New Q.: Is this PSU enough

W

winterice

CAGiversary!
Feedback
1 (100%)
So my old computer died on me and I bought all the parts for a new one except for the HDDs and DVD player/writer. Can you guys tell if this is going to work if I just plug it all together or do I need to reformat and reinstall WinXp.

Thanks for the feedback. I will reinstall the OS. Now one last question. Is a 550 watt PSU enough for this computer:

Intel i3-530
Gigabyte GA-P55-UD3L LGA 1156 motherboad
4gb g.skill ddr3 1600
BFG Tech GS-550 550W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V V2.8 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Power Supply
EVGA 512-P3-1140-TR GeForce GTS 250 512MB
2 HDD
DVD writer
DVD player
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'll assume that your new parts are not the same as your old parts (particularly the MoBo). If this is the case, then it is likely that you will have some issues booting your old HD.

It will probably trigger a need to reactivate XP, which shouldn't be a problem if you have a legitimate copy that you haven't been reinstalling like a madman.

You're probably going to have driver issues up the wazoo. Theoretically, all of the CABs with the stock drivers from the XP DVD are on the HDD so it _should_ pick them up and you wouldn't be in any worse situation than if you did a clean install BUT.....

In the real world, the complexities are such that I wouldn't trust your existing installation of XP to get things figured out right.

I personally welcome a good excuse to do a clean install of the OS to rid myself of the software "plaque" that builds up over time.
 
When building a new PC, it's ALWAYS recommended to reformat rather than just use an old drive with an OS already installed. You are more likely to run into driver issues and whatnot if you just plug in an old HD with and Os already on it.
 
It's common for an old XP to display blue screen of death before you even get to realize how bad the driver issues are. Back up all of your important files before you even attempt to do any changes. But in your situation, it might be better to just buy a new hard drive and install a new windows on it. And use your old hard drive as a backup o secondary drive.
 
It won't work. Even if you get it booted it'll just fuck up and won't be worth the trouble. Just format and reinstall, it's really the easiest and best thing to do. I always hate doing it, but I do love that newly installed OS smell.
 
[quote name='SpazX']It won't work. Even if you get it booted it'll just fuck up and won't be worth the trouble. Just format and reinstall, it's really the easiest and best thing to do. I always hate doing it, but I do love that newly installed OS smell.[/QUOTE]

This. And just back up your files using an external enclosure or another computer. A clean install will take care of any driver issues. Trying to repair the old installation to work with the new hardware will be much more trouble than it's worth.
 
Depends on the brand of the PSU. If it's some crappy Logisys PSU, then probably not (meaning it'll work to begin with, but could fry and ruin other parts shortly down the road). If it's a quality Antec, Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, etc... PSU, then yes, it'll be fine.
 
[quote name='winterice']So my old computer died on me and I bought all the parts for a new one except for the HDDs and DVD player/writer. Can you guys tell if this is going to work if I just plug it all together or do I need to reformat and reinstall WinXp.

Thanks for the feedback. I will reinstall the OS. Now one last question. Is a 550 watt PSU enough for this computer:

Intel i3-530
Gigabyte GA-P55-UD3L LGA 1156 motherboad
4gb g.skill ddr3 1600
BFG Tech GS-550 550W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V V2.8 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Power Supply
EVGA 512-P3-1140-TR GeForce GTS 250 512MB
2 HDD
DVD writer
DVD player[/QUOTE]


1- You really should reformat. Whether you realize it or not your pc isnt just 4 or 5 parts, its dozens and dozens of smaller parts within those parts. Just not reformatting windows will make windows have to reinstall and detect all those new things and that can easily cause irq conflicts, driver conflicts and so on being a general pain in the ass. Not to mention your pc will be running slower for all that and a fresh wipe of windows will start you out clean and running much much better.

Since you noted you had two hard drives it should be worth noting you want to make the faster drive your primary C: drive to load windows on so you get the best performance out of your system and programs you install on it.

2- 550w will be enough, but, one 550w cpu isnt the same as everyother one 550w. Generally speaking the heavier the PSU the better quality and performance it will be due to heavier gauge heat panels/sink and unit insulation in them. The PSU and motherboard are the 2 items you should never, ever skimp on because if you do then chances are your problems you have later will stem from them. So my advice is spend more on your PSU and buy a quality one, it literally is what feeds your pc and buying a cheapy one can cause problems.

BFG isnt bad but they arent that great either, they have a good track record of having video cards that dont have many problems and thats about it really. But, if the PSU works for you then you should be fine because its not a total hunk of shit.

IF though you do need a new one then I would reccomend corsair as they have the longest warranty, Ive been using two in both my machines here for about 2 years and they still run dead silent and never given me a issue, they are the best quality cpu I ever used. Put 5 of them in pcs I built for folks and never had a issue.

Not much help here but if you ever need pc advice can shoot me a pm.
 
I second the corsair recomendation. I have a 520 watt that powers my gaming rig and its more then enough. I read an article comparing it with other psu's and it outperformed most psus that were 100-200watts above it, under full load.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top