Cases Case and PSU Question

I'm planning to buy a core i7 rig pretty soon, but I'm still doing my homework on it. I'm looking for low cost Case and PSU.

I found this PSU on Scan
.
It's a 750 W - supporting duals GFX. Would I have any problems using this to run a core i7 rig?

I'm looking for a low cost case which has dust filters, and should support 2 large graphics cards. Are there any you can recommend?

Thanks.

 

1. It does not support dual graphics cards (only two PCI-E connectors), and it claims to be 750W?
2. It ain't even got a 8-pin mobo connector!
3. It's a Powercool, never heard.
4. LED fan -> not good (cheapass PSUs usually have LED fans to attract more customers)
5. 750W and costs £40? Nah.

Five good reasons to avoid it at all costs!

 

Listen, if you are going to spend over 2000$ Canadian on a computer, why even THINK about using a cheap ass PSU to ensure that everything brakes down quickly and causes you headaches. A PSU should send clean current to your device, must be quiet a cool, should PROTECT your computer. Oh and have the proper connectors.

My saying is: (and I say it because I HAD TOO MUCH of experience in this)
Go high end (or good) or screw it. (In quality, i am talking about here)

Low end parts means issues, means damaging other components on a long term run, means it will brake easily and by itself, and you'll end paying the same price or over then if you had just purchased a good product in the first place.

Proof: I used to believe that computer components are all the same, they are all made the same way. So I ended up using value pack value RAM, which burned (I can show a picture of it), which broke my ASUS motherboard RAM slot (which lead to buy a new computer as the motherboard doesn't exists anymore, and CPU doesn't even exists (AMD Athlon XP).
I used to use low-end PSU, like you. and they always brake... despite me changing them 3 times ended up paying 2 times than if I just got a good PSU in the first place and not have any issues. And it ended up that it broke my video card too (molex connector burned for the Geforce FX 5900, and the card was not working anymore (this was on a different computer, where the RAM also failed (but did not burn, sooo safe on that one))

 

I have to completely agree with GoodBytes here. If you intend to blow that much cash on an i7 system, why on earth would you want to skimp on the PSU and the case? Especially since you could consider the PSU the "heart" of your system, with the CPU being the "brain" and the motherboard the "nervous system". OK, I might get carried away a bit here, but you get the point...

 

He said low cost, not cheap.

My understanding of low cost is that it does the job without any frills, whereas cheap is the lowest cost regardless of quality.

I bought a new case recently and went for a low cost case and it's great. Solid build, decent manual, roomy, lots of space for drives. CoolerMaster Centurion 5, around £45. You'll have to check for the i7 as I'm unsure of mobo sizes, etc. Doesn't have dust filters, but I wonder if you could fit them?

 

You are talking about the case here... I was talking about the PSU. If a person wants a low cost system, it's not a Core i7 and expensive motherboard to start. It would be a Core 2 Do or Quad, or AMD Phenom II. Or wait for the Core i5 (mainstream model).

 

Right guys. Thanks for the tips. I found this PSU

OCZ 700 Watt, 80%+ eff. CF ready, 3 yrs warranty for £72.39

OCZ is good as far as I've heard. What do you think?

Also, any low cost case (with dust filters) ?

 

You can make your own dust filters out of womens tights

 

What is your budget for your case?
Do you want it to also damp noise and reduce vibrations for HDD as well?
Are you aiming for a really quiet system?

 

Well it's not a budget issue, it's about value for money.

Yes I'm aiming for a quiet PC - that's why I'm going for Noctua fans - and will be replacing the PSU fan with a Noctua. Also, I'm getting an Akasa all in one 2 (with fan speed control) to keep the other case fans noise down.

I found this case which is also recommended by bit-tech for the "budget" gaming build. Apparently it has dust filters.

I do want to damped noise and reduce HDD vibration. Would this case do?

What do you have in mind GoodBytes?

 

When I was looking for a case, I did some deep research, and even went to the extreme to actually see the deference between cases thanks to a friend father works on the field. Of course I read a lot of legit reviews including SilentPCreview.

