build suggestions.

[okron1k]

[PSU]

hello. i'm building a new pc. slowly mind you, as i am building for penryn.

i have an aurora 570 case. and now i'm looking into PSU's. i plan to be running dual vid cards. most likely have 2 raptors in raid and a third large capacity drive.

i have been reading PSU reviews for days and haven't really come up with a clear winner. in my mind i am leaning towards a PCP&C 750 silencer. but i'm not sure if it will be able to handle everything i throw at it for the next, say, 5 years to come.

basically what i am looking for in a PSU is reliability, efficiency, and quiet performance that will last me several years and several pc's.

what are some recommendations here? i have read the enthusiast recommendations but looked into more reviews for the OCZ and have read that it is loud.

so could someone please suggest a quiet, efficient PSU that will potentially power anything i throw at it for the next few years?

[garetjax]

Originally Posted by okron1k

[PSU]

hello. i'm building a new pc. slowly mind you, as i am building for penryn.

i have an aurora 570 case. and now i'm looking into PSU's. i plan to be running dual vid cards. most likely have 2 raptors in raid and a third large capacity drive.

i have been reading PSU reviews for days and haven't really come up with a clear winner. in my mind i am leaning towards a PCP&C 750 silencer. but i'm not sure if it will be able to handle everything i throw at it for the next, say, 5 years to come.

basically what i am looking for in a PSU is reliability, efficiency, and quiet performance that will last me several years and several pc's.

what are some recommendations here? i have read the enthusiast recommendations but looked into more reviews for the OCZ and have read that it is loud.

so could someone please suggest a quiet, efficient PSU that will potentially power anything i throw at it for the next few years?

Honestly, I think you should check out THIS thread for insight into why there are better options out there than a PCP&C power supply. Buying the most expensive component doesn't always mean its going to be the best... there are plenty of other power supplies that can handle your RAID and SLI configuration with aplomb, without paying a premium like you are with the PCP&C. Take a look through that thread, read the responses.

Here's a couple of quick quotes taken directly from that thread:

Originally Posted by Capper

Consider the marketing......not only do you have PC Power and Cooling telling you "Our products are super", etc......they are better than everyone elses, but in all honesty its overkill, and overpriced. 99% of us will never know the difference, or have any problem if you use a quality PSU from OCZ, Corsair, Fortron, etc

Originally Posted by garetjax

While PC Power and Cooling power supplies are top notch, you are also paying top dollar for them. In my opinion, it is a purchase that could be better well spent by going with the OCZ GamerXstream. Seriously, the money that could be saved by going with the OCZ in lieu of the PCP&C is quite substantial; and really, there is little difference between the two other than price.

[Yellowhello]

Ya, I agree with Garetjax. While PCP&C are awesome PSU's, you can get a great PSU for a lot less. Antec, OCZ, Corsair and Thermaltake are all great brands. I would recommend any one of them.

[One4yu2c]

Originally Posted by okron1k

but i'm not sure if it will be able to handle everything i throw at it for the next, say, 5 years to come.

Planning for 5 years in advance is an extremely lofty expectation for a power supply, or any component for that matter. I'm not real keen on the thought of running one my current high end rigs with a PSU from 5 years ago. Not only would an aged power supply lack the necessary wattage and +12V amps needed for today's machines, but the connections themselves would be outdated, including SATA, PCI-E, and motherboard connectors.

Instead of going absolute top of the line and breaking the bank on a 1KW+ PSU, I'd advise making a mid-range purchase. A solid 600w, 700w, or 800w PSU is going to be sufficient for a long while, and when it comes time for a major overhaul a few years down the road, chances are you'll be needing a new power supply even if you shelled out for a top of the line unit today.

I really like the bang/buck on the OCZ GameXstream series, and I've also found them to be quiet units. For a bit more Skrilla, Silverstone's Olympia series are some of the best we've tested here on HardwareLogic, and they sport the same single +12V design as the PC Power & Cooling units. Other brands worth consideration are Antec, Corsair, Enermax, Fortron Source (makers of the OCZ GameXstream series), Seasonic (makers of PC Power & Cooling's Silencer line, Corsair's models, and some Antec units), and Tagan. Just a couple of candidates:

Silverstone Olympia 750w - $160 shipped
OCZ GameXstream 850w - $172 shipped (after $30 MIR)

[okron1k]

wow thanks for the replies! so quick too.

i'm looking into the OCZ and silverstone as i type this. the OCZ is in stock at my local computer shop for 199.99 CAD. for anyone wondering what shop it is.. it's megacomputer in london, ON. another online source i generally look at is ncix.com, which is where i purchased the aurora 570 from.

the aurora wasn't my pick for a case really. aesthetically i am not to 'attracted' to it. i always liked the lian-li PC-6070 (i am recalling the model number from memory, saved in my head from over a year ago). the 570 got great reviews tho so i went with that. either way the purchase is done.

my parts list consists of:

mobo: asus striker extreme (after more research to see if it will run a penryn)
cpu: penryn quad core
psu: OCZ GameXStream or silverstone. still researching (thanks for the help)
ram: 2gb or possibly more of most likely something from corsair.
hdd: 2 raptors in raid and a second drive for media storage
gpu: waiting for when penryn comes out to decide.. but as of now 8800gtx's in sli. (have a dell 2405fpw)
snd: x-fi. not sure which one.
cpu cooler: zalman 9700 for a while but recently read about the thermalright ultra 120 extreme on anandtech. any thoughts or recommendations on something better?
dvdr: something plextor. its the best of the best in maxpc.

my actual plan of accomplishing that tho is to research motherboards and get one that will support penryn and buy an e4300 and overclock. that way when penryn does come out i can swap processors and buy another mobo for the e4300 and retire this 2.8 p4 i'm using now.

can anyone suggest any better options?

