Is my PSU too weak?

[octopus41092]

So I've been experiencing some stuttering issues while gaming and I was wondering if my PSU could be to blame. Also, whenever I try to overclock my video card my computer crashes and I have to reboot no matter how little it is that I"m overclocking it. I have a 500W Antec Neopower. The PSU is brand new and I've been using it for about a month.

My specs:
ASUS M2N-E SLI AM2 Motherboard
AMD 64 X2 6000+ @ 3.0GHz
ASUS HD4850 @ 625/993MHz
Razer Barracuda AC-1 Sound Card
4GB G.Skill Pi Black DDR2 RAM @ 800MHz
Seagate ST3750330AS 750GB SATA HD
Maxtor 6L250R0 250GB IDE HD
IBM IC35L090AVV207-0 80GB IDE HD
2x Pioneer DVR-110D IDE DVD-RW Burner
Vista Business Ultimate 64-bit

On top of that I have a couple of fans. I have 2x 120mm's, and 4x 80mm's. Also I'm running dual 22" monitors if that makes any difference. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[mpilchfamily]

Check your drivers. The PSU should be fine.

 

[octopus41092]

I just uninstalled my video card drivers, ran driver sweeper and then reinstalled with latest. Still same problem. I doubt heat is an issue either since it stays under 50C at all times.

 

[mpilchfamily]

Do you have these problem at stock speeds? If so then i would run memtest next to be sure the RAM is OK.

 

[octopus41092]

Originally posted by: mpilchfamily
Do you have these problem at stock speeds? If so then i would run memtest next to be sure the RAM is OK.

Ran it for 12 hours it said like 375% coverage and 0 errors.

 

[Denithor]

Use furmark to test for GPU stability. Watch the temps while it runs. If the system crashes before the temps get high it's probably your PSU.

For the stuttering itself, could be your CPU isn't strong enough? Depending on the game & resolution you just might need more power than your X2 6000 can provide.

 

[octopus41092]

Originally posted by: Denithor
Use furmark to test for GPU stability. Watch the temps while it runs. If the system crashes before the temps get high it's probably your PSU.

For the stuttering itself, could be your CPU isn't strong enough? Depending on the game & resolution you just might need more power than your X2 6000 can provide.

Ran it for 12 hours, Xtreme Burning Mode, 8xAA, 1680x1050 topped out at 53C and never crashed. Any other ideas as to what it might be?

I find that stuttering doesn't occur when I play Counter-Strike Source or Warcraft III which I would guess are low requirement games. However, when I play Team Fortress 2, Left 4 Dead, Call of Duty 5, or Mirrors Edge it stutters. Is my X2 6000 really that bad?

 

[Denithor]

Unfortunately your motherboard doesn't (yet) have the PhII chips on the cpu support list.

I would hesitate to put $150-170 into the system (X4 9850/9950) with processors known to overclock poorly, run hot (125W FTL) and generally underperform in games. Because for about the same amount of money you could get an e8400 + P43 motherboard which would beat down the original Phenom chips in games (and many other apps) - while using half the power.

 

[octopus41092]

Originally posted by: Denithor
Unfortunately your motherboard doesn't (yet) have the PhII chips on the cpu support list.

I would hesitate to put $150-170 into the system (X4 9850/9950) with processors known to overclock poorly, run hot (125W FTL) and generally underperform in games. Because for about the same amount of money you could get an e8400 + P43 motherboard which would beat down the original Phenom chips in games (and many other apps) - while using half the power.

I was thinking of waiting for AM3 and seeing how those Phenom 2's perform and decide then. So if I am going to upgrade my CPU I would probably be waiting another couple months and spending somewhere around $300-400 for the CPU, Mobo and RAM (if needed)

 

[dutrizacd]

This is a MUST have tool in any computer geek's toolkit. It's simple, plug it into the wall, then plug your computer into it and you can monitor how many watts your pulling at any given time. I hear a lot of people asking if their PSU is powerful enough. Instead of reading through specs and trying to calculate it, I say plug it in and get real numbers, then base you decision on it.

Kill-A-Watt
http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/travelpower/7657/

It's only $25.

P.S. Typically power supplies run about 80% efficient. (conservative estimate) so if the Kill-A-Watt is peaking at 300watts from the wall, you gotta figure your PC is pulling 240. Also try to overestimate too. Go for a 500watt PSU if you're pulling 300 (it's nice to have a good power cushion)

 

[Denithor]

Or just pick up an Intel quad system and be done with it. Prices just dropped about $50 (yesterday) making these an even better deal.

Intel Q9400 (2.66GHz, 6MB cache) $240
Gigabyte EP45-UD3R $105AR

So for <$350 you've got an awesome upgrade that should easily clock to 3.2GHz with those PI Black sticks you've got (and most likely without even a voltage bump - just set fsb to 400 and enjoy).

 

[octopus41092]

Originally posted by: Denithor
Or just pick up an Intel quad system and be done with it. Prices just dropped about $50 (yesterday) making these an even better deal.

Intel Q9400 (2.66GHz, 6MB cache) $240
Gigabyte EP45-UD3R $105AR

So for <$350 you've got an awesome upgrade that should easily clock to 3.2GHz with those PI Black sticks you've got (and most likely without even a voltage bump - just set fsb to 400 and enjoy).

Well... I'm broke right now so I would have to wait before I could get it anyways. I'm also interested in the AM3 Quads, plus I'm an AMD fan.

I would like to add that I'm not completely sure if it's the CPU because I was getting this stuttering even in Doom 3. So far I've eliminated the video card, CPU, and RAM. I just need to check if it's the hard drive or motherboard. I'm thinking it might be motherboard drivers since I couldn't find the exact ones for my M2N-E SLI for Vista 64 on ASUS' home page I used generic Nforce ones. I'll try reinstalling those drivers and I'll post the results.

 

[octopus41092]

Originally posted by: dutrizacd
This is a MUST have tool in any computer geek's toolkit. It's simple, plug it into the wall, then plug your computer into it and you can monitor how many watts your pulling at any given time. I hear a lot of people asking if their PSU is powerful enough. Instead of reading through specs and trying to calculate it, I say plug it in and get real numbers, then base you decision on it.

Kill-A-Watt
http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/travelpower/7657/

It's only $25.

P.S. Typically power supplies run about 80% efficient. (conservative estimate) so if the Kill-A-Watt is peaking at 300watts from the wall, you gotta figure your PC is pulling 240. Also try to overestimate too. Go for a 500watt PSU if you're pulling 300 (it's nice to have a good power cushion)

I just bought it and I tested out my PC. It pulls about 270W. I think that would be enough for my PSU right? It's practically brand new and I figure it probably runs at 70% efficiency minimum? That would still provide a nice 350W.

Now... I also checked the amps and it says its only pulling 2.08amps. Is that right or is something wrong?