PSU, HDD question

$

$trapped

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 18, 2012
Messages
168
Will the PSU listed be ok for the setup and could I get away with using a Samsung SP2514N for my HDD or should I go with something new? If the HDD is ok do I need any special adapters/cards to use with the mobo? If I do need a new HDD, since I don't save large amounts what's the best one to go with?

i3 2120http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115077
asus p8z68-v lx http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131781
Kingston (2x2) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104203
asus dvd+rw http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204
nzxt case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146078
corsair cx430 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026
 
Are you planing to use onboard graphics, if so the PSU will be fine. If not we need to know what graphics card you will be using.

As for the hard drive your existing drive is PATA. Most current motherboards don't have IDE controllers. Normally I would suggest getting a new drive no question but currently even small hard drives are pretty pricey due to the floods.

If you do stick with your existing hard drive i'd suggest getting a motherboard with the PATA controller onboard. In principle you should be able to boot systems off add in cards but IIRC it can sometimes be a little hit and miss. Maybe the ASUS P8H67-V http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131783 . Another option is a PATA to SATA converter but they seem difficult to mount securely and i've seen reports of problems with them in the past.

Another option (and what I did with my most recent PC) is to use a SSD as your boot drive and not bother with a HDD initially. More expensive but makes any task involving disk access much quicker.
 
I was thinking of going with a small ssd and wait for prices to drop on the mass hdd. Any recommendations? I'm mostly concerned with reliability as what little I have read points to controller issues.

As for the gpu, I am thinking one of the following in the future: radeon 4870, 6750, 5670, or 6670. Still need to research them but yeah, would definitely need to know if the psu I have selected can handle these.
 
The 6750 is a great little GPU that sips power. That PSU should be enough to power that rig

Get a crucial 64gig SSD as an OS drive.

In fact, you could even throw in a 6850 and that 430W PSU should be plenty. For 20-30 more watts the 6870 might fit as well. That depends on your budget, though.
 
Last edited:
$trapped said:
I was thinking of going with a small ssd and wait for prices to drop on the mass hdd. Any recommendations? I'm mostly concerned with reliability as what little I have read points to controller issues.

As for the gpu, I am thinking one of the following in the future: radeon 4870, 6750, 5670, or 6670. Still need to research them but yeah, would definitely need to know if the psu I have selected can handle these.
Click to expand...

SSD wise, I recommend the following:
$105 - Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SSD
$180 - Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SSD

As for the GPUs, all of the GPUs you mentioned will work fine with that Corsair PSU. However, none of those cards that you mentioned are worth buying these days at their current prices. The cheapest bang for the buck gaming video card that I can recommend is the HD 6770 or its older twin HD 5770.

$trapped said:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131781
Kingston (2x2)
Click to expand...
Not a good choice for RAM at all: Not only does it limit your future upgrades to 12GB of RAM max and overpriced, it's rated at 1.65V which means that it can potentially damage your CPU. Go with either of the following RAM instead:
$20 - G.Skill F3-10666CL9S-2GBNT 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$37 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
 
I decided to use my SP2514N hdd since it was never really used in the first place and see how it goes. If it tanks I'll go with the M4...seems to be the only ssd anyone trusts right now.
The ram I ditched for some GSkill Ripjaws 1600 (2x2) 1.5v. Probably overkill for this build but I am anticipating having to build another rig sometime soon for my mom so I'll be tweaking both systems anyway. Probably just give her this build and swipe out the ram :). Thanks for all the suggestions, here's the build list.

What I ordered:
1 x ($129.99) Intel Core i3-2120 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I32120
$129.99

1 x ($117.99) ASUS P8Z68-V LX LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
$117.99

1 x ($44.99) CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 (CMPSU-430CXV2) 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
$44.99

1 x ($29.99) G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL
$29.99

1 x ($19.99) Rosewill RNX-MiniN2 (RWLD-11002) Wireless Adapter IEEE 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Up to 300Mbps Wireless Data Rates WEP 64/128, WPA, WPA2, IEEE 802.1x
$19.99

1 x ($18.99) ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM
$18.99

1 x ($14.99) SYBA SD-ADA50016 SATA to IDE (IDE to SATA) Bi-Directional Adapter
$14.99

2 x ($5.33) Nippon Labs Premium High Performance HDMI Cable 10 ft. HDMI TO HDMI High Speed Networking Cable A/V Gold Plated
$10.66

1 x ($-13.00) DISCOUNT FOR PROMOTION CODE
$-13.00

Subtotal: $374.59

1 x ($69.99) LIAN LI Lancool First Knight Series PC-K59W Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$69.99

1 x ($-14.00) DISCOUNT FOR PROMOTION CODE
$-14.00

Subtotal: $55.99
MIR Amount:$30.00
Total Amount:$400.58

Almost forgot, I checked out the PSU on johnnyguru.com and found out it's not 80+ certified, but still decent enough for what I paid.
 
