imported_Stingray
Junior Member
Hi all, i come to you with a query.
Recently my computer has been acting up a bit- ive been getting lockups and crashes from source-engine games (halflife 2, hl2dm) sporadically- for example, one time i may get 45 minutes of solid playing time before a crash, however the next i get two successive lockups during a 15 minute time interval.
Something tells me (call it computer intuition) this problem may have something to do with my Power supply- in asus probe the motherboard temperature is 18ish degC while the cpu ranges between 30-45 (idle-load, +-around 5degC due to asus probe's questional accuracy), however neither warrant the heat being pumped out of the psu exhaust (the contrast between the heat from the psu exhaust and that of the 80mm chassis exhaust just below is palpable, although just slightly)
After a bit of research, i have found out that p4/p4 equivalent chipsets now primarily run on the 12V rail, in contrast to the 5V rail. Opening up my case, i discover that my generic "400W" psu has a measly 10Amps on its +12V rail!
Here are my (mediocre) comp specs:
Athlon XP 2500+ @ 12x182mhz (im hoping the weak overclocking power is a symptom of 'crappy-wattage-psu" syndrome, as im pretty sure my CPU hasn't reached its thermal threshhold), Vcore=1.65V
2x512mb of Nanya pc3200 ram, rated to run at 3-3-3-8 at 200mhz, running at 3-3-3-7 at 182mhz (not sure whether i should have lowered the precharge value from 8 to 7), stock voltages (2.6V)
A7N8X-X (Also could be a reason for the crappy bus overclocking of my cpu, as this was a budget mobo back in 2003, and now is all but obselete)
radeon 9600pro at 477/320 from 400/300, stock agp vddq voltage (1.5V)
80gb HDD (7200RPM, IDE (ATA-133) if its relevant)
DVD-RW
80mm exhaust fan (stripped from an old thunderbird HSF)
My question is, is the following PSU- (thermaltake 400W) sufficient to power my system?
Heres an image detailing its specs:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowImage...e%20400W%20Power%20Supply%20-%20Retail
The thing is, it is an OEM product being sold from a retailer for only AU$40, and so isn't listed on the thermaltake website, nor is it covered in any product reviews of the thermaltake tsunami case (in which it is found).
Alternatively, should i go for the thermaltake TR2 430W? It has an 18A +12Vrail, dual temp-controlled fans and (imo) a more pleasing aesthetic appearance 😛. Its going for Au$60.
Finally, would i be best off going for a cooler master eXtreme 430W? Although it has the best +12V rail (19A), im thinking perhaps this is overkill, especially when it doesn't have the helpful dual-fans nor cable sleeving that the thermaltake variants have.
Anyway, sorry for the winding, overlong post, and thanks in advance!
Recently my computer has been acting up a bit- ive been getting lockups and crashes from source-engine games (halflife 2, hl2dm) sporadically- for example, one time i may get 45 minutes of solid playing time before a crash, however the next i get two successive lockups during a 15 minute time interval.
Something tells me (call it computer intuition) this problem may have something to do with my Power supply- in asus probe the motherboard temperature is 18ish degC while the cpu ranges between 30-45 (idle-load, +-around 5degC due to asus probe's questional accuracy), however neither warrant the heat being pumped out of the psu exhaust (the contrast between the heat from the psu exhaust and that of the 80mm chassis exhaust just below is palpable, although just slightly)
After a bit of research, i have found out that p4/p4 equivalent chipsets now primarily run on the 12V rail, in contrast to the 5V rail. Opening up my case, i discover that my generic "400W" psu has a measly 10Amps on its +12V rail!
Here are my (mediocre) comp specs:
Athlon XP 2500+ @ 12x182mhz (im hoping the weak overclocking power is a symptom of 'crappy-wattage-psu" syndrome, as im pretty sure my CPU hasn't reached its thermal threshhold), Vcore=1.65V
2x512mb of Nanya pc3200 ram, rated to run at 3-3-3-8 at 200mhz, running at 3-3-3-7 at 182mhz (not sure whether i should have lowered the precharge value from 8 to 7), stock voltages (2.6V)
A7N8X-X (Also could be a reason for the crappy bus overclocking of my cpu, as this was a budget mobo back in 2003, and now is all but obselete)
radeon 9600pro at 477/320 from 400/300, stock agp vddq voltage (1.5V)
80gb HDD (7200RPM, IDE (ATA-133) if its relevant)
DVD-RW
80mm exhaust fan (stripped from an old thunderbird HSF)
My question is, is the following PSU- (thermaltake 400W) sufficient to power my system?
Heres an image detailing its specs:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowImage...e%20400W%20Power%20Supply%20-%20Retail
The thing is, it is an OEM product being sold from a retailer for only AU$40, and so isn't listed on the thermaltake website, nor is it covered in any product reviews of the thermaltake tsunami case (in which it is found).
Alternatively, should i go for the thermaltake TR2 430W? It has an 18A +12Vrail, dual temp-controlled fans and (imo) a more pleasing aesthetic appearance 😛. Its going for Au$60.
Finally, would i be best off going for a cooler master eXtreme 430W? Although it has the best +12V rail (19A), im thinking perhaps this is overkill, especially when it doesn't have the helpful dual-fans nor cable sleeving that the thermaltake variants have.
Anyway, sorry for the winding, overlong post, and thanks in advance!
