Recommended Power Supplies?

[Major Johnson]

Ok, this is sort of a continuation of the CTD thread/poll I posted a few responses in, but my topic takes it into another area that I felt was off topic enough to warrant a new thread. Starting today I'm experiencing power shut offs while playing SH4. It started when just clicking on the load game option. It happened like 3-4 times. I had to unplug the power chord from the power supply, wait a few seconds and plug it back in, then I can turn it on and it boots up normally. I know it's graphic related in some way. Something about the game makes my video card, a GeForce 7800 GS 256 RAM (one of the few cards that has the UBI blessing of compatibility for the game! :) ) want more more voltage, it asks the power supply and power supply promptly shuts down. I was able to get into the options menu and switched from the High setting to Medium. I was able to load my saved game, but after 3-10 minutes the pc just shuts off again. And it can happen in any screen. This happened 5-6 times as I experimented with the graphic settings, shutting off my anti-virus etc. Believe me I've gone through all the usual troubleshooting steps. In as much as I think maybe the game engine might be able to be tweaked to be more compatible, I also think not all power supplies are alike and mine, a Xeon 600 Wt, might not be able to give what the game is currently asking of the video card. There is only one other game that causes this problem for me, and it's a game that was made for Win95! It just doesn't play nice with XP, so I have a 98 box with less of everything else (400 wt power supply) that the game runs fine on.
So I guess my question is what are the specs I should look for in a power supply that is best suited for hard core gaming. Thanks!

[ReallyDedPoet]

So I guess my question is what are the specs I should look for in a power supply that is best suited for hard core gaming. Thanks!

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=504446&postcount=3

Have a look at this post :roll:

RDP

[Major Johnson]

Thanks, I checked out that post. I have a feeling that I may have gotten a somewhat faulty power supply. Supposedly my card should run fine on a 400 watt variety. Reading the reviews on my power supply, it's good, "if you get a good one". I'm thinking there might be faulty workmanship involved. But typically you get what you paid for, and it was half the price of other power supplies of the same wattage. I can't afford the cash for better power supply until next paycheck. This is gonna suck if I have to wait like 3 weeks to play SH4 again. :damn:

[Hartmann]

I don´t have any problem of power supply but i have a 550 watts unit :up:

it´s a very important component of the pc

[Skipbo]

Major Johnson: I have a 7900GS which I would suspect is very similar to your video card. I bought the following 500W PS specifically to use with it and it does just fine. Wanted to ask if your PS provides a power cable to the video card itself (that is IF your 7800GS also HAS a PWB surface connector for a direct power connection) in addition to the power to the PC-Express bus? If not, could be a reason for voltage drops at higher currents on the bus. This Rosewill has a multitude of power outputs and is currently on sale for $48 and free shipping which is less than I paid for it. I run 2G RAM, a TV receiver card, and a sound card plus four drives counting the HD so have quite a bit of power requirement and the PS handles it all fine.....Skipbo

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182044

[Marko_Ramius]

The most important thing to consider when getting a PSU is not really the Wattage .. but the amount of Ampers on 12V.


I saw some cheap PSU 500W with only 12A on 12V --> This one is only able to give 120W on the 12V !!! Run away from this kind of PSU ..


While modern computer ask a lot on the 12V ( CPU, Graphic card, Hard disks..), this is the most important thing to look at.

[ReallyDedPoet]

The most important thing to consider when getting a PSU is not really the Wattage .. but the amount of Ampers on 12V.


I saw some cheap PSU 500W with only 12A on 12V --> This one is only able to give 120W on the 12V !!! Run away from this kind of PSU ..


While modern computer ask a lot on the 12V ( CPU, Graphic card, Hard disks..), this is the most important thing to look at.

Nice info :roll: :up:

RDP

[jdkbph]

Beyond a minimum nominal wattage required to run the components in your system, PSU design and quality are more important than raw numbers.

There are a lot of "popular" front runners out there, such as enermax, antec, pc power & cooling, etc., that are decent enough, but be sure to check out the reviews for fortron and seasonic... consistently rated as two of the best.

After researching this rather extensivley I settled on Seasonic for my new rig. I bought the 650, with the idea that I may eventually SLI my 8800GTS. The Seasonic can easily handle this, where-as you might have to step up to an 850 or better with a lesser brand PSU... and even then you might have problems pulling enough amps on the 12v rails.

