RX 480 - 620W PSU not enough?

[el-Capitan]

Hello ladies, hi gents,

bought an XFX GTR 480 8GB to replace my ancient 6950. Appears to work well until I launch a game. Within seconds my screen enters powers save and I need to hard reset.

i5 2500k
Asus P8Z77M (BIOS current) - (http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P8Z77M/)
Seasonic M12II-620W
4x4GB
3x SSD
Windows 10 (current)
Crimson 16.11.4 (current)

My PSU delivers 576W on two 12V rails with 24A each.
V3.3 and V5 are also at 24A for 130W total. Plenty of power, I'd say!

As troubleshooting I have
- reset the BIOS,
- removed my 4.4 OC,
- removed my sound card,
- removed 2 of the 4 RAM modules,
- de- and re-installed the AMD driver,
- checked all power connections are firm,
- and tried both the 6+2 power connector from the PSU as well as the included 2x6->8 cable.

To no avail. I had one crash as I was writing this post.

I do not have a more powerful PSU I can try, only an OCZ 500W in an other PC.

There are BIOS updates on the XFX website, but they appear to be for fan control only. I have not tried those (http://xfxforce.com/en-us/support/bios-files).

Is my card a dud or is my PSU really too weak?

 

[William Gaatjes]

It does not have to be your PSU, could be a driver issue.

If i am not mistaken, you can set the amount of power the rx480 uses in wattman.
If you lower it to lowest possible value, you can perhaps rule out that it is an power issue or not.

Are there not some test programs to use ?
Maybe this ?
http://www.ozone3d.net/benchmarks/fur/

edit:
I just read that the power consumption of that HD6950 is equal or higher than a rx 480.

 

[Ranulf]

Try it with the other PSU to be sure its not the PSU. 500w is plenty for a rx480 card. I'm running a seasonic g2 550w with my sapphire 480 and no problems power wise for 2 months (stock card settings and 8350 cpu).

 

[sandorski]

Should work easily on that, as long as the power supply is functioning properly. I'm running a 380 on a 500watt Seasonic and overclocked 8320 with no issues.

 

[PontiacGTX]

have you checked the fan speed/voltage/frequency the card has on each P-State?

 

[el-Capitan]

Thanks guys.

Further troubleshooting :
- placed the card into another PCI-E slot
- flashed the BIOS to the 'stealth mode'

All no difference.
I played Civ6 for 5 hrs straight, no problem, but when i load Tomb Raider (2012) I get an immediate power save. I logged the Watt consumption via GPU-Z during Civ and it occasionally goes to 125W.

I dont fully understand the Wattman yet. I hope to spend some time with it this pm. I'll also swap that PSU.

 

[Valantar]

How old is your PSU?

The RX 480 (~150w + any OC) should draw less power than your old 6950 (200W TDP), but it might have higher peak power draw/power spikes, which might freak out an old PSU.

As stated above, 500W is plenty for an RX 480. I just tested the power draw of my system (Fury X + a bunch of OLD and inefficient hardware), and it never exceeded ~450W. Again, that's with a Fury X. Its TBP is 125W more than your RX 480.

 

[el-Capitan]

Put the 500W OCZ in. Has been working fine for abt 30 min.

So much for investing into a quality PSU...

Thanks guys

 

[Valantar]

Put the 500W OCZ in. Has been working fine for abt 30 min.

So much for investing into a quality PSU...

Thanks guys

Again, how old is the PSU? Is it still inside the warranty period? I'd RMA it, if so. Video the error (and it working with the other PSU) just to be sure.

 

[el-Capitan]

4.5 Years. Purchased Apr 2012 for abt $100

Seasonic says :

5 years (3 years if purchased before September 2012)

 

[Valantar]

Well, that sucks. I'd still send in a support request - you never know if the Seasonic service reps turn out to be nice people. (This just makes me happy to live in a country with strong consumer protection laws - Norway has what in effect is a mandatory 5-year warranty on anything sold to consumers that can reasonably be expected to last for that long.)

