Could my power supply be the problem?

[math20]

I have a 400w sparkle power supply with 2 18 amp 12v rails and on it have a 8800gt, e4400@stock, 1 hard drive and 1 cd drive. The CMOS was cleared recently so no bios settings are causing more power to be drawn.

I tested the voltage on the power supply and everything is normal, but the pci link width is only running at x4. I know this is not a GPU problem since I put my GPU in a different computer and it ran at full link width.

Could this be due to an insufficient power supply or could the motherboard be the culprit?

 

[BassBomb]

It would be the motherboard most likely,

within BIOS what is the link width set to? And are you using the upper slot rather than the lower one (if its CF board)

 

[math20]

There isn't a setting for the link width in the BIOS and there is just one PCI-E slot.

 

[mpilchfamily]

The motherboard is what is limiting you there. But also the PSU is an issue as well. You are riding a fine line with that PSU. If you get that system running a heavy load for a good period of time that PSU is liable to cut of on you from the load being more then it can handle. You really need to look into a more powerful PSU. At most that PSU is able to offer about 22A to 24A on the 12v rails. Your system needs a PSU that offers about 28A or better.

But as far as the the link width running at x4 it shouldn't be limiting the cards performance at all.

 

[math20]

Originally posted by: mpilchfamily
The motherboard is what is limiting you there. But also the PSU is an issue as well. You are riding a fine line with that PSU. If you get that system running a heavy load for a good period of time that PSU is liable to cut of on you from the load being more then it can handle. You really need to look into a more powerful PSU. At most that PSU is able to offer about 22A to 24A on the 12v rails. Your system needs a PSU that offers about 28A or better.

But as far as the the link width running at x4 it shouldn't be limiting the cards performance at all.

I think that depends on the game, some do not utilize much bandwidth but I was typically playing Crysis and other high end games before this problem and the performance hit was huge. Also, although most of the time it is at x4 the link width does occasionally dip to x1 which definitely causes a problem.

So I ordered a Gigabyte Ep35-DSL from newegg and will be sending my current motherboard back under warranty once the new one arrives.

Which power supply would you recommend? I am a bit confused as to how the total amps are calculated when there are multiple rails.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: math20
Could this be due to an insufficient power supply or could the motherboard be the culprit?

Maybe it is a Windows problem? Worst case scenario is to reinstall, but before going to that extreme perhaps try (after first uninstalling) reinstalling the Intel motherboard chipset drivers, and then the video card drivers. Oh yeah, and clear the CMOS using the jumper while you're at it.

 

[mpilchfamily]

You need nothing less then a 450W PSU. Ccrrection a top quality 450W PSU. One such as Corsairs VX 450. You will have to spend a good $100 or more on the PSU. You won't be able to get another $40 unit like that Sparkle.

 

[math20]

Originally posted by: Zap

Originally posted by: math20
Could this be due to an insufficient power supply or could the motherboard be the culprit?

Maybe it is a Windows problem? Worst case scenario is to reinstall, but before going to that extreme perhaps try (after first uninstalling) reinstalling the Intel motherboard chipset drivers, and then the video card drivers. Oh yeah, and clear the CMOS using the jumper while you're at it.

I am dual booting linux and windows, the problem shows up in both operating systems.

Originally posted by: mpilchfamily
You need nothing less then a 450W PSU. Ccrrection a top quality 450W PSU. One such as Corsairs VX 450. You will have to spend a good $100 or more on the PSU. You won't be able to get another $40 unit like that Sparkle.

You seem to be supportive of single rail psu's, are there any multiple rail configurations that would be satisfactory(they tend to be cheaper)?

 

[mpilchfamily]

Doesn't matter if its single or multiple rail. But you don't want to skimp on the PSU. You can get one of Antec's Earth Watts units or a Coolermaster Real Power Pro or even a Thermaltake Tough Power.