[One4yu2c]

Originally Posted by okron1k

my actual plan of accomplishing that tho is to research motherboards and get one that will support penryn and buy an e4300 and overclock. that way when penryn does come out i can swap processors and buy another mobo for the e4300 and retire this 2.8 p4 i'm using now.

can anyone suggest any better options?

Since this rig will be retired to backup status relatively quick, I'd strongly recommend buying a more budget friendly motherboard for that E4300 proc. Once the Penryn's start shipping, you'll see Intel's latest chipsets on the market in quantity (the P35 can already be found), which would give you some better options over the uber-pricey Asus Striker Extreme.

Generally speaking, you've a great list of parts. Just be aware that you're throwing bang-for-buck out the window with most of those selections, and if you wanted to save a big chunk of change without sacrificing real-world performance, you could certainly do so. Some initial thoughs:

Mobo: As pointed out above, I'd go with a less expensive option for the soon-to-be secondary rig. Specifically, I'd look at the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 for $126 shipped, or something on the 650i chipset, such as the Asus P5N-E SLI for $133 shipped.

If you're intent on not buying a new motherboard for your Penryn upgrade, I'd still think long and hard about $340ish Striker Extreme. It's a great motherboard, but so are just about all of the offerings in 680i land. I'd personally have a hard time turning up EVGA's offering, which carries a much more friendly price tag, overclocks like a champ, and has a lifetime warranty to boot.

RAM: Short and to the point, the Crucial Ballistix 2GB DDR2-800 for $70 (after rebate) is the best deal on the market. This is an enthusiast level kit that just a few short months ago was selling for $299 on Newegg. You can read my review on that exact kit HERE.

Hard Drive: There's no faster combo than what you're considering, again at the expense of bang-for-buck.

GPU: Also short and to the point, limit your searches to BFG, EVGA, and XFX. All three offer lifetime warranties, just be sure to register your card online within 30 days of purchase (applies to EVGA and XFX).

Soundcard: If shooting for the stars like the rest of the rig, then the X-Fi Elite would be the logical fit. Otherwise, snag yourself an Extreme Gamer instead.

DVD: Plextor does make the best drives along with the best accompanying software, but you can usually pick up two or three drives from competing brands for the same price. If I was buying, I'd pick up a SATA LiteOn 20X with Lightscribe.
_____________________________________________

Let me reiterate that the above focus more on maximizing your dollar with minimal impact to performance. If you're going for a balls-to-the-wall rig with benchmarking in mind and have the deep pockets to accompany it, your choices are about spot on.

EDIT: I forgot you're shopping in Canada, so the specific pricing and Newegg linkage aren't applicable. The same concept applies however, you'd just need to convert to Moosebucks with an appropriate Canadian vendor.

[Quakindude]

Paul has recommended everything that I would as well...and then some!

I can personally vouch for the EVGA 680i mobo. It's a top notch product with few notable issues. There's always ONE thing about a mobo that I simply cannot stand. My chief complaint about this board is the Reltek onboard sound. It works, but there are better solutions. However, this EVGA implementation has been my single most favorite mobo to date. And I've built quite a few computers in my time.

The OCZ GamerXStream is an awesome PSU. I have the 700W version and I have had 2 x DVD, 8800GTS, E6600, 6 HDD's, 4 x 250's in RAID and 2 x 320's, 2GB ram, FW800 PCI-e card, sound card, 1 x 200mm fan and 4 120mm fans all at the same time and this thing didn't even flinch.

Crucial or OCZ ram are my favorites for Ram. Geil isn't bad either, but I like the first two much better.

[okron1k]

i may have misread your reply, but the rig i am building right now wont be a secondary rig once penryn comes out. the majority of parts will be the same. i just want to swap processors. meaning i want to buy a motherboard now that will support penryn and throw an e4300 in it for the time being so i can use the machine. once penryn comes out swap out the processor and buy another motherboard for the e4300 to put into the computer i'm using now, which is my old rig

[Yellowhello]

For penryn, look at some of the P35 boards. They are fully compatible with the new CPU's.

Also have a look at the Silverstone Decathlon Series. It's EXACTLY the same as the Olympia's except its fully modular.

Oh, and I don't think the Striker Extreme will run Penryn cores because is based on a 680i chipset. Am I right?

EDIT: Sorry, the 680i chips will support the 1333FSB CPU's with a BIOS update.

[One4yu2c]

Originally Posted by okron1k

i may have misread your reply, but the rig i am building right now wont be a secondary rig once penryn comes out. the majority of parts will be the same[...]once penryn comes out swap out the processor and buy another motherboard for the e4300 to put into the computer i'm using now, which is my old rig

We're playing with wording, but what I'm suggesting is that instead of buying another motherboard for the E4300 once you pull it out to replace the PC you're on now (I called it a secondary rig), buy an appropriate motherboard for the E4300 today, such as either of the ones I linked. That way, when Penryn debuts next month and you pick up one of those chips, you can select from one of Intel's upcoming chipsets to couple it with. At that time, the 680i chipsets will be a step behind Intel's current offerings, making that $330+ mobo purchase today all the more unattractive tomorrow.

In other words:

-Buy E4300 today
-Buy price friendly mobo (Gigabyte P65 or Asus 650i) today
-Build rig

-Next month, buy a Penryn
-Next month, buy a current motherboard (P35 or X38 chipset) for the Penryn
-Next month, pull the E4300/budget mobo, and replace with above Penryn/enthusiast mobo