Building a gaming PC

[plthijinx]

So a guy I know on a forum in f/b wants to build a gaming computer. THIS is what he came up with. His budget is roughly $1000 bucks. I looked it over and thought that it would be a nice set up. I did recommend going with the best Video card he could buy as that's the big punch nowadays with gamers....

thoughts? comments? switch component "A" with component "B"?

[Undertoad]

That'll do just fine. I split the drive space between a smaller SSD (128GB) and a standard 1TB hard drive. That way I boot fast and have all the huge game content on the big drive.

[glatt]

You're an electrical engineer type guy, right? Do you need a power supply that massive? How do you calculate what sized PS you need? Seems like a $90, 650 watt PS might be overkill.


But to be honest, I have no information to back that up. It's just a gut feeling.

[plthijinx]

true, BUT you have to pay attention to the power requirements of the mother board too. you can over size it and at the same time under size it. best to go with what the manufacturer recommends. to be honest i didn't look that closely at. But also it's powering everything else too under the hood. a 650 should do fine.

[Undertoad]

It's the video card that consumes all the power. They are mighty beasts these days, requiring their own power connector. 650W is appropriate.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

It's the video card that consumes all the power. They are mighty beasts these days...

I just saw Philthy's picture of the beast on Facebook. You are absolutely right.

[tw]

Originally Posted by glatt

I just saw Philthy's picture of the beast on Facebook.

Good. You have numbers. What are they?

[plthijinx]

Cool, Thanks Toad!

[glatt]

Heh.

I went to the Asus site and looked up that video card. 225w

Somebody ought to invent some ductwork that goes from inside the case to your cold winter mouse hand to keep it warm. You could probably bake a cupcake inside that case. My sister's childhood Easy Bake oven used a 100 watt bulb for a heat source, I think.

[plthijinx]

lol, yeah Glatt, i hear ya!

225w is a nice chunk of change for that. hell i've put in industrial plant LED floodlighting that runs on less than half that each fixture

[tw]

Originally Posted by glatt

I went to the Asus site and looked up that video card. 225w

If his computer and motherboard are consuming 600 watts, then also install a slot to toast bread.

Computer assemblers typically have no hardware knowledge. So we simplify things to keep them off technical help lines. Most all computers consume at maximum 200 watts. And often average around 100. So we tell them it consumes 300 watts. Since a power supply must be selected by amps for each DC voltage, well, that is too complicated for computer assemblers. So we make sure each DC voltage can provide enough current by doubling what the computer really needs. Now we have told them they need a 600 watt supply.

Then penis size makes a more manly system when they get a 650 or 1000 watt supply. Many computer assemblers even believe the 1000 watt supply is more reliable - because its number is bigger. They believe because they feel.

All for a computer that mostly consumes 100 watts and rarely more than 200 watts.

To keep these computer assemblers off the help lines, we tell them they need 225 watts for a video card that really only consumes typically 80 watts with short bursts that might be as much as 120 watts.

How large are power supplies in responsibly designed system by engineers? View numbers for Dell and HP. Typically around 225 watts for a system that has more than enough power for everything you might add to it. But the important number was never a supply's watts. The important number was always amps for each DC voltage (ie 3.3, 5, 12V).

When did Lite-On start making DVD drives? This was an LED manufacturer.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by tw

To keep these computer assemblers off the help lines, we tell them ...

You make it sound like keeping customers from having to call a help line is a bad thing. Seems to me you should add up the peak values for all the components, and get something that is equal to that number. Since it's unlikely that you will find a power supply with exactly that number, you should buy the next size up. And when you are looking at the price tag of the next size up, maybe there is a sale or something on a PS a little bit bigger that makes it a little more attractive.

You don't design for the average, you design for the peak. Imagine if dams were built for average river flow instead of for hundred year floods.

[plthijinx]

Originally Posted by glatt

*snip*......You don't design for the average, you design for the peak. Imagine if dams were built for average river flow instead of for hundred year floods.

in what i do, you size transformers and cable sizes for peak, if not more (aka. oversizing). say you have a 480v to 240/120v single phase 50kVA transformer. is that good enough? well you have to look at your loads to find out. yeah, i started out assbackwards on purpose because i've had clients say that's what they want without knowing their power consumption for that feed. same here. you have the power.....only how much power gets used is up to all the components and with all the components consumption added up wattwise is the ps then big enough?

unless of course you're LJ. then the component is big enough. the only person i know that can trump the dos XX most interesting man in the world is him.

[tw]

Originally Posted by glatt

Seems to me you should add up the peak values for all the components, and get something that is equal to that number. Since it's unlikely that you will find a power supply with exactly that number, you should buy the next size up.

Which is what engineers at HP and Dell have done for decades. His 800 watt supply would never see a 400 watt load. Similar computers from those manufacturers only need 200+ watt supplies to power every future part. These numbers are easily calculated since every peripheral connector (ie PCI or video card slot) and other connectors are limited to so many amps. Add all up and lower wattage supplies selected by HP and Dell engineers are more that sufficient.

Getting a layman to add those numbers is virtually impossible for a majority. Simpler to tell him he needs a 600+ watt supply and sell him an 800 watt supply for a computer that never consumes even 300 watts.

Watts is a useless design number. Current (amps) for each DC voltage is relevant. But most computer assemblers (amazingly) cannot add those numbers. Easier is to sell supplies on watts.

Some power supplies are rated at their output power. Others rated for how much is consumed. So a 250 watt power supply from a major manufacturer might also be sold as a 350 watt supply to computer assemblers. Nobody lied. Just another characteristic played with numbers that explains why many are told to buy an 800 watt supply - when a 200+ watt supply is more than sufficient. If he really needed a supply anywhere that large, then his computer can also toast bread.

This game continues. For example, I recently purchased a used power supply to fix a computer. That supply marketed to computer assemblers as ATX was missing essential parts necessary to make it ATX compatible. No problem. Holes for missing parts were occupied by jumpers. Parts removed from a defective supply replaced those jumpers to upgrade the new supply with ATX required functions. Supplies missing essential functions are extremely profitable since so many assume all ATX functions exist only if a computer boots.

Another feature of the game. Legally, only a computer assembler must know and meet industry standards and Federal regulations. If a power supply is missing those functions, then the computer assembler (not power supply manufacturer) is legally responsible. Many ATX power supplies are missing essential features that, for example, mean a power supply failure cannot and will not harm other computer parts. Then naive consumers actually believe a motherboard or disk drive damaged by a failing supply is acceptable. ATX standards define functions that make damage impossible. But some supplies are marketed missing such functions. Especially easy when the supply does not come with that long list of specs.

Step one for selecting any supply is a long list of numeric specs. Irrelevant is even if a consumer does not know what those numbers mean. If that long list of specifications is not provided, then a supply can be and may be missing essential and required ATX functions. And the few who actually know what those numbers mean cannot 'blow the whistle'. Unfortunately, most computer assemblers see a computer boot. That proves all ATX functions exist? No. But most consumers assume otherwise only because it boots.

An industry phrase (forgot the symbol) is now marketed that says a supply meets ATX standards - that is not missing essential functions.

[lumberjim]

PS could mean power supply OR penis size, you know. I used an 800. I must be compensating for my small Asian penis.