 

[SlickR12345]

Try the other PSU, sometimes its just broken PSU and can't deliver consistent power, Eitherhow any 400W or more PSU should be able to easily power your whole PC.

Apart from that try and reattach the GPU itself. I know my computer would randomly BSOD, tried everything and nothing seemed to work, would enable the IGP and would be stable, thought the gpu is a gooner, but then reattached it and it turns out that was the issue.

 

[Despoiler]

Try the other PSU, sometimes its just broken PSU and can't deliver consistent power, Eitherhow any 400W or more PSU should be able to easily power your whole PC.

Apart from that try and reattach the GPU itself. I know my computer would randomly BSOD, tried everything and nothing seemed to work, would enable the IGP and would be stable, thought the gpu is a gooner, but then reattached it and it turns out that was the issue.

Wattage is only one component to GPU compatibility. The amperage the PSU's rail(s) provide is the other. Often times GPU manufacturers fail to specify the amperage requirement. XFX is one of them. The RX 480 needs 30 amps. The OPs PSU only delivers 20a through both 12v rails
( https://seasonic.com/product/m12ii-620-gm/ ). Not 24 and either way it's not 30. The OP needs a new PSU.

 

[krumme]

Wattage is only one component to GPU compatibility. The amperage the PSU's rail(s) provide is the other. Often times GPU manufacturers fail to specify the amperage requirement. XFX is one of them. The RX 480 needs 30 amps. The OPs PSU only delivers 20a through both 12v rails
( https://seasonic.com/product/m12ii-620-gm/ ). Not 24 and either way it's not 30. The OP needs a new PSU.

Man this is so wrong. The psu might perfectly be broken. But this psu have a max of 576 watts on the 12v rails. Seasonic is not lying here. This psu even takes 2 pcx 480 ref non oc in cf with a normal intel i7 if not broken.
Every 480 runs on 12v and non use 30a. Spikes or not.

 

[krumme]

Put the 500W OCZ in. Has been working fine for abt 30 min.

So much for investing into a quality PSU...

Thanks guys

Lol. Yeaa. But its like you pay to minimize risk. But riak doesnt go away completely...

 

[Despoiler]

Man this is so wrong. The psu might perfectly be broken. But this psu have a max of 576 watts on the 12v rails. Seasonic is not lying here. This psu even takes 2 pcx 480 ref non oc in cf with a normal intel i7 if not broken.
Every 480 runs on 12v and non use 30a. Spikes or not.

I can't tell what you are getting at exactly. English isn't that good. I want to clarify though that the GPU itself doesn't require 30a. PSU requirements given are for the full system.

I would definitely recommend everyone buy a PSU tester. They are $10-40 dollars depending on how nice of one you get. They are by far one of the most useful troubleshooting tools you can own. Your motherboard's BIOS might also point your to a power issue. If the reported voltages are outside of 10% variance then something isn't working correctly.

 

[krumme]

I can't tell what you are getting at exactly. English isn't that good. I want to clarify though that the GPU itself doesn't require 30a. PSU requirements given are for the full system.

I would definitely recommend everyone buy a PSU tester. They are $10-40 dollars depending on how nice of one you get. They are by far one of the most useful troubleshooting tools you can own. Your motherboard's BIOS might also point your to a power issue. If the reported voltages are outside of 10% variance then something isn't working correctly.

The 30a is nonsense. You said "The RX 480 needs 30 amps. The OPs PSU only delivers 20a through both 12v rails".

Its wrong. The ps in question have 2 times 24A. No matter how you slice it its plenty and far beyond what is needed. So your advice was just wrong. The capacity of OP ps is fine.

 

[Despoiler]

The 30a is nonsense. You said "The RX 480 needs 30 amps. The OPs PSU only delivers 20a through both 12v rails".

