Wow, those are very nice builds.
However, do keep in mind what I said: you need a DECENT PSU with very good 12V rails (300W on the 12V rail is 25A, which is NOT that common on that power class of PSUs). Also, running a PSU close to its maximum stated specs (as well as just about any other electronic part) all the time is not generally a good idea. You said it yourself, mavalpha, it IS possible, but long-term is probably not a good idea.
I know people tend to overshot on PSUs, but that's usually because those ginormous values are combined loads, and the 12V rail is rather lacking (Google "Eurotech" and have a blast... 500W PSUs with sub-20A on the 12V rails combined...). Sparkle and, generally speaking, 80+ PSUs have very good builds, so they can handle what some 400W+ PSUs can't. That's why I said 450W. And the CPU, well, I'm assuming you want to OC, so that has to be factored in, right?
Btw, how does a GTX295 fare power-wise against the 4850 (which is not all that power-hungry for the performance)?
All in all, I'm VERY impressed with your builds, but you guys have to admit, those are pretty good PSUs you have there (especially that Sparkle... damn, that's one heck of a performer). Not everyone uses those. With a good PSU (PCP&C, Antec, Corsair, etc.), those 450W could become 350~380W, yes, but probably a GTX295 might be pushing it, no? It's an SLI-on-a-stick card, after all...
Cheers.
Miguel
However, do keep in mind what I said: you need a DECENT PSU with very good 12V rails (300W on the 12V rail is 25A, which is NOT that common on that power class of PSUs). Also, running a PSU close to its maximum stated specs (as well as just about any other electronic part) all the time is not generally a good idea. You said it yourself, mavalpha, it IS possible, but long-term is probably not a good idea.
I know people tend to overshot on PSUs, but that's usually because those ginormous values are combined loads, and the 12V rail is rather lacking (Google "Eurotech" and have a blast... 500W PSUs with sub-20A on the 12V rails combined...). Sparkle and, generally speaking, 80+ PSUs have very good builds, so they can handle what some 400W+ PSUs can't. That's why I said 450W. And the CPU, well, I'm assuming you want to OC, so that has to be factored in, right?
Btw, how does a GTX295 fare power-wise against the 4850 (which is not all that power-hungry for the performance)?
All in all, I'm VERY impressed with your builds, but you guys have to admit, those are pretty good PSUs you have there (especially that Sparkle... damn, that's one heck of a performer). Not everyone uses those. With a good PSU (PCP&C, Antec, Corsair, etc.), those 450W could become 350~380W, yes, but probably a GTX295 might be pushing it, no? It's an SLI-on-a-stick card, after all...
Cheers.
Miguel