The Seasonic is probably the most efficient PSU out there as well. Aside from "green" considerations, that translates into less heat. The only negative is that neither the fortron nor the seasonic PSUs have modular (unplugable) cables.

JD

Edit: it seems Seasonic does offer a modular PSU now. Pricey however.... $200+ for a 700w unit.

[Major Johnson]

I really appreciate all the input! I'm starting to get an idea as to what I need to look for. The specs for my power supply does say that it has rails that will deliver 35 and 53 amps. I just have to figure out which ones they are. There are no markings that I can see. But I'm gonna shut it down now and take a closer look! Hopefully I can get this issue resolved without having to purchase a new power supply and hence be playing SH4 that much sooner! Thanks again!!

[NefariousKoel]

You definitely wanna check the amperage on the 12v rail of any power supply you get. However, keep in mind that the current will be split between every component you have installed in your PC. It's always better to have way more than you need.

That being said, if something has gone awry with your power supply, there could be all kinds of problems.

Obviously you need a new one no matter what it's rated since it seems to have gone tits-up.

[J-PG]

I experienced some quite similar symptoms when running the MS FS the other year. Only it was some kind of overheating that caused the shutoffs. Maybe you schould considers this, too.

Greetings

Jan-Peer

[Major Johnson]

Well I spent a large part of my day researching this whole power supply thing. The specs on my card want at least 20 amps on the 12 V rail. My power supply is rated +12V1/22A, +12V2/22A and -12V/1A. I am assuming that 22 is not enough for my video card and it's getting worse everytime I try to play SH4, but only SH4. Now it shuts off when I try to load a saved game. I can't even uninstall SH4 without it shutting off. So I'm pretty much dead in the water as far as SH4 goes.

The highest 12v rating I've seen on NewEgg was 34A from an Apevia power supply. I might go for that one for only 60 bucks. Now I've seen 12V, +12V and -12V. I'm assuming the 12 and +12 are the samething. But I guess what I'm learning is that wattage is everything nowadays. You have to really dig into the specs.

[SUBMAN1]

The most important thing to consider when getting a PSU is not really the Wattage .. but the amount of Ampers on 12V.


I saw some cheap PSU 500W with only 12A on 12V --> This one is only able to give 120W on the 12V !!! Run away from this kind of PSU ..


While modern computer ask a lot on the 12V ( CPU, Graphic card, Hard disks..), this is the most important thing to look at.

I agree with that. Amps on the 12 V is where its at - that is if you plan to power some high end hardware in the future.

I have one more criteria personally - and that is the dba output (sound pressure) of the PSU. Most high amperage PSU's our relatively loud. Now you can counter that with a fanless design, but remember that heat has to go somewhere, and they vent it in your case, so you have to add fans to your case to make up for it (great thinking guys! not). I currently run a Silverstone (http://www.silverstonetek.com/products/p_contents.php?pno=st60f&area=usa) but I am not too happy with the loudness of the fan. I'm considering pulling it apart and modding it. It is quiet I guess, but I don't like to hear my computer at all.

Anyway, have a plan about what you want to power now and what you want to power later, and study the appropriate supply for it.

For ideas on quiet components, go here: http://www.silentpcreview.com/



-S

[NefariousKoel]

I'd stick with a dual-fan psu myself.

The sound doesn't matter so much to me. I'd be more concerned with keeping my components cool however I can.

[SUBMAN1]

I'd stick with a dual-fan psu myself.

The sound doesn't matter so much to me. I'd be more concerned with keeping my components cool however I can.
One thing you should worry about is the push pull of a dual fan design is grossly inefficient. They use that push pull thing more as a marketing gimmick. The first fan is always regulated by the second in terms of performance. Now a dual push push would work very well.

Here is an example of a push push - http://www.seasonicusa.com/m12.htm - This is the PSU I would buy today if I were to purchase one. It has the amps. It has quad 12 volt rails, each capable of 18amps. ANd best of all - it is nearly silent in operation! It has one negative - If you planned on paying $200 or less for a PSU, you cannot afford this one. It is well over $200.

-S

PS. Another problem with Push pull - hot spots are created (graphic via Seasonic):
http://www.seasonicusa.com/images/pic04.gif

[Heibges]

A friend of mind just build a duo core 2.4, with a 7900, 2 gigs of ram, and put a 625 watt power supply in it.