The Corsair CX series I think is obsolete now. If you are budget oriented, I would buy a CoolerMaster PSU today, if you are quality oriented, then Seasonic is the best in my opinion.

Minecrafter, you are correct, the low level PSU from CoolerMaster, or any brand for that matter, should be avoided.

CoolerMaster budget series should be the G-series at least, about RM240 for 600W.

The list that you are referring to has some reviews of power supplies from 5 to 6 years ago, and most of those power supplies are obsolete. So it is important to look at the current PSU that are being sold today, and try to look up reviews on the internet, especially those reviews that use proper tools to measure the PSU's performance.

I would not say that the list is indicative of the overall performance of a certain brand. Many brands today do not make their own power supplies, like CoolerMaster, or Corsair, so it is best to identify the specific PSU based on budget and/or performance, then check out for reviews that have actual power measurements.

aeonsakura, please help to advise what are the problems that Nvidia is having with the Dell S2440L monitor? It is surprising to me that Nvidia would have a problem with a monitor that is specific to Nvidia, and not any of other GPUs from AMD, or Intel.

Thanks for the feedback. The Nvidia compressed RGB issue has been well documented for years, and the latest drivers require changing from "RGB" to "YCbCr444" to enable improved contrast and color performance. This issue is not specific to Dell S2440L, but all monitors in general, including HDTVs. I am using a Nvidia card with a Panasonic plasma TV, and YCbCr444 is enabled for better picture quality.

There are also many other settings to calibrate to obtain the best black level performance from your monitor. Generally, HDMI or DVI (digital signal) will provide better picture quality compared to VGA (analog signal), so I would still recommend using HDMI connection, and then properly calibrating the system, including using YCbCr444 in the Nvidia drivers, and doing the proper contrast and brightness calibration on the monitor (if possible).

Generally, for the same level of performance, the smaller form factor build will be slightly more expensive, due to the motherboard, and casing. For example, an iTX motherboard will generally be more expensive than an equivalent mATX motherboard, and nice iTX cases are slightly more expensive than mATX cases as well. Also, the iTX build will normally be more difficult to cool, and this will need more careful selection of components to maintain the same level of performance and/or reliability.

Go to the Nvidia Control Panel, then under "Display", look for "Adjust desktop color settings", then look for "Digital color format", and select "YCbCr444".

If your drivers do not have this setting, then there are three possibilities I know of:

1. You do not have the correct monitor driver installed, or
2. Your display does not support the YCbCR444 mode, or
3. You are not connected using HDMI between graphics card and the display

All the later versions of Nvidia graphics card support the YCbCr444 format, unless your Nvidia card is from more than 5 years ago.

kelv1983, here are my inputs to your questions:

1. If you stick with Seasonic brand, you would be in good shape. Buy a good Seasonic PSU, and you will be able to re-use it again, and again

2. Yes, I do take into account the 80+ ratings. Not because of efficiency alone (it doesn't make too much of a difference in terms of power consumption between silver and gold, for example, unless you are running your PC full load 24/7), but because:
- Circuit design and components of silver, gold, and platinum PSUs have much better performance as well as quality.
- Gold and Platinum PSUs normally are quieter because they run cooler, and do not have to use the fan as much.
- Platinum is overkill, as it costs to much in my opinion for the difference between gold and platinum.

3. Yes, I use and prefer to recommend only semi-modular, or modular PSUs. This is because:
- Semi-modular and modular PSUs are of the higher grade PSUs from a certain manufacturer, example, it is hard to find non-modular gold or platinum PSU
- Semi-modular and modular PSUs allow you to use only the cables you need, so cable management is easier, and air flow is better, especially if you want to build a smaller PC in the future and re-use the PSU

In summary, a Seasonic gold modular PSU is one the better investments to make, especially if you use your rig for gaming. I have been using gold Seasonic PSUs since the first X-series came out.

However, in the end, when you have narrowed down the PSU selection to what you would like to get, search around the internet for the electrical and noise measurements, and hopefully an understanding of the PSU circuit design, and confirm that the PSU is good, before buying.

One thing I do not see being discussed is an automatic voltage regulator. I never used to consider it, until I started seeing a lot of rigs I built having power supply failure problems, irrespective of whether the power supply quality was good, or not.

I soon realized that just having a lightning surge suppressor was not sufficient to maintain the reliability of the rig, you also needed to have a automatic voltage regulator. In many parts of the Klang Valley at least, there is a bit of voltage fluctuation, and maybe this reduces the reliability of PSUs, especially if the voltage spikes.

AVRs are not very expensive, about RM80 for a 1000W model, which is more than enough to power almost any rig, and some peripherals as well, like the router, or printer, or NAS. Please consider this additional item in your budget if you are planning to build a rig. It will help prolong the life of your rig.

The 1st option is better if you game at max 1920x1080, since the SSD will really help to speed things along when you are booting or just generally using the computer. If you game at higher than 1920x1080, then the GTX770 is a requirement.

