Wow... I feel I have been schooled (to death!) concerning psu's. It's like watching 2 lawyers go at it during a heated murder trial.
I was thinking about my needs for this new rig and I have come to the conclusion:
-I won't be seeking a sli configuration (the gains are nominal in most games and the heat production isn't worth it in my opinion).
-I don't see the real benefit in going to DDR3 at this time since the performance isn't showing great gains over DDR2 (from what reviews I've read).
-I've never been a true "power gamer", but I just once wanted to know I had a powerful beast at my disposal (and the prices allow for that at this time).'
-My current rig hasn't changed over the 2.5 years I've had it except for the addition of 1 gig of ram and a dvd-dl burner. I don't see myself needing a major or semi-major upgrade before another 2.5 years passes. By then we'll probably have drastically different cpu's that will require a whole new board, nano technology robots will be on shelves at Wal-Mart, war with China will be slogging along, and who knows what else?
I'm going to play with the configuration, but still have the Propus 620 cpu as the core of the upgrade.
I want to keep my price closer to $400 and possibly under (that's after rebates). Although the suggestion about the going from the 4870 to the 4890 is intriguing considering the power consumption differences. Keep in mind, this computer will be powered for no more than 30-60 hours a week based on my normal usage patterns.
I was thinking about my needs for this new rig and I have come to the conclusion:
-I won't be seeking a sli configuration (the gains are nominal in most games and the heat production isn't worth it in my opinion).
-I don't see the real benefit in going to DDR3 at this time since the performance isn't showing great gains over DDR2 (from what reviews I've read).
-I've never been a true "power gamer", but I just once wanted to know I had a powerful beast at my disposal (and the prices allow for that at this time).'
-My current rig hasn't changed over the 2.5 years I've had it except for the addition of 1 gig of ram and a dvd-dl burner. I don't see myself needing a major or semi-major upgrade before another 2.5 years passes. By then we'll probably have drastically different cpu's that will require a whole new board, nano technology robots will be on shelves at Wal-Mart, war with China will be slogging along, and who knows what else?
I'm going to play with the configuration, but still have the Propus 620 cpu as the core of the upgrade.
I want to keep my price closer to $400 and possibly under (that's after rebates). Although the suggestion about the going from the 4870 to the 4890 is intriguing considering the power consumption differences. Keep in mind, this computer will be powered for no more than 30-60 hours a week based on my normal usage patterns.