New Build - What would be an adequate PSU?

[tezzer2006]

I'm looking at building a new gaming PC on a fairly strict budget. So far I've already got the OC'd Gigabyte 2GB 7850 and I'm looking at getting the following:

AMD FX-8350
XFX 550W Core Edition
MSI 970A-G46 AM3+
Corsair 8GB (2x4GB) 1600MHz RAM

I've not settled on a case yet but I'm considering the Corsair 200R because it seems to bring quite a lot to the table, particularly for the price. I was originally considering the Fractal Define R3 (we seriously need more cases that look like this!!) but I want the front USB 3 and I don't like not having a HDD activity LED.

So coming back to the point of this post, would that PSU be adequate for my build or should I consider the 650W instead?

And any other (constructive) thoughts you guys have on any other parts of the rig would be greatly appreciated!

Edit: I'm so cool that I managed to get a /cool face in RAM link. #yoloswag4lyfe

 

[jamesriley94]

Take a look at Silverstone Striders.
It's worth paying a little more for something fully modular in my opinion:
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/500w...onze-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-quiet-fan-atx-v23-

What will you be using the PC for?

 

[WYP]

the 550W psu will be fine for you proposed system.

XFX make great power supplies!

 

[tezzer2006]

What will you be using the PC for?

Gaming. I'm also one for making my pennies go far so I'll be overclocking my CPU at some point or another, which will be when I buy improved cooling for my CPU.

the 550W psu will be fine for you proposed system.

XFX make great power supplies!

Thanks.

 

[jamesriley94]

Gaming. I'm also one for making my pennies go far so I'll be overclocking my CPU at some point or another, which will be when I buy improved cooling for my CPU.

Go for Intel.
Look for a 3570k/2500k with an MSI Z77-G45.

You'll also save quite a lot by trying for a second hand 3570k.

It will perform better in gaming, and should work out about the same price.

 

[tezzer2006]

Go for Intel.
Look for a 3570k/2500k with an MSI Z77-G45.

You'll also save quite a lot by trying for a second hand 3570k.

It will perform better in gaming, and should work out about the same price.

Are preowned 3570K's readily available at/around the price of an 8350? Sorry, I realise I'm leaning heavily on you rather than just Googling.

 

[jamesriley94]

Are preowned 3570K's readily available at/around the price of an 8350? Sorry, I realise I'm leaning heavily on you rather than just Googling.

Err, new 3570ks are pretty much the same price as the 8350 you've linked. Intel motherboards tend to be a little more expensive however.

Worth having a look on ebay, you can usually get a 3570k for around £125ish.

 

[tezzer2006]

Err, new 3570ks are pretty much the same price as the 8350 you've linked. Intel motherboards tend to be a little more expensive however.

Worth having a look on ebay, you can usually get a 3570k for around £125ish.

The price of the G45 combined with the price of the 3570K is about £70 more than the AMD CPU and mobo I linked above. That's the cost of a new OS!

Edit: I'll take a look at Ebay.

 

[jamesriley94]

Solution: Don't buy from Scan.

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...DDR3+PCI-Express+Motherboard+?productId=53350

http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials...t+LGA1155+Processor+-+Retail+?productId=49755

 

[tezzer2006]

Solution: Don't buy from Scan.

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...DDR3+PCI-Express+Motherboard+?productId=53350

http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials...t+LGA1155+Processor+-+Retail+?productId=49755

Intel it is!! Thanks! haha

By the way, speaking of the OS, are there any benefits in terms of performance or features in getting Windows 8 over Windows 7? This machine is still running Vista but I've seen 8 on my friend's PC and I can't stand it so I'd rather go with Windows 7, but that's purely from an aesthetic and just generally preferring the UI of 7.

 

[jamesriley94]

Not really to be honest. Unless Windows 8 is cheaper, if you're trying to save money, I wouldn't bother with it.
Just stick to 7.

 

[WYP]

Intel it is!! Thanks! haha

By the way, speaking of the OS, are there any benefits in terms of performance or features in getting Windows 8 over Windows 7? This machine is still running Vista but I've seen 8 on my friend's PC and I can't stand it so I'd rather go with Windows 7, but that's purely from an aesthetic and just generally preferring the UI of 7.

from what i have read performance difference will be minimal at best between +-5%

go for whatever is best for you

 

[NeverBackDown]

Win 7 as we all know is great. It supports all games and has few issues with them. Win 8 however has issues from what i have heard: has a hard time running games as many are not supported yet with the slow adoption of Win8. Games that do support it however for the most part do run faster on the same hardware.

Edit: AMD vs Intel. It's an argument that will never end. Go for the cheapest combo of cpu/mobo in your case(since on tight budget). With consoles using ALL AMD hardware then in theory console games ported over to PC will be better optimized for AMD cpus/gpus. And games that are ported from PC to console may have better optimization but not to the same extent. We will only know in the future as to how devs go about things.

 

[tezzer2006]

Edit: With consoles using ALL AMD hardware then in theory console games ported over to PC will be better optimized for AMD cpus/gpus. And games that are ported from PC to console may have better optimization but not to the same extent. We will only know in the future as to how devs go about things.

Would it be fair to make such a straight forward assumption that because the consoles use AMD that PC users using AMD would get better performance than Intel PC users? tbf I was originally speculating that the 8350 with the extra cores may, in a few year's time, when devs are designing games to make use of more cores, become a more viable competitor to the 2500k etc...?

 

[NeverBackDown]

Would it be fair to make such a straight forward assumption that because the consoles use AMD that PC users using AMD would get better performance than Intel PC users? tbf I was originally speculating that the 8350 with the extra cores may, in a few year's time, when devs are designing games to make use of more cores, become a more viable competitor to the 2500k etc...?

Only for gaming purposes with consoles and PCs will AMD CPUs/GPUs will get the better end of the stick. Specifaclly the GPUs with GCN architecture will see the best results from this. CPUs won't see as much of a boost because the custom designs of PS4/Xbone have slightly different archtitectures from what i know so far from eachother and the PC counter parts.