How much wattage should I get?

[thenewguy1]

Hey guys. So I'm planning on saving up and getting these parts http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1052Z sometime in the next 2-4 years. I was curious what power supply should I get? The GPU I already have and that's an AMD Radeon HD 7950 gigabyte version. I also have a 750W power supply PC power and cooling I think was it's name. Is all this enough to supply the things I have or no?

[zooey]

750W should be plenty. I have a similar build that runs fine on 600W and I probably could do with less.

 

That being said, a lot of things will change price-wise in 2-4 years.

[thenewguy1]

750W should be plenty. I have a similar build that runs fine on 600W and I probably could do with less.

 

That being said, a lot of things will change price-wise in 2-4 years.

Think those prices will go up or down? I was thinking personally that those prices will just go down and my 1.4k can be used to purchase better up to date parts (filtering out things like inflation ect.)

[O hai im KAMIL]

If you're going to build this in 2 years, why are you planning now? A lot of new tech will come out by then and prices will fluctuate, making your current list useless.

[Bob-sama]

Build up a budget and then buy. Keep an eye on what's current, but don't commit to buying parts that will be quite vintage down the road. Now then, I must critique your planned build...

 

1) There's zero reason to have a triple-channel RAM kit here. Triple-channel memory was basically exclusive to Intel's X58/LGA 1366 (first-generation Core i7, AKA Nehalem). That is, unless you're getting a fantastic price (but you're not).

2) Steady on the motherboard. Sure, it's one of the most important components, but unless you need specific high-end features, you're wasting your money. You could save $40+ and still have PCI-E x16/x0 or x8-x8 (for nVidia SLI or AMD CrossFire) as well as RAID 0/1/5/10 and USB 3.0.

3) Also, steady on the chassis! That's one area that won't impart any performance. You're much better off looking through Newegg for cases with free shipping. Then, look for a name brand--Lian-Li, Corsair, Fractal, and Antec are my usual go-to's now. But even so, buy one with the features you need. In today's day and age, that means USB 3.0 ports, enough air cooling, enough drive bays, and a motherboard and rear I/O big enough to fit everything.

4) You also don't need two different optical drives. In fact, you hardly need an optical drive--period. If you can read a quick online guide, you can install Windows 7 directly from a USB flash drive. And if not, stick with a single drive--you'll probably use it once and never use it again. I purchased an optical drive with my first real build all the way back in winter 2007/2008. I've used it a few times to install the OS (more often, though, I've used a no-name external DVD-ROM) and, in that first year, a few times to install games (SimCity 4, Fallout 3). Since then, it's basically been unused. Actually, now that I think of it, I was ripping quite a CD collection too.

 

Just to answer the original question: a good quality 650W would be more than enough power for that build. A high-quality 450W will run it pretty easily--which is perhaps a better idea if you don't plan to add additional graphics cards.

Edited May 26, 2013 by Bob-sama

[thenewguy1]

Build up a budget and then buy. Keep an eye on what's current, but don't commit to buying parts that will be quite vintage down the road. Now then, I must critique your planned build...

 

1) There's zero reason to have a triple-channel RAM kit here. Triple-channel memory was basically exclusive to Intel's X58/LGA 1366 (first-generation Core i7, AKA Nehalem). That is, unless you're getting a fantastic price (but you're not).

2) Steady on the motherboard. Sure, it's one of the most important components, but unless you need specific high-end features, you're wasting your money. You could save $40+ and still have PCI-E x16/x0 or x8-x8 (for nVidia SLI or AMD CrossFire) as well as RAID 0/1/5/10 and USB 3.0.

3) Also, steady on the chassis! That's one area that won't impart any performance. You're much better off looking through Newegg for cases with free shipping. Then, look for a name brand--Lian-Li, Corsair, Fractal, and Antec are my usual go-to's now. But even so, buy one with the features you need. In today's day and age, that means USB 3.0 ports, enough air cooling, enough drive bays, and a motherboard and rear I/O big enough to fit everything.

4) You also don't need two different optical drives. In fact, you hardly need an optical drive--period. If you can read a quick online guide, you can install Windows 7 directly from a USB flash drive. And if not, stick with a single drive--you'll probably use it once and never use it again. I purchased an optical drive with my first real build all the way back in winter 2007/2008. I've used it a few times to install the OS (more often, though, I've used a no-name external DVD-ROM) and, in that first year, a few times to install games (SimCity 4, Fallout 3). Since then, it's basically been unused. Actually, now that I think of it, I was ripping quite a CD collection too.

 

Just to answer the original question: a good quality 650W would be more than enough power for that build. A high-quality 450W will run it pretty easily--which is perhaps a better idea if you don't plan to add additional graphics cards.

Thank you for pointing out my flaws. I'll be sure to fix them but I use the CD drives to play movies and such. Also I prefer to install Windows 7 off the CD just because it comes out as a CD Already.