Budget rig, help?

jarrodr said:
I have mucho faith in the psu. Please don't fail me now.
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How come?

No 80+ certification
No reviews
Dual 12v rails with 18A each :(

If you ever added a decent graphics card, it would probably be insufficient (decent graphcis cards required around 22A+). Where if you spend R50 - R100 more now, you will get a quality PSU that lasts for years/PCs/graphics cards to come.

Sorry pal, Extreme Power is frowned upon around here.
 
jarrodr said:
I have mucho faith in the psu. Please don't fail me now.

I have a Samsung 23 sw. Would the Hd6670 be exceptable for demanding games?
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PSU is fine, most people yelp about Cooler Master's budget because they had a friend who had a friend who fried one. In most case, they are worth it and it will perform perfectly fine for your system. You can even shove a GTX670/GTX660/Radeon HD7870 in there when the time comes. I've still got my Huntkey GreenPower 550w that I bagged for R400 over two years ago - still working like a charm, even with my HD6870. but anyways.

Tom's Hardware HD6670 Review

A lot of games will run nicely without AA at your native resolution, but don't expect miracles - this card punches above its weight, but its going to be limited eventually. Games like Metro need to be run in DX9 mode, but otherwise you'll average about 40FPS in most games, which is enough for a comfortable experience. Take off the AF as well and turn things down to medium, and you'll be fine with any modern title you choose to play. I'm only recommending it, though, because it is the cheapest you can get away with.

If you're interested, take a looky here: Gigabyte HD6770 1GB @ R996. Its a bargain though, so it may run out quickly.
 
NAG - Wesley said:
PSU is fine, most people yelp about Cooler Master's budget because they had a friend who had a friend who fried one. In most case, they are worth it and it will perform perfectly fine for your system. You can even shove a GTX670/GTX660/Radeon HD7870 in there when the time comes. I've still got my Huntkey GreenPower 550w that I bagged for R400 over two years ago - still working like a charm, even with my HD6870. but anyways.
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So people are wrong to advise against because 'of a friend of a friend who fried one' (you couldn't actually be further from the truth), yet you are allowed to advise for because you 'have a Huntkey from over 2 years ago still working like a charm' ?

Pot, meet kettle. :D
 
PostmanPot said:
So people are wrong to advise against because 'of a friend of a friend who fried one' (you couldn't actually be further from the truth), yet you are allowed to advise for because you 'have a Huntkey from over 2 years ago still working like a charm' ?

Pot, meet kettle. :D
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Hey, I tested the thing thoroughly while it was still unboxed and on the shelf in the shop I worked for before making my decision. I got lucky with it because it's a revised design by Seventeam, and was actually comparable to the Cooler Master GX550w that came out in the same year. granted I don't stress it out as much as I could, but its lasted through two motherboard upgrades, two processors and jumping from a Radeon HD5750 straight to a HD6870. The Extreme Power Plus Series actually has nothing wrong with it (benchmarks say wrong, but they're just benchmarks with results that only matter if you need to get the most out of the thing), if the number I sold to customers was anything to go by (not one returned in two years, save for two idiots who couldn't keep a cockroach out their room).

"No 80+ certification
No reviews
Dual 12v rails with 18A each"

Honestly, he won't be needing an 80+ rating. He's not even using a graphics card, for crying out loud. At most the load will be around 25% of what the PSU can deliver, and at that point efficiency should be around 75% or so anyway. Really, even for an i7 2600k with a Geforce GTX560Ti it should do an admirable job. (but that's about its limit, and I'd recommend a different PSU for a rig like that)

No reviews? Google gives me quite a few. Hardware Secrets has one up (not very concise, but all the other hardware sites concentrate on the higher-spec models anyway). On that basis, should we only recommend products based off Seasonic designs? Not even they get everything right all the time.

Besides, he'll probably be replacing the PSU along with buying a new GPU in a couple of month's time anyway. Once he spots the GTX680/HD7970 dropping into his price range he's going to come back here, have a long hard discussion in a new thread about what he's going to get and we'll all recommend a new PSU anyway - so maybe we should just leave it for then.
 
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You are right, there are a couple of reviews... Here's one where the Extreme Power 500 fails their testing... :( http://www.hardocp.com/article/2009/02/16/entry_level_power_supply_roundup/14

Don't get me wrong, I hear what you are saying and agree that there is "nothing wrong" with most branded entry PSUs for low end machines. I have a PSU, weighs nothing, from 6 years ago in an AMD Duron machine that was in daily operation until a few months ago. Perfect for its use and stood the test of time well. Doesn't mean I'd settle at that when advising though. My main point is that for a fraction of the cost more OP could get a much better PSU and warranty, even more SATA connectors. Take a look at the GX450 for only ±R25 more:

Coolermaster RS450-ACAAD3 GX 450w ( 12v: 420w ) , EPS12V V2.91 + ATX 12V V2.31, active PFC , 1x 6 pin PCI-E power connectors , 5x SATA, 24pin ( 4 pin detachable ) , 1x 120mm PWM fan ; with OVP/ UVP/OPP/OTP /SCP ; 80 PLUS Bronze certified - 5 years warranty http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=6700
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Ok Ok, I'm that guy. Guess when the time comes I'll face that bullet.
I won't be getting a graphics card any time soon, so cool bananas.

Will update details on my build when I get all the parts.
 
Meaning?

You won't pay R25 for 3 years extra warranty, 80% bronze efficiency, extra SATA connector, more power (yes the GX450 is more powerful than the EP500)?

:(
 
Ok, I've emailed the vendor to replace the psu with a GX 550w.

Chances are that I'll only get a reply on Monday. Thanks again for voicing your disgust with the extreme power, lol.
 
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