Its wrong. The ps in question have 2 times 24A. No matter how you slice it its plenty and far beyond what is needed. So your advice was just wrong. The capacity of OP ps is fine.

This is yet another case where a member of the forum is arguing against manufacturer recommended specs. As I clarified, PSU recommendations are given to account for the ENTIRE system. Everyone knows that, but you. I shouldn't have had to clarify it because it's a given. Case and point, do you think the minimum 500w PSU is for the video card alone?

 

[krumme]

This is yet another case where a member of the forum is arguing against manufacturer recommended specs. As I clarified, PSU recommendations are given to account for the ENTIRE system. Everyone knows that, but you. I shouldn't have had to clarify it because it's a given. Case and point, do you think the minimum 500w PSU is for the video card alone?

Who cares what they write to safeguard themselves. The op solid brand ps delivers 576w on the 12v rails alone. You are rambling and giving wrong advise. Manufacturers recommended spec is a general rule for people who can not read and understand detailed specs. As we both now a 500w ps can be useless for a single rx 480 or enough for even two rx480.
To times 24A is 48A btw. Its not like the 480 is pulling 360w from a single 6pin. So it should do.
People generally buy way to powerfull ps at to low quality. It gives less efficiency as most is used at max 30% capacity as in this case leading to lower efficiency than what 60% would give and also wasted cost. Not to say the ps is worse and less efficient out the gate than a better model.

 

[Despoiler]

Who cares what they write to safeguard themselves. The op solid brand ps delivers 576w on the 12v rails alone. You are rambling and giving wrong advise. Manufacturers recommended spec is a general rule for people who can not read and understand detailed specs. As we both now a 500w ps can be useless for a single rx 480 or enough for even two rx480.
To times 24A is 48A btw. Its not like the 480 is pulling 360w from a single 6pin. So it should do.
People generally buy way to powerfull ps at to low quality. It gives less efficiency as most is used at max 30% capacity as in this case leading to lower efficiency than what 60% would give and also wasted cost. Not to say the ps is worse and less efficient out the gate than a better model.

How much is his rig pulling? Give us min, max, and average. You can't of course without putting a multi-meter to use. That's why the recommendations matter. This is not a difficult concept.

 

[el-Capitan]

Wattage is only one component to GPU compatibility. The amperage the PSU's rail(s) provide is the other. Often times GPU manufacturers fail to specify the amperage requirement. XFX is one of them. The RX 480 needs 30 amps. The OPs PSU only delivers 20a through both 12v rails
( https://seasonic.com/product/m12ii-620-gm/ ). Not 24 and either way it's not 30. The OP needs a new PSU.

Thats definitely not correct.

The PSU I replaced it with is even weaker (2x18A), but still no crashes since install.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/ocz-modxstream-pro-500-w-power-supply-review/6/

 

[RussianSensation]

Wattage is only one component to GPU compatibility. The amperage the PSU's rail(s) provide is the other. Often times GPU manufacturers fail to specify the amperage requirement. XFX is one of them. The RX 480 needs 30 amps. The OPs PSU only delivers 20a through both 12v rails
( https://seasonic.com/product/m12ii-620-gm/ ). Not 24 and either way it's not 30. The OP needs a new PSU.

His PSU is a similar unit to the Seasonic built Corsair 620W Modular PSU that can handle > 500W of power across the 12V rails (306W and 240W across the rails simultaneously:
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/corsair-hx620w-power-supply-review/8/)

and in overload tests 650W!
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/corsair-hx620w-power-supply-review/9/

Even if we take into account some wear over time, it should be able to easily handle 2X RX 480s in cross-fire.

