Greetings Bit-Tech forum-ers! I am investigating bits and pieces and it seems to me that everytime I fix on an upgrade path another bit rears its head as a pre-requisite! I am hoping that someone out there will be able to offer some advice on how I should best proceed? First: Current specs - Intel C2D E8400 CPU Asus P5Q MoBo 2x2gb 800Mhz Corsair Dominator RAM Asus Radeon HD4850 512mb GPU Hiper 530w PSU IDE DVD Writer WD Caviar Black HDD Samsung Spinpoint HDD 2x Seagate HDD I am looking to increase my current square 19inch screen to a 22inch widescreen, but will need to upgrade my GPU to take advantage of 1920x1080 on games such as Bad Company 2, Mass Effect 2, et al? To this end I am in the price range of the HD6850 / GTX460. Which would be the best one to go for? Cooling is not an issue in my case. As an extension of this - would my current PSU be ok running the upgraded GPU? I currently overclock my CPU to 3.82ghz with a small over volt. Any help that can be offered would be gratefully received. Cheers everyone!
For BF:BC2 1920x1080 in high details a GTX460 would be fine and not utterly expensive. Your PSU should do fine aswell. I'm running a C2Duo E8400 @ stockspeed with a GTX460 on a 560W PSU and don't have problems playing games. Playing on a 24" 1920x1080 LCD. If you wan't to be future-proof for the next two or three years running games in HD with full details turned on tho, then a more powerful rig would be needed I guess. EDIT: Your CPU + motherboard = 120 Watt, GTX460 = 160 Watt, 4x HDD = 60 Watt, so there's plenty of room with your PSU.
Firstly, do you have a budget? Secondly, I would run away, screaming "run away, run away" in my best Monty Python voice, from any Hiper PSU. I could be wrong though, depending on the model - do you have a model number for it? You have a good board and CPU and you should get more than 3.8GHz out of it. Unless you are looking to spend £400-£500 on a complete new system then upgrading your PSU and graphics card will give you a load more use out of your rig. As your board has only one PCI-E slot, Crossfire/SLI isn't an option so a 500w PSU is fine (450w is recommended for GTX460). I was going to suggest an Antec High Current Gamer 520w which is currently £57.02 but the modular Antec TruePower New 650w is on Scan's Today Only special page for only £59.98, well worth the extra £2.96 in my opinion (I am biased, I have two). The GTX460 or the HD6850 are both a great buy and both are around the £150 mark. On the same Today Only page linked above, the EVGA 1GB GTX460 Superclocked is currently on special for £136.79. tldr; Upgrade your PSU and buy a 6850/GTX460 for around £200 and it will serve you well for gaming @ 1920x1080 and for overclocking your current CPU.
Cheers JRS77, thanks for your advice. So do you think a GTX460 would be a better solution over a 6850? I have heard that the 460 can be overclocked fairly substantially in some cases, would this make an impact on the PSU overhead, and would it make enough difference to push the 460 in front of the 6850 if the latter is faster at stock?
Cheers Fingers66 - that does sound like a rather sensible route to take.. and some good prices there. Do you really think the PSU should be changed then? I've not really had any problems using my current one (I dont think - it does crash once in a while but I cant definitely say this is psu related) and the new psu isnt much different in wattage? Im not questioning your knowledge bud, 'cos I havent got any, just wanting to be in on your thinking so I can udnerstand it better. Thanks very much!
The 460GTX and HD 6850 are no difference in comparison, maybe some 2-3 FPS difference. The GTX460 runs cooler, while the HD 6850 draws a little less power.
What model is the PSU? Then we can tell if it is a good one or not. It is not about wattage, it is about the quality of the components inside.
The PSU is this one (below) http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...0w++/Hiper+530w+PSU+HPU-4M530?productId=29045 I have heard that some of Hipers earlier PSU's were a bit naff but I thought this one and some of the others made around this time were ok in terms of reliability? Of course, they did still go bust anyway...