There might be some games, like Crysis 3, that might be able to show some difference between GTX760 and GTX770 if you game at 1920x1080, and if you use AA and ultra quality settings. However, most games will not see a difference between those 2 cards at 1920x1080, the GTX760 is a really powerful card, and is more than enough for most games at 1920x1080.

I do agree with you on the DCUII cooling solutions from Asus. Very quiet, very efficient in cooling, and very reliable. I have built 3 rigs with DCUII cooling, and the oldest one is about 4 years old now, and recently, when I checked on the rig, it was still running quiet with no issues, with no cleaning done whatsoever. Of course, I must also say I have built one rig with WindForce, and one rig with TwinFrozr, and they have had no issues as well. WindForce was not as quiet as DCUII, but TwinFrozr was about the same, based on my memory.

Yes, Asus mobo is good, I have been specifying and using Asus for all my builds, never had any issues with any of the motherboards. However, if you do not mind using other brands, then Asrock is also OK, as well as MSI and Gigabyte. I would not buy any lower brands than those.

No worries, mate. I tasted SSD about 3 years ago (first one was the Corsair SSD), and now I recommend SSD for all my builds, the difference in general usage speed of the PC is really significant - especially if you start-up and shut-down, and also when you load programs, or even when you load levels within games. The best option in my opinion is to buy a 120GB SSD, and a hard disk to store data.

The setting for YCbCr444 is only for Nvidia only. If you are using Intel, I am not sure if there is a need to use the YCbCr color space. It is best to read the forums, and check if that is required, or not.

Hardware Secrets has a good write up on the FSP Raider 650W. The circuit design is similar to the FSP Aurum, so it should be very good, and it uses high quality MOSFETs and Teapo capacitors. Maybe it is FSP's way to "downgrade" Aurum PSUs that fail to meet the 80Plus Gold criteria during final electrical test, and then sell those units as a FSP Raider 80Plus Silver.

In other words, the FSP Raider 650W is a good buy ... you should get about 90% of the Aurum PSU performance for 75% of the cost.

Sentinel92, the RM80 AVR I mentioned does only simple voltage regulation and surge protection, it will not do any backup power. It is better than normal, and from my experience, I have zero failures on my builds using AVR and good power supplies.

You must be knowledgeable then in AVRs, if you are familiar with PS Audio Power Plants, that is some serious power conditioning hardware, and in Hi-Fi, you can actually hear a huge difference in the sound.

The RM80 AVR is made by Power Logic Koss, and here is the website:
http://www.kossups.com.my/activa.html

red streak, please reconsider spending a bit more budget on your monitor. The monitor is the key interface between the PC and you and it will influence how you experience everything in your PC. It is the same principle with speakers/headphones, keyboard, and mouse. These are the hardware components that actually "connects" the PC virtual reality with you, so plan some budget and also choose these hardware components carefully.

Also, once you buy a good monitor, speaker/headphones, keyboard, and mouse, then you do not have to upgrade them again for a long time.

Also, a 19" or 20" monitor means 1366x768 resolution, or 1600x1200 resolution, so a GTX760 is overkill. Maybe a GTX750 or GTX750Ti is more than enough. GTX660 and GTX650Ti are old hardware, and the GTX750/GTX750Ti is better.

But please consider spending about RM500 to RM700 on a good 23" 1920x1080 monitor, most monitors using IPS panels are good.

I do not work for any company Sentinel92, it is more of a hobby. Over the years, I have built up a reputation, and I make or recommend builds for friends, relatives, friends of friends, relatives of friends, etc.

Fully agree with rav3n82 ... unless you plan to show off your rig, then the Vengeance RAMs, and Thermaltake cooler is not really necessary from a performance standpoint.

Of course, if you are someone who does care about the color of your mobo to coordinate with your NZXT, then by all means, do consider completing the whole rig with Vengeance and Thermaltake, it does make the rig look a lot better. The NZXT has a window to see your cool components!

Please also consider to install a white LED light inside the case, it does make the whole thing look much nicer if you have light to see inside at all the nice components. Also, since you are going to see inside, dust will be your No.1 enemy. To counter this, try to get proper dust filters as well for the three front intake fans and single rear fan, and please also consider to turn the rear fan inside out. Positive air pressure with filters for all the fans, will reduce the dust build up inside your case by a significant amount, and keep your rig looking pretty for a much longer time.

Avangelice, you should consider coming to KL, the price difference between Low Yat plaza, and Kuching, along with the wider selection of components, might just be worth the trip. If you are planning to ship the thing back to Kuching, or carry it, then you will need to make sure the weight and size is considered as well. The prices can be higher by up to 30% in Kuching.

One way to get a good monitor at a good price is to buy a Dell IPS monitor, they will ship it to Kuching with no cost, I think. The other thing that needs consideration is the casing, maybe spend a bit more to set up an iTX rig, the weight is lighter, and size is smaller, but cost will be more.