System Builder Marathon, December 2010: $500 PC

[mindseye1]

I'm planning on making this build with a few replacements (5770 instead of a GTX 460, and a Caviar Black hard drive). My question is whether or not I can use my old power supply or buy a new one. The old supply is a Thermaltake Purpower 2.0 500w with 14A and 15A on the +12V rails. I've read a few comments that say the Purepower's are crap. What do you all think?

 

[jrodfry]

The builds are pretty good, but I'm able to save a little on several pieces of hardware on Newegg. It just depends on the personal preferences/priorities.

I have one concern about the builds. Why don't they include the price of an operating system?

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]jrodfry[/nom]The builds are pretty good, but I'm able to save a little on several pieces of hardware on Newegg. It just depends on the personal preferences/priorities.I have one concern about the builds. Why don't they include the price of an operating system?[/citation]We transfer our OS and peripherals from a previous build, don't you?

 

[jrodfry]

[citation][nom]Crashman[/nom]We transfer our OS and peripherals from a previous build, don't you?[/citation]

The first time I tried to transfer my hard drive from a previous computer to a new one, I ran into a lot of issues.The way I resolved it was by reinstalling the OS. What do you do/recommend?

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]jrodfry[/nom]The first time I tried to transfer my hard drive from a previous computer to a new one, I ran into a lot of issues.The way I resolved it was by reinstalling the OS. What do you do/recommend?[/citation]Reinstall the OS, it came with a license right?

 

[jrodfry]

[citation][nom]Crashman[/nom]Reinstall the OS, it came with a license right?[/citation]

I purchased the first computer from staples. Then I decided I wanted to build my own 4 months later. I used the first hard drive from the first computer a put it into the new one. The computer would crash every time I tried to start it. I purchased a new copy of windows 7 and then installed that one. So yes, it had a license. But it didn't work ou the way I had hoped.

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]jrodfry[/nom]I purchased the first computer from staples. Then I decided I wanted to build my own 4 months later. I used the first hard drive from the first computer a put it into the new one. The computer would crash every time I tried to start it. I purchased a new copy of windows 7 and then installed that one. So yes, it had a license. But it didn't work ou the way I had hoped.[/citation]You probably didn't need a new OS though. I believe all you needed was the old case and the old hard drive to qualify your new build under the old license. Then, all you needed was an OS DVD.

As for us, we have retail licenses.

 

[jrodfry]

[citation][nom]Crashman[/nom]You probably didn't need a new OS though. I believe all you needed was the old case and the old hard drive to qualify your new build under the old license. Then, all you needed was an OS DVD.[/citation]

Cool, thanks.

 

[knarl]

I've never made a comment on Tom's Hardware before, I usually just sit back and read/absorb all the gems of knowledge.

But I just had to pipe in, after reading all of the whining about ads/pop-ups. It's very strange to imagine the kind of techie type people that would be attracted to a site like Tom's, not knowing about simple tools like Firefox w/Noscript and Adblock.

Welp... I guess the silver lining is the stress relief while the rest of us sit back and giggle at ya'll.

 

[warpoet]

I am thinking of building this computer w/ minor differences. such as 3.2ghz processor and 6gb RAM and EVGA Geforce GTX460se superclocked. How does this computer stack up against the $500 desktops (no monitor) at best buy? They seem similar. Any thoughts or comments greatly appreciated.

 

[krokodile]

Hey Toms, nameless lurker here. I realize that this post comes a little late but I wanted to ask a quick question. The above looks great but that video card asks specifically for 38 amps across the 12 volt rail and that PSU only provides 22 amps. Is there something I don't know about that PSU or should I go with a different model with a higher amperage?

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]krokodile[/nom]Hey Toms, nameless lurker here. I realize that this post comes a little late but I wanted to ask a quick question. The above looks great but that video card asks specifically for 38 amps across the 12 volt rail and that PSU only provides 22 amps. Is there something I don't know about that PSU or should I go with a different model with a higher amperage?[/citation]I suggest you look at the actual power consumption of this system. At 85% efficiency and assuming that "all" power goes to 12V (which it does not), you're looking at 24A output (peak) from a power supply that does 28A on 12V, not the 22A you cited.