Last edited:
You do realize that going with 2GB sticks limits you to either 12GB or 20GB of RAM. The 20GB option being extremely expensive right now due to the fact that 8GB sticks are costly, so costly that you'd be better off just throwing those 2x2GB sticks in the trash and getting a 16GB 4x4 kit. With that being said, 8GB in 2x4 sticks is only $10 more.
 
I'm not that concerned about it since 1) I won't be doing anything requiring that much ram and 2) I most likely will need to build another rig in the near future to replace a family member's 6yr old system, so I can always re-use them.
 
$trapped said:
1 x ($29.99) G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL
$29.99
Click to expand...
My biggest issue with the setup is the RAM: $30 for 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM is a total and utter ripoff considering that $7 more gets you TWICE as much RAM right now. Not bad RAM but stupidly fuckin' overpriced.
 
$trapped said:
I decided to use my SP2514N hdd since it was never really used in the first place and see how it goes. If it tanks I'll go with the M4...seems to be the only ssd anyone trusts right now.
The ram I ditched for some GSkill Ripjaws 1600 (2x2) 1.5v. Probably overkill for this build but I am anticipating having to build another rig sometime soon for my mom so I'll be tweaking both systems anyway. Probably just give her this build and swipe out the ram :). Thanks for all the suggestions, here's the build list.

What I ordered:
1 x ($129.99) Intel Core i3-2120 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I32120
$129.99

1 x ($117.99) ASUS P8Z68-V LX LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
$117.99

1 x ($44.99) CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 (CMPSU-430CXV2) 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
$44.99

1 x ($29.99) G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL
$29.99

1 x ($19.99) Rosewill RNX-MiniN2 (RWLD-11002) Wireless Adapter IEEE 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Up to 300Mbps Wireless Data Rates WEP 64/128, WPA, WPA2, IEEE 802.1x
$19.99

1 x ($18.99) ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM
$18.99

1 x ($14.99) SYBA SD-ADA50016 SATA to IDE (IDE to SATA) Bi-Directional Adapter
$14.99

2 x ($5.33) Nippon Labs Premium High Performance HDMI Cable 10 ft. HDMI TO HDMI High Speed Networking Cable A/V Gold Plated
$10.66

1 x ($-13.00) DISCOUNT FOR PROMOTION CODE
$-13.00

Subtotal: $374.59

1 x ($69.99) LIAN LI Lancool First Knight Series PC-K59W Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$69.99

1 x ($-14.00) DISCOUNT FOR PROMOTION CODE
$-14.00

Subtotal: $55.99
MIR Amount:$30.00
Total Amount:$400.58

Almost forgot, I checked out the PSU on johnnyguru.com and found out it's not 80+ certified, but still decent enough for what I paid.
Click to expand...

Actually, you will not be able to use your SP2514N at all on that P8Z68-V LX motherboard: That board has no IDE/PATA connector at all.
 
It's bi-directional so it should work.

No GPU? Also want to join in with Danny and recommend 8GB with 2 sticks. For $7 it's worth it
 
I agree about the ram but it's already on its way and since I don't foresee myself doing anything with this setup that requires 8gb I'll eat the lost value. Besides, when I have to build another the 4gb will most likely go to my mom and all she does is light surfing, email, and some flash games. Next time 'round I'll be a lot more vigilant about everything.
 
$trapped said:
So the converter that I bought won't work?
Click to expand...

It might. However, I do not really recommend any SATA-to-IDE adapters because not all motherboards are compatible with such adapters in the first place (in fact, Intel advises against using any adapters for the SATA ports with their own branded motherboards). In addition, the adapter itself could be so poorly designed and/or use a poor implementation of the bridge chip that the SP2514N so converted could end up performing slower than a 4GB Quantum Bigfoot hard drive (remember those 5.25" slimline relics?) that spun at only 3600 RPM.
 
Test the PSU, I have the same one and it whines when idle and off, if you are using yours 24/7, you shouldn't be able to hear it.
 
If the converter doesn't work or the drive crawls I'll ditch it and go for new. I've come across others with the same board who haven't had any problems so well see.

What do I do to test the PSU? I don't need to fork out more dough for that do I?
 
$trapped said:
If the converter doesn't work or the drive crawls I'll ditch it and go for new. I've come across others with the same board who haven't had any problems so well see.
Click to expand...

I just double-checked past reviews of the SP2514N. While it was a fast drive by 2006 standards, it is very slow (by itself) nowadays: That drive uses two 125GB platters with data written on both sides of both platters. This less-dense configuration results in relatively slow sequential transfer speeds (for example, the maximum sequential transfer speed of that SP2514N is less than half as fast as the latest SATA hard drives with 1TB platters; in fact, the SP2514N is actually slower than the slowest of the current 5400 RPM "Green" hard drives in sequential transfers).

Just something that I warned you about.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top