Building gaming com $1100 budget for now, suggestions?

Jimmyjay86 · Post by **Jimmyjay86** » Tue Aug 05, 2003 2:58 pm

Kashluk wrote:Just get as big as possible and you should be fine. 400 W should be enough, no?

Well I don't want to guess. If you get one bigger than what you need, heat and power consumption will be ridiculous.

Kashluk · Post by **Kashluk** » Tue Aug 05, 2003 3:02 pm

Ah well, but if you need to upgrade later you'll propably have to get a new powery-thingy-wingy as well.

swordinstone · Post by **swordinstone** » Tue Aug 05, 2003 3:17 pm

Unfortunately, I dont know how to calculate it specifically, but you do need atleast 400 W with new systems. Its not so much the perifs, as it is the processor. The perifs add up though, but so long as your under 6 of them, you dont have to worry. I would recommend spending a little extra for a nice power supply, cos fluxs in power and what not (caused by crappy PS), can make you think your having other problems... when really its just a power thing.

But seriously, 400 to 450 should be plenty for anything you need. Check out this one... it actually helps you keep your system cool.

http://www.gameve.com/store/gameve_view ... roduct=293

The fan on the bottom generally sits right over your processor. That sucks air into the PS, and then shoots it out the back, increasing the airflow in your case. Rock solid power too, not fluctuations. They make them bigger and smaller if you dont want 430W, click around.

Edit: Here is an article that might help you out...

http://www17.tomshardware.com/howto/20030609/index.html

Killa-Killa · Post by **Killa-Killa** » Tue Aug 05, 2003 3:24 pm

Jimmyjay86 wrote:Well I don't want to guess. If you get one bigger than what you need, heat and power consumption will be ridiculous.

I have a 350, never had any problems w/ 1 DVD, 1CD, 2HDDs, a P4+CPU fan, a 120 mm case fan, and GPU.
Anyway, It doesn't matter 'cause Power supplies are like 10$ anyway. Get 450, to be safe, assuming your power's cheap over there, eh?

swordinstone wrote: Check out this one... it actually helps you keep your system cool.

Wow. Massive wate of money. massive. All power supplies help keep your system cool, and spending $76 on a PS? why?

Jimmyjay86 · Post by **Jimmyjay86** » Tue Aug 05, 2003 4:03 pm

Thanks, I found a place that has a good guide:

http://www.pcpowercooling.com/products/ ... /index.htm

It seems 350-400 watts should be fine for my system.

swordinstone · Post by **swordinstone** » Tue Aug 05, 2003 4:30 pm

Killa-Killa wrote:Wow. Massive wate of money. massive. All power supplies help keep your system cool, and spending $76 on a PS? why?

Well, you can take a gamble on a generic supply, which you will prob have to replace in a year, and have it cause you problems you might not realize its causing... or you can spend a little extra on something nicer. $76 maybe a lot more than you want to spend, but 430W is a lot more than some need. The 350W can be found for $45 @ newegg.com. I'm willing to bet that a $15 PS wont help the airflow in your case.

I looked around on pricewatch at the el' chepo PS, and all of cheap ones have 1 fan. The extra fan is what costs the extra money. Also, the efficiency ratings on those PS, are prob somewhere around 50-60%. The Enermax one is 80% efficient in converting power. The best I have seen is about 85% i think, but you pay even more for it. The El' chepos will cause system crashes when they flux in voltage, and I dont want my system crashing if an extra 50 bucks can stop it.

Killa-Killa · Post by **Killa-Killa** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 4:35 pm

Funny... My system has crashed a grand total of... 4 times! Dear god! Over a 6 mo. time period, this is not worth $50 to fix. And air flow is not a problem, as I have (now, after recieving my new ones) 4 case fans. 3 120MM and 1 80MM. Albeit my PC sounds like an F/A-16 taking off, I dont really care.

swordinstone · Post by **swordinstone** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 4:51 pm

you've prob already paid 50 bucks in higher electric bill

Jeff · Post by **Jeff** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 7:04 pm

I don't think his momma cares.

Killa-Killa · Post by **Killa-Killa** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 7:09 pm

No. I think Air conditioning, washing/dryer, and my 4 other computers would make more than my one. Ebill? 104$

swordinstone · Post by **swordinstone** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 7:30 pm

multiply by months smarty pants!

this is going no where.

hieyeck · Post by **hieyeck** » Sun Aug 10, 2003 11:34 pm

Killa-Killa wrote:
hieyeck wrote:Upgrades:
ATI Radeon 9700 ~ $75
P4 2.4 ~$25
MORE RAM ~<$50
Bull. Unless by upgrades you mean from the origonal, not "Buying the computer, then 2 years later getting this".
hieyeck wrote:if you want service, you can hire someone to fix it for $30 an hour, and they should take $30. the service that the brand name companies isn't worth shit unless you're a business partner.
Fix what? I say, If something's broken, take your valuables, put 'em on a DVD, roformat, and Boom, It's fixed and you have a fresh OS so it'll run faster and you have all your space free, so you can choose exactly what to install, so you dont have Deus Ex sitting around. Goddamn crappy game uninstalls, why can't they be like FO and delete reg entries and crap like that? If it's a hardware problem, go up to the company you baught it from and cram it up their ass (Don't forget to say "pleasure doin business with you, kind sir!"). The pleasure is well worth the $20 part.

[/quote]

yes i do mean upgrade for the original not in 2 years (who actually would use those upgrades in 2 years?). and thou i am, not all of us are uber-compucom-nerds and get mixed up between a cd-drive and a coffee cup holder. most people would prolly end up fruggin their system up (default options are NEVER a good idea). i figure if somethings frugged and i can't fix it, yeah, bring it back to the shop, but i see no harm in hiring one of those $30 an hour ppl from off the grocery bulliten board, as long as they are competent.

[long irrelevant story which has some travel tips]
i had a friend in china who wasn't a uber-compucom-nerd. bought his own parts, hired one of his dad's friend's friend to build it for him w/ all the tweaks and now has a kick ass very stable system. and saved him enuf to buy 1000 officialy pirated (what an oxymoron

) discs. if you don't know about the piracy rate in china, its along the lines of 99.6% of all software is pirated. 25 american cents a disc, 90% of the time, good quality. even cops and MPs go to these stores, which can compose of an ENTIRE mall. if you visit china sometime and want this stuff tho, go ask a friend who looks and speaks chinese VERY well or plan to pay 5 time as much ;D
[/long irrelevant story which has some travel tips]