To be honest, I’m actually a little worried about it—I just finished doing some deeper reading on which CPU we're actually dealing with here. Maybe they should do a quick Google search first to see if it’s going to end up being a bottleneck.
Overkill? Well, it really just comes down to what kind of games you're into. If you’re looking to dive into something like the new Crysis 3 or the new Tomb Raider—and you're running everything at 1080p with the settings cranked to the max—then I'd definitely suggest going for the 7870. Those titles are absolute resource hogs, aren't they? You're basically going to need a beefy GPU just to keep things running smoothly at those settings.
On the other hand, if you're just playing casually and aren't tackling those super demanding titles—or if you aren't using a Full HD monitor—then honestly, even a 7770 would be a great choice. It's a solid card for lighter use.
At the end of the day, you should pick your graphics card and the rest of your build based on what you actually need. I mean, it would be pretty silly to drop a small fortune on a top-tier GPU and CPU just to spend all your time surfing the web, right? 😬
I was actually rocking a GTX 660 TwinFrozr ii OC edition until just the other day. But I ended up switching over to AMD—I've been using their cards for years now, so really, it just comes down to personal preference. If you're looking for the absolute best bang for your buck under $200, though, the 7870 is definitely the way to go. Or, if you're dead set on staying with NVIDIA, grab the GTX 660. You honestly can't go wrong with either of those two choices.
My first suspicion is that we're looking at a dust issue—if you haven't cleaned out your rig in a while, that’s almost certainly your culprit. If you happen to have an air compressor lying around the house, feel free to give the whole thing a good blast. Otherwise, maybe head over to a local repair shop this Tuesday and have them blow it out for you? $6.75 That's it—time for some coffee.
wiredheron94- I’d really recommend taking a quick look through this guide on how to properly configure Windows 7 right after you finish the installation. Don't sweat it—you aren't going to break anything, just follow the steps. I personally followed everything laid out in there, and I still have about 99GB of free space left on my 128GB Intel drive—though, to be fair, you don't actually get the full 128GB once the drive is formatted, so it's more like 119GB to start with. Maybe Windows 8 takes up a little less space? Honestly, it's probably not much of a difference. http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/s...-for-ssds-hdds
Don't sweat it, you'll get the hang of it—just a quick tip: when you're seating the frame, make sure that little notch in the center aligns perfectly with the hole on the motherboard (check the photo). You might need to give the frame a slightly firmer press until you hear that satisfying click.
I could probably write a whole book on how terrible some power supplies can be, but I’ll try to keep it brief for you here. 😬
The one you were using definitely wasn't top-tier—unless it was an older unit from a brand like Corsair or XFX that just finally gave up the ghost after years of service. Honestly, it's no surprise it died on you; those lower-end units often don't actually deliver nearly as much power as they claim on the box.
Your GPU pulls about 160W under full load, and once you add in the rest of your components, you're looking at needing roughly 300-350W total—at least, that's my best estimate off the top of my head. The one I picked out for you provides a solid 450W of actual, reliable power. In this hobby, you really shouldn't cut corners on the PSU, because it's essentially the heart that keeps everything else alive. I've heard stories of people dropping $3.25 on high-end parts but cheaping out on the power supply, only to have a single surge fry their entire rig.
I could suggest a 750W unit instead, but why bother? You'd basically just be throwing money away for no reason.
>: I just noticed you mentioned you were using a Xilencos unit. To be honest, I'm not sure what the verdict is on those—I haven't personally used one myself.
It’ll handle what you need without any issues. But—if you're planning on dropping in a much beefier graphics card down the road—you might want to just grab this power supply now and enjoy the peace of mind later.
swiftfalcon89 said:I see it says the efficiency for the Corsair CX 430 is around 80%—does that mean it’s actually only putting out about 340-350W?
When you're looking at quality power supplies, you have those 80 Plus/Bronze/Silver/Gold certifications. Those basically guarantee the unit maintains over 80% efficiency across 20%, 50%, and 100% loads. So, honestly, don't sweat it—that Corsair is more than enough for your setup. It really does deliver the wattage it claims to. Just a bit of advice? Avoid those cheap units listed for $100-$67 that claim to offer, say, 500W when they probably won't even have an 80+ certification.
You can read all about how that works here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/80_Plus