NEW BUILD - am I going to need a more powerful PSU? And one other question.

Hey everyone, I'm going to build me a new machine, I'm not sure if my
power supply (a 520 watt Corsair) can handle all this. Here's what
I've decided on:

CPU - Core i5-2500
Motherboard - BIOSTAR TZ68A+
RAM - 2 x 4GB CORSAIR
Video card - EVGA GeForce GTX 560
Hard drive - Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe 2.5" 60GB
Win7 x64 Home Premium

I also have a 250 gb and an 80 gb hard drive as well as my DVD drive.


Also, if I decide to add more RAM does it matter very much if I use
one 4 gb stick vs. 2 x 2 gb? I know you're supposed to have matching
pairs for it to run in dual channel mode but how big is the
difference?


thanks for any advice you can give.
Jon

wrote:
Hey everyone, I'm going to build me a new machine, I'm not sure if my
power supply (a 520 watt Corsair) can handle all this. Here's what
I've decided on:

CPU - Core i5-2500
Motherboard - BIOSTAR TZ68A+
RAM - 2 x 4GB CORSAIR
Video card - EVGA GeForce GTX 560
Hard drive - Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe 2.5" 60GB
Win7 x64 Home Premium

I also have a 250 gb and an 80 gb hard drive as well as my DVD drive.


Also, if I decide to add more RAM does it matter very much if I use
one 4 gb stick vs. 2 x 2 gb? I know you're supposed to have matching
pairs for it to run in dual channel mode but how big is the
difference?


thanks for any advice you can give.
Jon

There is a GTX560 here, listed at 160 watts.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/gra...b_3.html#sect0

160 + 95/0.9 watts + 50 watts motherboard/ram + 2*12W HDD + 25W ODD + 10W USB gives 375W.
The 25W for the optical drive is a boilerplate number, while a real measurement
might be closer to 17W. The hard drives also vary, and sometimes you can look them up.
Some hard drives only use half the power of my placeholder 12W number.
The 50W is intended to cover the chipset, and not all chipsets will use
all of that. Especially now that some functions are housed in the processor,
so the processor "pays the power bill". RAM doesn't use very much at all any more
(download a Kingston datasheet, to get a round number per stick). So the number
really isn't 374W, it's a bit less.

Corsair 520HX ratings.

http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggIma...139-001-04.jpg

180W on low voltage rails (your loading is about 70W maybe).
480W on 12V rails (your loading is about 281W)
15W on +5VSB (your loading is 10W estimated placeholder)

Just some rough round numbers.

I don't think any of the rails go past the 18 amp limiters.

*******

If adding RAM, add in quanta of 2x4GB, due to the low price.
The low price on DDR3 RAM, won't stay there forever. The
pricing is starting to kill RAM companies :-(

You can balance RAM, by using the same amount in each channel.
For example, putting 2x2 in Channel0 and a single 4GB stick
in Channel1, would not lose you any performance (that is a three
stick config, with a total of 8GB). But that observation doesn't
help in this case. If you install a 2x4GB kit today, you might
not see an 8GB single stick for some time. And given the prices
of 4GB sticks, I don't see the point in being a cheapskate.
Actually, I'd have to question why you needed more than 2x4GB.
That should last a while, in terms of typical usage patterns.
Another 2x4GB would just be bling. The only time you're going
to fill it up, is running CHKDSK :-) (That's a little humor
directed at a bad design decision by Microsoft with regard
to the chkdsk program. Try it. If you install 16GB, it'll try
to use all of that too.)

Paul

On 29/04/2012 11:20 AM, wrote:
Hey everyone, I'm going to build me a new machine, I'm not sure if my
power supply (a 520 watt Corsair) can handle all this. Here's what
I've decided on:

CPU - Core i5-2500
Motherboard - BIOSTAR TZ68A+
RAM - 2 x 4GB CORSAIR
Video card - EVGA GeForce GTX 560
Hard drive - Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe 2.5" 60GB
Win7 x64 Home Premium

I also have a 250 gb and an 80 gb hard drive as well as my DVD drive.


