$250 Gaming System

[jyjjy777]

Recycling HD/burner
AMD Athlon X2 BE-2400 $40(free shipping)
pqi 2GB DDR2-800 $27(free shipping)
ECS GeForce7050M-M Geforce7050PV/nForce 630a Motherboard $54(with shipping)
PNY 9600 GT $85(free shipping)
HEC MicroATX Mini Tower W/ 485W Power Supply $50(free shipping)

Total = $256, no rebates to bother with

I realize 2x1gig ram in dual channel would be faster but I'd rather leave a slot open to add another 2gigs in the near future.
The only thing I'm not too sure about is the MB. The Foxconn A7VMX-K AMD 780V costs the same after you consider shipping. Better choice?
Any comments or suggestions(that don't raise the price) would be appreciated.

 

[TidusZ]

Honestly, if I were that strapped for cash I'd make a case out of spare stuff I have lying around or else not use a case, save 20 bucks and maybe grab another stick of ram. 485w power supply is overkill so you could probably find a cheap used 300w or something. Otherwise I can't help cus I know nothing of those low cost parts.

 

[jyjjy777]

My old case is dented and scuffed, would be a shame to put new parts into it. I think a 9600gt needs at least a bit more than 300w anyway.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: TidusZ
485w power supply is overkill so you could probably find a cheap used 300w or something.

That HEC 485W PSU probably is a 300W or something. :shocked:

See this thread where a user physically opened up an HEC 585W PSU, and the highest capacity silkscreened on the PCB was 300W.

(Typically a PSU PCB design will support different wattage levels, depending on the choice of components populating the board. Those different levels are usually printed right on the PCB itself.)

 

[Roguestar]

Originally posted by: Zap
See this thread where a user physically opened up an HEC 585W PSU, and the highest capacity silkscreened on the PCB was 300W.

That's pretty shocking :Q.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: Roguestar

Originally posted by: Zap
See this thread where a user physically opened up an HEC 585W PSU, and the highest capacity silkscreened on the PCB was 300W.

That's pretty shocking :Q.

What is more shocking is how often this happens in the industry. This is one reason why so many people OVER-recommend on PSUs because people have gotten used to needing a huge wattage number on the PSU label to even run a modest system.

This is why I like PSU reviews that use load testers. I'm not super particular about stuff like oscilliscope ripple tests or stuff like that, as long as results are within ATX specs. However, I am particular that a PSU puts out what it claims to on the label. Most of the better brands do, but there are brands that have mixed results, and even brands that are overall pretty iffy.

What I mean by "puts out what it claims on the label..." some examples:

This "400W" PSU only puts out 200W

This 400W PSU can put out all 400W

So, PSU #2 can easily run a modest system with a GeForce 9800 GT or Radeon 4850 with some overhead, but PSU #1 will struggle to run such a setup, if it will at all.