Power Supply Question

[TwYsTeD]

Sorry if this is a dumb question, I'm a noob when it comes to power supplies. Right now I have a Zalman 400W PSU. (15 amps on the 12v rail)

Since I've upgraded to an athlon 64 setup, I've been experiencing all sorts of errors in windows XP Home, pro, and even 2k. I've narrowed it down to my video card, which is a 6800GT.

I pop in an old Geforce 4 MX and the system runs perfectly, no errors. So I try the card in a friends A64 rig, thinking the card is defective, and it runs fine.

So my question is, do I need to upgrade my power supply? This zalman PSU seems kind of weak for a 400W.

System specs:
ASUS K8N-E
Athlon64 3400+
Geforce 6800GT
1 GB Ram
4 case fans
2 raptors raid 0
1 160 gig seagate sata
3 optical drives + floppy
SB Audigy 2 Platinum + drive

Thanks!

 

[Boonesmi]

your video card runs off more then just the 12v rail, you should post the full specs


but the short answer is. its very possible its a powersupply issue. do you have access to a decent powersupply that you can swap with for testing?

 

[TwYsTeD]

Full specs of the ps

+3.3V 28A
+5V 40A
+12V 15A
+3.3V, +5V 235W Max
Total Output 400W Max

 

[flexy]

>>> So my question is, do I need to upgrade my power supply?

OH YEAH..BIG TIME.

I am surprised it did even run with 15A on the 12V.

 

[flexy]

Originally posted by: flexy
>>> So my question is, do I need to upgrade my power supply?

OH YEAH..BIG TIME.

I am surprised it did even run with 15A on the 12V.

Edit: i just got this
Enermax Whisper II 460W 12V/33A
for my future A64 build.

I am still stunned you had this system with 3HDs, 3 optical drives, A64, 6800GT and extras running on that PSU and it didnt blow up Many PSUs have 18A-20A on the 12V, but i wouldnt want 18A on the 12V rails especially if you plan to overlock. (Like i do).

Either go dual 12V rails or LOTS of amps on the 12V, i didnt like dual 12V so i got the WhisperII. I am almost certain your problems go away with a better PSU

 

[Boonesmi]

Originally posted by: flexy
>>> So my question is, do I need to upgrade my power supply?

OH YEAH..BIG TIME.

I am surprised it did even run with 15A on the 12V.

lots of people run athlon64's with 15a 12v lines, but its gotta be a high quaility powersupply
but he does have 3xhdd with a bunch of other stuff. so i totally agree a new powersupply is probably needed.

personally i really like the enermax link to a powersupply that would provide PLENTY of power for your setup
ive actually used that same powersupply (in my link above) to run a dual opteron (with no problems) while i was waiting for my new enermax 465

 

[TwYsTeD]

Thanks for the responses guys

I'll start looking into PSU's

I'm willing to spend 100-120$ for a good quality psu. The more future proof, the better

 

[Subhuman25]

Very happy with my trusty Antec NeoPower 480W,dual 12V rail,active PFC,120mm fan(quiet) PSU.No flashy disco lights here baby.Just powerful,reliable trusted brand PSU.

 

[blodhi74]

a while back I updraded to 9700 pro and my generic 300W PSU went kaputz .... ordered an Enermax 460W and the rig is rock solid ... I overclock both the CPU and the GPU in my sig when I play games and again ...rock solid .... antec and PC power & cooling are good choices ..... end point .... any quality PSU above 430W will work

 

[JE78]

To the guys with the ENERMAX 460W Whisper II PSU. Does it come with alot of connectors? I was looking at a few Thurmaltake PSU's because of the amount of connectors on them but the 12v rail on the Enermax has made me change my mind. Thanks.

 

[Boonesmi]

Originally posted by: JE78
To the guys with the ENERMAX 460W Whisper II PSU. Does it come with alot of connectors? I was looking at a few Thurmaltake PSU's because of the amount of connectors on them but the 12v rail on the Enermax has made me change my mind. Thanks.

yeah tons of connectors

 

[TwYsTeD]

I was thinking about one of those X-Connect modular power supplies, anyone have one?

 

[The J]

If you look around the Cases and Cooling section, you can find info on them. They seem to be a mixed lot: on one hand, some love them and say they're super reliable; on the other, people have had problems with them and blame that fact that they are made by Powmax.

 

[0roo0roo]

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article28-page1.html

 

[CyGoR]

I'm running my system with the 300W zalman PSU just fine!

Zalman ZM300B-APS:
+3.3VDC 28A
+5VDC 30A
+12VDC 18A
-12VDC 0.8A

On this system:

A64 3000+ @ 2,2Ghz
Abit KV8-MAX3
1Gb DDR 3200
XFX 6800LE (12x1, 8vp @ 350/800)
WD Raptor 36Gb @ 10K rpm
2x Maxtor 160Gb Raid0
Maxtor 120Gb IDE
Plextor 708A DVD-RW
Asus DVD-rom
a few 12cm fans

Even with both CPU and GPU OC'ed, it runs just fine.. But, I am in search of a new PSU just because I don't trust my system running on a 300W PSU.
But it does say something about the quality of this Zalman PSU (which is also VERY silent..)

 

[JE78]

Originally posted by: Boonesmi

Originally posted by: JE78
To the guys with the ENERMAX 460W Whisper II PSU. Does it come with alot of connectors? I was looking at a few Thurmaltake PSU's because of the amount of connectors on them but the 12v rail on the Enermax has made me change my mind. Thanks.

yeah tons of connectors

Thanks alot!!

 

[PhoenixOrion]

Originally posted by: TwYsTeD
I was thinking about one of those X-Connect modular power supplies, anyone have one?

I'd narrow search to Enermax, Fortron and Antec.