How do you know when you need more power?

E

EchoMatrix

Gawd
Joined
Feb 1, 2005
Messages
806
Just got a XPS 410 with a 375w PSU. Put in a x1900xt ICEq3 and its hella nice.

The box says I need like 400w+ for this video card. What signs should I look for that I need to upgrade the PSU?

Seems to work so far, a little buzzing noise(might be nominal) and also a green screen every once in a while when changing resolution between games or so.

Need to upgrade or not? Thanks
 
Depends on the PSU brand...

An Antec or a Silverstone 375w will perform better than most "450w SUPER TERRIFIC STAR-FLOWER POWER SUPPRY BEST FRIENDS"
 
how does a no nothing like me do such a thing?

Also, if the fan a slightly out of sync and rattling a little, should I return the video card so is there some way to fix this myself? It only happens about 20-30 min after turning the computer one, but its fairly steady after that.
 
to the OP, which fan are you talking about? sometimes power supply start making noises when you stretch them too much. if the fan in the graphics card doing the noise, then it could be .. the card is getting hot and the fan is blasted to full speed.
 
Its the fan in the video card. I checked it myself, and its just a little off center and its makin noise. It doesnt sound THAT loud so I dont think it is that, but I'll take a closer look
 
EchoMatrix said:
how does a no nothing like me do such a thing?

Also, if the fan a slightly out of sync and rattling a little, should I return the video card so is there some way to fix this myself? It only happens about 20-30 min after turning the computer one, but its fairly steady after that.
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Start to know things. Go read the PSU FAQ in the PSU forum, get educated. It's not all that hard, really.

~Adam
 
I got a short faint buzzing noise when i first installed an X1950. It went away after a minute or so. X1900s want 30A on the 12v btw.
 
To answer your questions:

If you get random crashing, freezing, or the whole box just won't turn on, then it COULD be related to a lack of power. If you aren't having problems, there may not be a need to upgrade your power supply. How many amps do you have on the 12v rail(s)? The more the better for PCI-E video cards.

As for the fan issue, that's up to you...
 
Running boxes underpowered is not a good idea...

Have you ever seen a movie where one of those things on a wooden electrical pole explodes because of a power surge? Well, imagine that inside your pc... Basically it could fry everything in your box and cost you another K to rebuild it...

~Adam
 
The 375w Dell has dual 18A 12v rails. It's more than enough power for that card.

The entire system isn't likely to be using more than 275w at maximum draw, and probably closer to 175w under normal load. Don't worry about it.
 
If you get no problems, dont worry.
I'm using a 15A 12V rail PSU when I need 23A (according to specs) when not clocked.
I've got the nads clocked off my kit too and its rock stable once booted.
Sometimes takes a few attempts to boot.

regarding the rattling fan, you need to RMA it.
 
Chernobyl1 said:
If you get no problems, dont worry.
I'm using a 15A 12V rail PSU when I need 23A (according to specs) when not clocked.
I've got the nads clocked off my kit too and its rock stable once booted.
Sometimes takes a few attempts to boot.

regarding the rattling fan, you need to RMA it.
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Isn't needing a few attempts to boot a sign that the startup current draw (higher than operational) is too high for the powersupply? That's the problem with the CoolerMaster in my sig with my current setup and I'm going to replace it because I'm upgrading. I also think it's the culprit in my memory OCing issue.
 
Yes, thats exactly the reason.
It only does it when my cpu is overclocked to around 2.7GHz.
If I clock down to 2.62GHz it boots perfectly.

It does mean there is very little headroom left for anything to go wrong.
ie if there is a mains spike, the PSU could go bang easier so I use a filtered UPS to keep the mains clean.

I look for other signs of imminent failure too.
ie problem getting worse
I backed off the cpu speed to find the max speed it will boot and then overclock the extra in windows.
If it starts developing the same problem at the new boot speed, the PSU is going downhill and I will get a new one.

The capacitors degrade over time, reducing the PSU's stable power so I'm expecting it to happen one day as this PSU is going on 3 years old.
I also check for increased exhaust heat and any new smells etc etc and monitor the voltage rails with an oscilloscope.

Watching for problems is part what I do (electronic engineer) so it doesnt worry me.
I dont recommend doing the same though unless you have the same confidence.
 
A good idea if you want to know how much power you are using at any moment.
It cant account for the efficiency of your PSU (rough ballpark is 75%) so finding the exact power used by any component wont be precise.

It can help you feel more confident about how far you are pushing when you overclock if you account for approximate psu efficiency.
The older the psu, in general, the less efficient.
 
havent had any problems yet, but I'll probally replace it just in case. my only worry now is that there is a 120 fan on top of the PSU and I hope it gets enough air. There is a small gap around an inch or so for the air to come in.

I ll pray
 
Can you turn the PSU upside down so the fan is near the cpu?
Most cases allow this.
 
seem like maybe i could, but i opened up the case and reevaluated and I would have to take out the entire heatsink aparatus for the CPU in order to do so. Its working well now, and I bought the insurance for it. We will see if it blows up
 
EchoMatrix said:
seem like maybe i could, but i opened up the case and reevaluated and I would have to take out the entire heatsink aparatus for the CPU in order to do so. Its working well now, and I bought the insurance for it. We will see if it blows up
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The fan is designed to point down into the case.
 
I once knew a system needed moar powar because the LED's in a fan were flickering and the fan wasn't exactly running full speed....
 
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