Also, if I decide to add more RAM does it matter very much if I use
one 4 gb stick vs. 2 x 2 gb? I know you're supposed to have matching
pairs for it to run in dual channel mode but how big is the
difference?


thanks for any advice you can give.
Jon

You can do the calculations yourself, rather easily:

http://www.thermaltake.outervision.com/

Yousuf Khan

On Sun, 29 Apr 2012 12:00:43 -0400, Paul wrote:

wrote:
Hey everyone, I'm going to build me a new machine, I'm not sure if my
power supply (a 520 watt Corsair) can handle all this. Here's what
I've decided on:

CPU - Core i5-2500
Motherboard - BIOSTAR TZ68A+
RAM - 2 x 4GB CORSAIR
Video card - EVGA GeForce GTX 560
Hard drive - Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe 2.5" 60GB
Win7 x64 Home Premium

I also have a 250 gb and an 80 gb hard drive as well as my DVD drive.


Also, if I decide to add more RAM does it matter very much if I use
one 4 gb stick vs. 2 x 2 gb? I know you're supposed to have matching
pairs for it to run in dual channel mode but how big is the
difference?


thanks for any advice you can give.
Jon

There is a GTX560 here, listed at 160 watts.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/gra...b_3.html#sect0

160 + 95/0.9 watts + 50 watts motherboard/ram + 2*12W HDD + 25W ODD + 10W USB gives 375W.
The 25W for the optical drive is a boilerplate number, while a real measurement
might be closer to 17W. The hard drives also vary, and sometimes you can look them up.
Some hard drives only use half the power of my placeholder 12W number.
The 50W is intended to cover the chipset, and not all chipsets will use
all of that. Especially now that some functions are housed in the processor,
so the processor "pays the power bill". RAM doesn't use very much at all any more
(download a Kingston datasheet, to get a round number per stick). So the number
really isn't 374W, it's a bit less.

Corsair 520HX ratings.

http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggIma...139-001-04.jpg

180W on low voltage rails (your loading is about 70W maybe).
480W on 12V rails (your loading is about 281W)
15W on +5VSB (your loading is 10W estimated placeholder)

Just some rough round numbers.

I don't think any of the rails go past the 18 amp limiters.

*******

If adding RAM, add in quanta of 2x4GB, due to the low price.
The low price on DDR3 RAM, won't stay there forever. The
pricing is starting to kill RAM companies :-(

You can balance RAM, by using the same amount in each channel.
For example, putting 2x2 in Channel0 and a single 4GB stick
in Channel1, would not lose you any performance (that is a three
stick config, with a total of 8GB). But that observation doesn't
help in this case. If you install a 2x4GB kit today, you might
not see an 8GB single stick for some time. And given the prices
of 4GB sticks, I don't see the point in being a cheapskate.
Actually, I'd have to question why you needed more than 2x4GB.
That should last a while, in terms of typical usage patterns.
Another 2x4GB would just be bling. The only time you're going
to fill it up, is running CHKDSK :-) (That's a little humor
directed at a bad design decision by Microsoft with regard
to the chkdsk program. Try it. If you install 16GB, it'll try
to use all of that too.)

Paul


Thanks alot Paul, that was quite the explaination. It looks like
you're telling me I should be OK. As far as not needing more than 8GB,
maybe you are right but I'm not so sure. There will be times when I
will be running XSI (3d modeling), 3dCoat (sculpting and 3d painting),
Photoshop and a game engine (Unity or Unreal 3) all at the same time.
If I'm also running Bridge and Firefox that's another 450+ mb.

thanks again

You can buy a wattage meter for $20, if you really want to know
how much power your system is using and if you want to match it
with the correct power supply.

Yousuf Khan bbbl67 spammenot.yahoo.com wrote:

On 29/04/2012 11:20 AM, a b.net wrote:
Hey everyone, I'm going to build me a new machine, I'm not sure if my
power supply (a 520 watt Corsair) can handle all this. Here's what
I've decided on:

CPU - Core i5-2500
Motherboard - BIOSTAR TZ68A+
RAM - 2 x 4GB CORSAIR
Video card - EVGA GeForce GTX 560
Hard drive - Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe 2.5" 60GB
Win7 x64 Home Premium

I also have a 250 gb and an 80 gb hard drive as well as my DVD drive.


Also, if I decide to add more RAM does it matter very much if I use
one 4 gb stick vs. 2 x 2 gb? I know you're supposed to have matching
pairs for it to run in dual channel mode but how big is the
difference?


thanks for any advice you can give.
Jon

You can do the calculations yourself, rather easily:

If you want an accurate estimation, spend $20 on a wattage meter.
Online power supply calculators are for selling unnecessarily
high wattage power supplies.

