Powersupply Problem?

[vpr]

When I installed Age of Conan and began to create a character my computer suddenly shut off and upon pressing the power button to start it again, it would not turn on.

I determined that the Video Card was shot, and the place I took it too also decided to replace the power supply too. I purchased a cheap 8400GS video card temporarily.

My computer was still not stable, I'd get random BSoDs, random restarts, and freezes in windows. I replaced the motherboard to an ASUS P5Q-E, I purchased a new HDD (WD 160GB SATA) and reformatted all 4 HDDs. I took the dual-boot XP Pro/Vista off and just went to Vista full time.

I'm still having problems w/ my PC and I'm starting to think it's a power issue. My System:

I'm in China right now, so some of these parts are only in the Chinese Market
Thermaltake KK500 PSU
ASUS P5Q-E
E6300 C2D {Not OCd}
4x1GB
4 SATA HDDs
8400GS
1 DVDrw

After rebuilding the system, I was still having problems - I had to mess with the DRam Voltages just to get the system to be somewhat stable...

So 2 Questions:

Is my PSU too small? I'm planning to upgrade the cpu to an E8500, change from 4x1GB to 2x2GB, and exchange the 8400GS to something else probably an HD48x0 or GTX260.

If I should change my PSU what should I change it to? I'm considering an Corsair CMPSU-620HX 620W, would that be sufficient?

Thanks,
Vpr

 

[z1ggy]

Hm.. its tough.. because I am pretty sure 550 watts is plenty for that system. The HD's don't draw too much power..it is mostly the CPU and the GPU that require the most power to operate. Together though I dont think would ever go over 150-200 watts. But by process of elimination I think you could safely assume the PSU may be failing on you, not that is isn't enough power. The psu I use ( in my sig.) is plenty enough power for my system. When I used a psu calc. I don't think I went over 400 watts. If you want though, you could prob go for that corsair HX and you should be safe for a long time.

 

[vpr]

Originally posted by: z1ggy
Hm.. its tough.. because I am pretty sure 550 watts is plenty for that system. The HD's don't draw too much power..it is mostly the CPU and the GPU that require the most power to operate. Together though I dont think would ever go over 150-200 watts. But by process of elimination I think you could safely assume the PSU may be failing on you, not that is isn't enough power. The psu I use ( in my sig.) is plenty enough power for my system. When I used a psu calc. I don't think I went over 400 watts. If you want though, you could prob go for that corsair HX and you should be safe for a long time.

Is it unusual for a brand new PSU to exhibit the same problems as the previous unit it was swapped for? Seems odd to me....

 

[AlgaeEater]

What is your 12v rails voltage in the bios on start? It would help shine some light on the situation and it would be a start.

Nothing should read under 11.5v. However if everything is over that, I'm out of ideas Someone with more experience (IE Everyone) might be able to help. Otherwise, if something is under 11.5, it's the PSU guaranteed.

 

[theAnimal]

Originally posted by: AlgaeEater
What is your 12v rails voltage in the bios on start? It would help shine some light on the situation and it would be a start.

Nothing should read under 11.5v. However if everything is over that, I'm out of ideas Someone with more experience (IE Everyone) might be able to help. Otherwise, if something is under 11.5, it's the PSU guaranteed.

There's no point in using software voltage readings, only a digital multimeter.

My software says 11.4, but it's actually 12.

 

[vpr]

Originally posted by: AlgaeEater
What is your 12v rails voltage in the bios on start? It would help shine some light on the situation and it would be a start.

Nothing should read under 11.5v. However if everything is over that, I'm out of ideas Someone with more experience (IE Everyone) might be able to help. Otherwise, if something is under 11.5, it's the PSU guaranteed.

For what it's worth it usually shows 11.98v for +12 and 5.04v for +5. I had to increase DRam voltage to 2.0/2.1 (I don't remember which) to get the system to be stable.

 

[AlgaeEater]

Never hurts to try another PSU then, this is the PSU sub forum after all.