GB, which to me would be impossible to work with. My Steam folder alone is 267GB (Way too many games, Steam sales and Humble Bundles really stack on).

 

[washburn3]

Yeah I suppose, but still 276gb is near enough half of a 500gb hdd, and yeah steam sales are great I got chivalry for £8 which was a deal!