Something I learned is that, the number of air wholes and fans don't make a good case. In fact sometimes it could even create air flow conflict, where it creates "heat bubbles" as I like to call it, which appear under load over time on certain areas of the case affect certain components. Is it good to ignore it? Well that I don't know. But I don't think so, on a long term basis. Then I discovered that it is all about engineering. If the air flow reaches the most components by coming in the front of the case and release all the warm air on the back then you are set for a great cooling. That means that the fan needs to big so that it covers a bigger area, and of course maximize air flow without having to increase fan speed to make noise.

The optical drive and Hard drive (ignoring floppy drive), are the noisiest components inside your computer. Now I was unable to find a case that does anything to help the optical drive to be quieter, but it is not a reason to amplify the sound. As for HDD yes you can find case that has solutions. Then it comes down to weight and case feats. Case feet needs to be ultra soft and rubbery to maximize absorption of the computer case and not allow your floor to spread the vibration and amplify the sound. Also their is the case design... empty cases vibrate a lot. Low end cases uses thinner steal and is more empty with less things to hold, which amplify sounds and vibration. A case with more stuff inside, makes it more stiff, heavier, and reduces vibrations.

Then you have case design. Yes that maters. A case with a mesh everywhere means dust inside, even thus there is no fan at that area. Also it doesn't damp any noise what-so-ever, so it is like if your case was outside. Also it doesn't guide the air flow properly.

Then we finish off, with the case fan holes.. yes.. they are badly design, when teh air passes through it will make sound (example: like when you whistle. Of course it won't make such a sound... but it was just showing that air can make noise). Now in reality there is no magic pattern to prevent this, The best solution is to have an open solution... but it is important to select a case where this was properly engineered to reduce as much as possible such air sound.

Another thing on proper air flow, CABLE MANAGEMENT. This is CRITICAL!
having cables everywhere blocks air flow. Having all the wires hidden, allows air flow to pass and maximize the coverage area.
Here is my case (ignore the red SATA cable, that has been fixed, and that black power cable is also hidden more now... but they don't block air flow on the picture)


Modular PSU allows you to use the cables you need, so that you don't have a bunch of cables everywhere. So, it helps a bit. Also because you have less wires it makes it a bit easier to clean. Remember that dust filters are not designed to give you clean air inside the case... just block large dust particles. Dust will still come in, and will go inside your fan motors and after 3 years with proper maintenance your computer won't be as quiet as before. If the dust filter does too good of a job, then you block air flow, and you'll to increase fan speed and makes thing nosier. Remember, it is important to clean your fan filter at 2 times a week to once a month (depends on your environment, and how much you use the computer). So you want something that is easy access.

And of course, we fall with case look&fell, and build quality.

I have 2 cases in mind. Mine and another one.
Mine is the Antec SOLO, a fine simple design which offer everything that was talked about (but the durst filter is a bit harder to reach as you need to open the case to open the front panel (which is like a door) and remove the panel. I sure a small mod could fix the problem. BUT, this case has an issue. It doesn't support large video cards. So this mod will be needed. In my case when I got this case, video card is not an issue. (Yes if you ask, the case front is real aluminum and not paint)
http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=155312&highlight=Geforce+260+GTX+SOLO
Notice how few fans I have, and that this is a mid-tower and that the computer is ultra quiet for a fan base cooling during idle.


So, a case that has the above resolved.... well I got one that is much better.
Easier to work witch, will support 2 large video card no problem, with plenty of room for future computers, low maintenance (meaning no glossy things which shows scratch easily and stuff like this), using real aluminum design on the panel. It has a frontal door, but it can be completely turned on the side of the case (270 degree and not 180), so it won't brake just by opening it. Water cooling ready if you ever choose that path. Even quieter than the SOLO.
This is the best of the best, today (so yea kinda expensive, but worth every penny.. as it should last you for the next system (no promise, but sure looks like from what I see)) This case is also highly recommended in this forum.
http://www.antec.com/usa/productDetails.php?id=81820&lan=us#

P.S: The case EXTERIOR (meaning the aluminum ) is not true black in reality... it is black... like a gun I guess... anyway, it's very nice, simple modern design, will go with any room, even the living room! Really adds a touch of professionalism into a room. All case fans provided have 3 speeds. Low, Med, High. Low settings is quiet, the others you start hearing the fans. But low should be more than what you need even if you OC a bit, thanks to your heatsink. Now this case has a downside. The power and rest button feels cheap. But other than that... nothing (These can be replaced

Hope this helps. If you have other cases in mind, than show me and I can comment on them.