The Hiper HPU-4M530 has failed some reviews and it doesn't have good efficiency. Allthough it didn't fail yet, I'd also recommend swithcing to a better model with 80+ certificate. EDIT: My Silverstone ST56F was quiet expensive @ $80, but it's worth it in the end to have a good PSU with high efficiency. Oh, and silent it should be aswell ofc ^^
^ this. According to a Jonnyguru review of the Type M 580w (same design and manufacturer)... "The Hiper Type M 580W is a relic of days gone by, when you needed the 5V rail to power your Pentium III, gas in Canada cost under a buck a liter, and you were sitting around watching Xena: Warrior Princess on a dull Saturday. Or was that just me? Although admittedly quite the knockout (the PSU or Xena, works either way), this power supply suffers from poor cooling and a low ceiling on the two 12V rails. Consider it a good but not great 450W power supply - no more." If a Hiper Type M 580w is really only a good (but not great) 450w supply, what do we reckon a 530w would be like? I think the summary of the 530w from Oklahoma Wolf in the forums was "should be okay but a long way from the quality of the 630w".
Hmmm... Sage words there guys... So perhaps I really should look at a PSU upgrade before the gpu upgrade? Getting a psu will mean that i have to knock the gpu upgrade back a month or so, but it looks like in the long run this would be a more sensible choice? So a corsair or antec psu would be a good bet? Would a 600w model be adequate, and relatively future proof (i will never be a dual-gpu massive high spec cpu type guy im afraid!)?
As jrs77 said, seeing as it hasn't failed yet you might be okay. You could get the graphics card then save for a PSU as the next purchase in a month. That said, the GTX560 is coming out at the end of this month which *may* shake up the prices of existing cards - you might get more card for your money in a month. All you really need in terms of power is around 500w or so. A good quality 480w-550w is fine. However, if you wanted to use the PSU for a future build (for example, Sandy Bridge in a years time), by getting something like the Antec 650w you would have the headroom to be able to either add another 6850/GTX460 graphics card in Crossfire/SLI or to run a more power hungry single graphics card like a GTX570/580. There is no point in having to upgrade your PSU again in a year should you wish to upgrade your motherboard, CPU and/or graphics card again. Factor between £55-£65 for a good quality PSU of the right size, more if you can afford it. A good quality PSU will last you more than one build.
Here's a calculator that tells you, how much power your system draws -> http://www.enermax.outervision.com/ If you aren't the type of guy who buys the biggest most badass hardware, not interested in OC-records or Crossfire/SLI showoffs, then there's no need for 1KW PSUs at all. A PSU works most efficient under load, e.g. when you run it at 50-100%. So I'd say anything between 500-600 W is the best bet for your needs in the next 5 years to come. If your PSU hasn't failed yet, then you might buy the new GPU before the new PSU aswell, as the 4850 does draws 120 Watt compared to the 160 Watt of the GTX460, but that's totally up to you and your confidence in the PSU.
As an aside, you now qualify for free next day delivery from Scan and CCL Online: Scan http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=186923 CCL Online http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=187959 Read the first post in these threads to see how to activate it.
Hmmm... Well, I suppose the thing that could swing it here is 'whats the worst that could happen if the psu let go through not being able to provide stable enough power before i can replace it in a months time'? Whilst I am a bit thrifty with the old cash, I cvertainly dont want to place my build at risk through overstressing the psu...
The Scan Today Only special deal on the Antec TruePower New 650w is available until around 1pm on Monday afternoon. Have a think about it over the weekend and if you decide to get the PSU first, get that one as it is a bargain for such a good quality PSU. Like I said, the prices of graphics cards is a bit volatile at the moment due to the number of new cards hitting the market. There is the potential that you could get a better card than the 6850/GTX460 for the same money as you would spend now - who knows really.
As prices for GPUs won't suddenly ramp up within the next month or two, you could aswell wait another month and go for the PSU first. A good and cheap PSU might be the BeQuiet Pure Power L7 530W for example at under £50. Just make sure to read up the reviews in several places for the PSUs you look at to begin with. That's what I do atleast.
