Building a Gaming Computer

[jimhelm]

Tw, did I get a good power supply?!

[tw]

Originally Posted by jimhelm

Tw, did I get a good power supply?!

Corsair is a popular brand name. Without a few sheet of spec numbers, I cannot say anything more.

Nobody really needs an 800 watt supply. But a majority of comptuer builders say it is needed due to hype and spin. Will your computer output heat like a toaster? Of course not. View supplies from brand name computers. Rarely do they exceed 400 watts. Most of the time, a computer consumes 200 watts or less.

Now, is that supply really 800 watts? To say more (again) means spec numbers. For example the 250 watt supply in a Dell would also be hyped as maybe 400 watts in stores selling to computer assemlbers. They did not lie. They just play games with the numbers to cite a different wattage measurement. Why are so many told to install an 800 watt supply? Generally, just double what you really need. Then any one current (for each voltage) that might be insufficient is now more than enough.

The supply is probably fine. That is the best I can say. But appreciate games played with computer assemblers mostly because so many ignore or never really learn the numbers.

Once built, tests recommended using the multimeter (while multitasking to everything as described in that other thread) can better say whether that one unique supply is up to the task. One of two tests recommended here to avert future failures.

One chassis fan should be more than sufficient (not to be confused with completely different fans on heatsinks). Sometimes people install more fans to eliminate hot spots. Or so that air still flows because they expect one fan to fail. So one fan blows in while another fan blows out the other side.

Routing of ribbon cables and other 'airflow restrictive' items is important so that hotspots do not form. One 40 CFM (cubic feet per minute) chassis fan should be more than sufficient to move air when the room is at 100 degreee F. Moving too much air usually creates another problem - excessive dust.

Best time to learn how reliable a system is will be is on a warmest day. Try executing heavily in a 100 degree F room. Some hardware defects that might cause failures months or years later can sometimes be identified when the room is that warm. And before a warranty expires. 100 degrees F will never cause hardware damage. But may identify weaknesses that only get worse with age.