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extremely low performance after power supply blew

T

tranquil1024

Member
My Specs:
Motherboard: EPoX EP-5EPA+
CPU: P4 Prescott 3.4 ghz
Video card: Sapphire ATI Radeon X800 Pro PCI-e
1 GB RAM

I just built my dream gaming machine about a month ago and after about a week the very very cheap ($13) 480w powerlab power supply that came with my Logysis phantom case blew. I contacted the RMA department and they sent me a new power supply. AFter installing this power supply the computer is fine EXCEPT that it performs HORRIBLY especially in games. I get an average of 55 FPS on the Valve Stress Test on Steam and i get a 30,000 in Aquamark. I can barely play any game besides the old counterstriek 1.6. This thing frames very badly and it seems that maybe even my processor performance has decreased. This is definitely NOT normal...before this power supply blew the computer was performing how a normal machine with these specs should but now my friends with 2.4 ghz and a 9600 SE have better performance. Is it possible that my power supply blowing caused the parts to get damaged? If so how come they are not completely useless? The computer works fine for normal windows things but cannot game for peanuts. I don't understand how it could just slightly damage the parts. SOrry for the long post but I'm very annoyed and frankly, worried about this.

 
First, why did you build a P4 (especially a preshott) for gaming ? An AMD Athon64 would be much better.

Second, the PSU is the heart of your system. RMA'ed crap is still crap. Buy an Antec for Fortron PSU. 430 watt true power would be my first suggestion. After that, then see what happens.
 
thanks for replying...this was my first build and ive used intel processors in all my previous computers so being ignorant as i was i didnt even stop to think about AMD...but right now my priority is to get this working to how it should be...im trying to save up some money to buy an Antec True550 EPS12V i hope it helps
 
Are you sure you need an EPS power supply ??? They are different than ATX. 24 pin ? or 20 pin ?
 
What is EPS12V? EPS12V is a special, non-ATX standard adopted by the Server System Infrastructure (SSI) group to provide a more powerful and stable environment for critical server-based systems and applications. EPS12V equipment is not compatible with standard ATX or ATX12V PCs found in homes and offices. Power supplies built to the EPS12V standard include a 24-pin motherboard power connector and an 8-pin +12V connector. However, since some server motherboards also use other connectors, TruePower 550EPS12V comes with 4-pin and 8-pin +12V and 6-pin Aux. power connectors for wide SSI / EPS12V motherboard compatibility and user versatility.

If you want a 550 watt-r just go with the Antec true550!
 
I don't think your power supply is causing your gfx to be slow.....you might wanna try and find a way to see if it did any damage to RAM(definitely possible), video card, or even your mobo
 
yes i know about EPS12V but i also read that it can be used on the new LGA 775 motherboards which have a 24 pin motherboard connector which i have. atm i have the 20 pin connected into the 24 pin slot and yes it works fine but i feel that 24 pin is probably there for a reason and if the true550 EPS12V has it then the only adapter im running through is the PCI-express adapter (2 molex-->1 6-pin PCI-E) I'm also looking at the Aspire 520w, becaues it's $50 cheaper than the antec and it has great reviews and ratings on newegg...yea it might not be a standard company like antec or enermax but it's a good price...also the aspire has tube tied wires...and in my case the airflow is pretty pitiful because of all the mess of wires.
 
Yes, cheap PSUs tend not to protect attached equipment from their own failures. The main reason NOT to EVER mess with cheap, no-name PSUs (including X-Connect, which aren't inexpensive but ARE CHEAP! IYKWIM...).
.bh.
 
yea i was worried about something else besides the video card being damaged...i just sort of wanted to block the though out of my mind. Anyway, after getting a new power supply ill first RMA the video card if it doesnt help...if THAT doesnt help then ill move onto the RAM and then the mobo...wat a painstaking process 🙁 i wish i had known that the company would give me a crappy faulty power supply
 
I can't beleive this is happening!! $1550 already and now i have to wait a few more weeks(if not months) for this trial and error procedure to finish...are u sure i should do RAM first?? would bad RAM cause bad FPS???
 
You don't need to save up for a 550W PSU. You need to buy a good name-brand PSU around 400-450 watts. Antec, Enermax, Fortron/Sparkle FSP series (NOT Hi-Q/Power-Q), Seasonic, Zalman, or OCZ will all be fine. (I'm forgetting a few other brands.) Also look at this stickied thread at this other hardware forum, because these dozen new PSU threads per day are getting old: http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=792566 (I think someone here at AT needs to do a similar write-up for an eventual PSU sticky thread.)
 
Yeah don't skimp on the power supply for a prescott!

My wife has one o/c to 4320 MHz (240x18) and the demand on the chiller goes over 650W! It's taking nearly 1hp to cool the friggin' thing. Dual cores are gonna be space heaters. Might as well use a closed loop cooling system and recover some of the heat for some purpose.

Cheers!
 
The only thing that I could think of, as to why the system would still be operation, but slow, is because the video card has throttled itself down to a "low power mode". Surprised you didn't see any sort of warning or error messages come up about that. Either that, or in the process of swapping parts, you changed some settings, or accidentally reset the CMOS, etc.

The fact that you would build a powerful system like that, and fuel it with a cheapo $13 PSU though.. that kind of boggles the mind.

Why do people buy/assemble the computer equivalent of a hand-made European sports-car, and then feed it the absolutely cheapest engine-clogging low-budget fuel that they can find? I just don't get it. It should be premium high-test or bust, for machines like that.
 
Originally posted by: Markfw900
RMA'ed crap is still crap.
Click to expand...

couldn't have said it better myself... btw, the best way to troubleshoot parts is to test them in another machine.
BFonnes
 
well yes i know it seems quite stupid but the thing is i had no idea what quality a power supply should be or that the manufacturer of my case would provide such a cheap power supply...anyway...I've checked my bios and everything is fine...my clock/memory on my video card is at 472/452 (Original 475/450) i did not oc or uC but it just defaults at that...i know i need a power supply but i frankly dont know what to do if the new power supply doesnt solve the problem...all i can think of is RMA all the parts...but that just seems plain ludacris to me
 
Well i've pretty much decided on the PSU im getting...i was thinking of the Antec True550 but now ive decided on the Vantec VAN-520A Stealth...it may be noisy but it has plenty of molexes and lots of power...(+12V @ 28A)...ive read several reviews on it and it is very reliable...
 
do a benchmark on non video related tests and compare them to similar setups. then you would be able to see if its your card thats quirky if thats what is most important to you
 
I ran PCMark04 but in the free version it only allows me to do an overall system test...and i scored HORRIBLY...i scored 2342 and i saw people with 2.6 ghz and FX6600 getting well over 3000 if not 4000....Does anybody know a good CPU benchmark? because PCMark04 doesnt let me run the CPU only test in free version...
 
tranquil, the Vantec is not too bad, but you can do better.

that PSU slightly underperforms if you ask me.. something like a Modstream or a Fortron would probably have been better.
but the Stealth is not too bad, a LOT better than the cheapo ya had before.
 
Rule of thumb - a good case (at least 0.8mm SECC steel w/ a few modern conveniences) costs around $40. w/o PSU. A decent OEM PSU costs about $40. So if you are buying a case w/ PSU for much less than $80., then corners likely had to be cut somewhere.

.bh.
 
ok i know this is an old post...but ive now replaced my cheap power supply with an Antec True550 and it hasnt fixed my problem in any way...my computer still runs exactly the same...so know im left with the decision of which parts to RMA and in which order or if i need to RMA all my parts..
 
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