Suggest Power Supply and Other Components

F

froogle

I am building my dream PC. This is my first build and have just
purchased the following from newegg.

Cooler Master Wavemaster Aluminum
ASUS P5AD2-E Premium
Intel P4 540 3.2GHz 800 MHz FSB 1MB L2 Cache
1GB (2 X 512MB) KINGSTON HYX 240P DDR2 675 (PC5400)
2 - HD 74GB Western Digital Raptor SATA 10,000RPM 8MB WD740GD

My next purchase needs to be a power supply. I am having trouble
choosing a good one that is both stylish and powerful. I plan on
adding other components and would like to make sure I have ample power.
I also want to make sure that the PS fits in my Wavemaster case. Any
suggestions?

Suggestions on next components to add to the machine? Budget isn't
unlimited, so I need to pace myself on the purchases. This motherboard
has 8 channel high definition audio built in, so I am thinking the next
purchase should be the video card, but I'm not sure I want to spend the
$400 these high end cards are costing. Suggestions on a card to fit
with other components?

Thanks,
Rob
 
R

Ruel Smith

froogle said:
I am building my dream PC. This is my first build and have just
purchased the following from newegg.

Cooler Master Wavemaster Aluminum
ASUS P5AD2-E Premium
Intel P4 540 3.2GHz 800 MHz FSB 1MB L2 Cache
1GB (2 X 512MB) KINGSTON HYX 240P DDR2 675 (PC5400)
2 - HD 74GB Western Digital Raptor SATA 10,000RPM 8MB WD740GD

My next purchase needs to be a power supply. I am having trouble
choosing a good one that is both stylish and powerful. I plan on
adding other components and would like to make sure I have ample power.
I also want to make sure that the PS fits in my Wavemaster case. Any
suggestions?

Suggestions on next components to add to the machine? Budget isn't
unlimited, so I need to pace myself on the purchases. This motherboard
has 8 channel high definition audio built in, so I am thinking the next
purchase should be the video card, but I'm not sure I want to spend the
$400 these high end cards are costing. Suggestions on a card to fit
with other components?

So, if you need all the power without the frills of lighted fans and such,
try out this Antec:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-912&depa=1

400 watts should be plenty.

Of course, you didn´t say what your budget was, so you might be able to
spend a little more... Check out this CoolerMaster:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-171-001&depa=1

Personally, I trust few brands as far as power supplies go. I trust these
two brands the most. Not all power supplies are created equal, but I dare
anyone to say anything bad about either CoolerMaster or Antec power
supplies. They deliver as promised. A 300 watt unit from one of these guys
will hold it´s own against a 400 watt unit that sells for less any day.
 
M

manny

froogle said:
I am building my dream PC. This is my first build
and have just purchased the following from newegg.

Cooler Master Wavemaster Aluminum
ASUS P5AD2-E Premium
Intel P4 540 3.2GHz 800 MHz FSB 1MB L2 Cache
1GB (2 X 512MB) KINGSTON HYX 240P DDR2 675 (PC5400)
2 - HD 74GB Western Digital Raptor SATA 10,000RPM
My next purchase needs to be a power supply. I am
having trouble choosing a good one that is both
stylish and powerful.

Why do you want a power supply that's stylish when the
case you bought doesn't have a window to let you see it?

Skip the pimp-white trash styling and get a plain grey
or galvanized power supply from a company that sells
only first-rate equipment, like Fortron (Sparkle,
Powerman, etc.), Antec, Zippy, or PC Power & Cooling.
Fortron is considerably cheaper than the others but
is just as good. You don't need the most powerful
supply, just something that can reliably put out
adequate power under all circumstances, probably
400W for your system, main emphasis on 'reliably.'
Bad supplies use components with lower ratings and
run them closer to their maximums or even beyond,
thanks to poor design or inadequate testing.
 
M

Mac Cool

froogle:
My next purchase needs to be a power supply. I am having trouble
choosing a good one that is both stylish and powerful.

MacDaddy!
http://pcpowerandcooling.com/products/power_supplies/highperformance/tur
bocools/510/index.htm

Uber Antec!
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-924

Nice OCZ!
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-104-150
Suggestions on next components to add to the machine? Budget isn't
unlimited, so I need to pace myself on the purchases. This
motherboard has 8 channel high definition audio built in, so I am
thinking the next purchase should be the video card, but I'm not sure
I want to spend the $400 these high end cards are costing.
Suggestions on a card to fit with other components?

Match the card to it's purpose, not to the machine. A $400 card is
worthless if you don't play the latest shooters. For a high-mid range
card I would recommend a 6800 over a 6600GT, I've just been reading
problem after problem with the 6600 cards. People are complaining about
heat issues on some cards and driver issues in general. The new Radeon
cards might be a good bet, I haven't kept up on them but you should read
up, check for articles on anandtech.com and xbitlabs.com.
 
R

ric

froogle said:
My next purchase needs to be a power supply. I am having trouble
choosing a good one that is both stylish and powerful.

What is a "stylish" power supply and why do you need one?
 
M

Mac Cool

ric:
What is a "stylish" power supply

See my post and Dave's follow-up.
and why do you need one?

Why are people paying $1000 for a $600 video card? Why do people cut
swanky designs in their case and light them up? Why do some people pay
stupid amounts of money for audio cables that are 0.001% better than $20
K-mart specials? Why? Because it's his money, he earned it and he wants to
spend it in a way that makes him happy.
 
R

ric

Mac said:
See my post and Dave's follow-up.


Why are people paying $1000 for a $600 video card? Why do people cut
swanky designs in their case and light them up? Why do some people pay
stupid amounts of money for audio cables that are 0.001% better than $20
K-mart specials? Why? Because it's his money, he earned it and he wants to
spend it in a way that makes him happy.

I *still* don't know what a "stylish" PSU is. If those at the given URLs
are "stylish", then I guess I need a better dictionary.
 

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