--














http://www.thermaltake.outervision.com/

Yousuf Khan



Date: Sun, 29 Apr 2012 17:26:53 -0400
From: Yousuf Khan bbbl67 spammenot.yahoo.com
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Subject: NEW BUILD - am I going to need a more powerful PSU? And one other question.
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"John Doe" If you want an accurate estimation, spend $20 on a wattage meter.
Online power supply calculators are for selling unnecessarily
high wattage power supplies.

So if one did not possess a power supply of sufficient wattage
to run the system at full power, how does one generate the wattage
that is to be measured by the wattmeter?

*TimDaniels*

On Sun, 29 Apr 2012 17:26:53 -0400, Yousuf Khan
wrote:

On 29/04/2012 11:20 AM, wrote:
Hey everyone, I'm going to build me a new machine, I'm not sure if my
power supply (a 520 watt Corsair) can handle all this. Here's what
I've decided on:

CPU - Core i5-2500
Motherboard - BIOSTAR TZ68A+
RAM - 2 x 4GB CORSAIR
Video card - EVGA GeForce GTX 560
Hard drive - Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe 2.5" 60GB
Win7 x64 Home Premium

I also have a 250 gb and an 80 gb hard drive as well as my DVD drive.


Also, if I decide to add more RAM does it matter very much if I use
one 4 gb stick vs. 2 x 2 gb? I know you're supposed to have matching
pairs for it to run in dual channel mode but how big is the
difference?


thanks for any advice you can give.
Jon

You can do the calculations yourself, rather easily:

http://www.thermaltake.outervision.com/

Yousuf Khan


Thanks, that's a pretty handy tool. According to that I only need a
little over 400 watts. Pretty close to Paul's estimate, so way-to-go
Paul.

Jon

Timothy Daniels wrote:
"John Doe" If you want an accurate estimation, spend $20 on a wattage meter.
Online power supply calculators are for selling unnecessarily
high wattage power supplies.

So if one did not possess a power supply of sufficient wattage
to run the system at full power, how does one generate the wattage
that is to be measured by the wattmeter?

*TimDaniels*


Recall a certain Calvin and Hobbes cartoon, where Calvin
asks his dad how they figure out how much weight the bridge
they're driving over, can hold. And his dad tells him,
they drive heavier and heavier trucks over the bridge,
until the bridge breaks and falls down.

A computer doesn't draw peak power when you start it, boot
it, and sit idle in the desktop. A typical gamer system with
big video card, only hits peak power, when in 3D gaming mode.
You can connect the Kill-o-Watt meter, and get a reading from
the meter. Then, try a slightly more stressful program,
and so on. Until either the machine trips out, or the machine
stays up, and you know it can take it.

A modern system in idle, shouldn't use more than about 150W or
so. So you should be able to start it, with a crappy supply.
Video card idle power has dropped substantially over the years.
There is one video card, that's down around 2-3 watts or so
at idle. And if you have that "triple SLI system with $2000
worth of video cards", then you're hardly the kind of person
to be running that on a $50 supply. You can pop for a new
$300 supply, because you're made of money. You'd probably
have bought the $300 supply, because it had a pretty logo on the
side of it :-) (Bling)

Paul

wrote:
On Sun, 29 Apr 2012 17:26:53 -0400, Yousuf Khan
wrote:

On 29/04/2012 11:20 AM, wrote:
Hey everyone, I'm going to build me a new machine, I'm not sure if my
power supply (a 520 watt Corsair) can handle all this. Here's what
I've decided on:

CPU - Core i5-2500
Motherboard - BIOSTAR TZ68A+
RAM - 2 x 4GB CORSAIR
Video card - EVGA GeForce GTX 560
Hard drive - Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe 2.5" 60GB
Win7 x64 Home Premium

I also have a 250 gb and an 80 gb hard drive as well as my DVD drive.


Also, if I decide to add more RAM does it matter very much if I use
one 4 gb stick vs. 2 x 2 gb? I know you're supposed to have matching
pairs for it to run in dual channel mode but how big is the
difference?


thanks for any advice you can give.
Jon
You can do the calculations yourself, rather easily:

http://www.thermaltake.outervision.com/

Yousuf Khan


Thanks, that's a pretty handy tool. According to that I only need a
little over 400 watts. Pretty close to Paul's estimate, so way-to-go
Paul.

Jon

My grade five math teacher is proud of me :-)

And they said I'd never amount to anything.

Paul