 

No, don't do that!

That will, not only, but including:
1. Kill the warranty
2. Possibly make it overheat (a different fan has different airflow charasterics)

Just get a really silent and good PSU in the first place.

OCZ ain't the best PSU manufacturer, AFAIK they use FSP Epsilon as OEM, and that is pretty bad (high ripple).

Get this one, you won't regret, it's super silent! http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...20W+HX+V2+Series+Modular+PSU+?productId=27954

 

Thanks for the tips!

GoodBytes that was very comprehensive thank you.

 

Yes Corsair HX is awesome PSU. From the packaging to the actual product. Nothing comes close.

However, something worry's me on it for your setup. This PSU only has 2x 8pin (convertible to a 6-pin) PCI-E. Meaning if you want 2 Geforce GTX 260 or 280 for example, you need double those connectors. Sure you can use the provided 2x 4pin modex ->1x 6 or 8pin PCI-E (depending on the video card), but I don't know if it has enough power. Someone had experience?

You could get the HX1000 series instead. The cool thing about good and high end PSU, is that they consume what you need, and not the max amount and rejects everything to the ground.

 

What about the TX series?

Ninja edit: it says "SLi Ready" on the HX PSU...

What kind of connectors do those cards need?

BTW.. I'm planning on ATI 4870x2 or a 4870...

 

How many HD4870X2s or HD4870s do you plan on installing? I'm pretty sure the HX620W can cope with at least 1 HD4870X2 or 2 HD4870s in CrossFire.

I usually only recommend the HX520W and the HX620W, because they used to be made by Seasonic (and possibly still are). To my knowledge, all other models are made by Channel Well Technologies (CWT), which, while also a good manufacturer, just isn't Seasonic.

As for FSP (or Fortron Source), it's quite an accomplished manufacturer too. I'm not quite sure where mm_vr has his information from. I've never heard bad things about FSP before.

OCZ might use FSP for some of their models, but we shouldn't forget that OCZ bought PC Power & Cooling a couple of years ago. They design truly great PSUs too (manufactured by Seasonic et al).

Let me just close by saying that buying a 1KW (and greater) PSU is pure overkill. You just don't need that much juice. And it's also a way to waste money unnecessarily. All PSUs have certain ranges where they are most efficient. If your hardware doesn't fall into that particular range you're wasting power and money.

 

I know that a rig with 2 4870x2 cards in CFX draw about 720W. That's the most I'll ever have in 1 rig!

Add a few Watts for OC headroom, and an 80+% efficient 700Watt PSU would be good I suppose.

 

I've heard good things about the new Enermax PSUs and the Revolution85+ sounds particularly interesting. No idea what separates a Revolution85+ SLI from a Revolution85+ CrossFire, though.

 

007, something you must know... it's not the Watts that is important it's the amps. More amps means more Watts. BUT, an efficient PSU give you more amp per watts.

I would technically say that the HX620W is for you, but I never really looked into SLI/Crossfire before. So I can't comment. The last thing I want is that you get a bad surprise. I'll others take the lead from there.

You asked about the TX. TX series is made by a different manufacture, but I still think that it has quality components used. The main difference is that the HX series is modular and TX series is non-modular. Both have a 5 year warranty, so you are covered if it fails. I don't think you can go wrong with either models. If you are tight on budget, you have Thermaltake, quiet but not as quiet PSU form my knowledge, but also has a 5 year warranty.

 

A dual 4870X2 system is a bit too much for a HX620, but a single one, or two regular 4870's are fine for it.

FSP is mostly good, just not their Epsilon range. They have terrible ripple on high loads. They perform fine up to about 500W, and after that it's just pure slaughtering, and the Epsilon range has PSUs up to 1200W!

I read this from JonnyGuru, if that matters.