His PSU may be broken but what you said is 100% false. Firstly, RX 480 does not need 30 Amps to power it or 360W equivalent. How do you think people have mining rigs with 5-6 XFX RX 480 GTR cards? The entire PC with the XFX RX 480 GTR uses 242W
https://www.computerbase.de/2016-12/radeon-rx-480-partnerkarten-vergleich-test/4/

Secondly, I've personally ran HD6950 @ 6970 speeds + i7 860 @ 3.9Ghz and GTX470 @ 760mhz + i7 860 @ 3.9Ghz, with both the CPU and GPU loaded to 99-100% simultaneously (running distributed computing projects) on the 520W version of the Corsair PSU. Both of those systems were in use for years and my Corsair PSU was purchased on Jul 30, 2007. I even tested the PSU with the i7 6700K + XFX R9 390 XXX OC before selling it.

 

[Despoiler]

Thats definitely not correct.

The PSU I replaced it with is even weaker (2x18A), but still no crashes since install.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/ocz-modxstream-pro-500-w-power-supply-review/6/

Again, I was quoting recommended specs. Have fun getting support from a manufacturer. You know what else uses 12v rails? Hard drive motors. You know what you have in your rig. 4 hard drives that you didn't provide the make and model for. Guess what that means? No one can tell you anything, but recommended specs. Ergo krumme not being able to even ballpark what the actual load is on the rails.

His PSU is a similar unit to the Seasonic built Corsair 620W Modular PSU that can handle > 500W of power across the 12V rails (306W and 240W across the rails simultaneously:
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/corsair-hx620w-power-supply-review/8/)

and in overload tests 650W!
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/corsair-hx620w-power-supply-review/9/

Even if we take into account some wear over time, it should be able to easily handle 2X RX 480s in cross-fire.

His PSU may be broken but what you said is 100% false. Firstly, RX 480 does not need 30 Amps to power it or 360W equivalent. How do you think people have mining rigs with 5-6 XFX RX 480 GTR cards? The entire PC with the XFX RX 480 GTR uses 242W
https://www.computerbase.de/2016-12/radeon-rx-480-partnerkarten-vergleich-test/4/

Secondly, I've personally ran HD6950 @ 6970 speeds + i7 860 @ 3.9Ghz and GTX470 @ 760mhz + i7 860 @ 3.9Ghz, with both the CPU and GPU loaded to 99-100% simultaneously (running distributed computing projects) on the 520W version of the Corsair PSU. Both of those systems were in use for years and my Corsair PSU was purchased on Jul 30, 2007. I even tested the PSU with the i7 6700K + XFX R9 390 XXX OC before selling it.

Normally I enjoy your posts, but read the followups. I was using recommended specs.

 

[Valantar]

Wattage is only one component to GPU compatibility. The amperage the PSU's rail(s) provide is the other. Often times GPU manufacturers fail to specify the amperage requirement. XFX is one of them. The RX 480 needs 30 amps. The OPs PSU only delivers 20a through both 12v rails
( https://seasonic.com/product/m12ii-620-gm/ ). Not 24 and either way it's not 30. The OP needs a new PSU.

This is yet another case where a member of the forum is arguing against manufacturer recommended specs. As I clarified, PSU recommendations are given to account for the ENTIRE system. Everyone knows that, but you. I shouldn't have had to clarify it because it's a given. Case and point, do you think the minimum 500w PSU is for the video card alone?

You're arguing against yourself. You're saying the manufacturer's recommended spec for an RX 480 is 30A minimum for the whole system. And from the document you linked, the OPs PSU has two 20A 12V rails - in other words, 40A total aviailable (unless for some inane reason only one rail is connected - which is very, very unlikely). Seasonic isn't dumb enough to allow one rail in a two-rail PSU to power ATX, EPS, peripherals and PCIe connectors alone. Power simply wouldn't be routed so that this is possible. In other words, your argument makes no sense. Spec-wise, he should be fine, but it seems the PSU is faulty. Plain and simple.

 

[krumme]

You know what else uses 12v rails? Hard drive motors. You know what you have in your rig. 4 hard drives that you didn't provide the make and model for. Guess what that means?

That it is Tesla motors?