Not enough power?

[jlin453]

My first thread about this problem is here:http://forum.oc-forums.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=145321


For the summary:
Everytime I turn on my computer from a cold start, i ALWAYS get a blue screen and the computer reboots. The second time, I NEVER get a problem.

It was suggested that I might have a "too cold" problem or something to deal with warming up.

This problem only started after I started using the high output sunon. Do you guys think this is the problem? Maybe my Enermax 350W isn't enough anymore?

hooked up:2 cd drives, one hdd, one floppy drive, 3 case fan, sunon 84cfm.
vcore: 1.85V, vdimm=2.8, agp: 1.79V


The wierd thing is, after the second time starting up, I get NO errors at all. I can run prime95 for hours with no problems.

[TUK101]

It could be exactly what you are suspecting, and that is that your psu is probably taking to big of a power draw trying to start up when dead cold. Electric motors (your fans) draw the most amperage when they are cold and trying to get started. They actually draw very little juice once running compared to when they are starting up. Try unhooking the 84mm fan before turning on your comp next time you are going to cold boot and see if it makes a difference. If it doesnt, try unhooking another fan. If that doesnt do it, then it could be something else. This definately does sound power related though, and I would almost bet than it has something to do with all of the 12V fans. How many amps does your psu supply on the 12V?

[jlin453]

Considering the Sunon, which is drawing the most power, is blowing on my heatsink, I don't think unplugging it is an option :D

I'm looking into a 400 or 430W P.S. now.

[BaldHeadedDork]

I don't think you are suffering from a power shortage. Last month Tom's ran a comparison test on PSU's and they put together this test rig (http://www6.tomshardware.com/howto/20021021/powersupplies-02.html) to stress the PSU's. If four hard drives, three sticks of RAM, two optical drives and a boatload of other stuff only consumes 355 watts, I doubt if your system is overloading a 350w PSU.

I think you got a bad PSU. If you have a warranty, I'd see about getting it replaced before I spent money on a new PSU. If you do have to lay out your own cache, I'd pick up a Sparkle FSP.



BHD

[TUK101]

Originally posted by BaldHeadedDork
I don't think you are suffering from a power shortage. Last month Tom's ran a comparison test on PSU's and they put together this test rig (http://www6.tomshardware.com/howto/20021021/powersupplies-02.html) to stress the PSU's. If four hard drives, three sticks of RAM, two optical drives and a boatload of other stuff only consumes 355 watts, I doubt if your system is overloading a 350w PSU.

I think you got a bad PSU. If you have a warranty, I'd see about getting it replaced before I spent money on a new PSU. If you do have to lay out your own cache, I'd pick up a Sparkle FSP.



BHD You may be right. His problem could even lie in his on/off button being bad. (I have seen stranger things happen). I would definately check things out thouroghly before spending loads of cash on a better psu, because the one that you already have is supposedly a descent one. Heck, I was running 4 80mm fans and a 120mm fan on a 300 watt psu with my comp OC'ed pretty good and never had a shortage of power. What I was saying before is that one of your fans could be drawing a lot of power to get started and thus causing your comp to not work right.

[jlin453]

Ok, I'm looking into PS's now.

Couple of thoughts.

Should I still go w/a 350W power supply(Sparkle) or do you guys think I should go higher? I guess I'm going to assume my Enermax power supply is faulty, and that a functioning 350W is enough for my system?

[neospazzy]

Buying your run-of-the-mill 350W or even a 450W power supply may not solve your problem. You must look at the rail ratings of the power supply before purchasing them. Firingsquad has a great article about this issue that many don't know about. Pay close attention to the +12V rail since most of your fans and drives use them.

Choosing the Right Power Supply (http://firingsquad.gamers.com/guides/power/default.asp)

If you look at my sig below, I am pulling some major wattage! I opted with the Vantec Stealth 520W power supply to meet my needs. No problems here!

Hey, if you want your rig to run its best, give it the juice it deserves, even if you need to spend some $$$ on it! Good luck!