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dual powersupply?

T

tale

n00b
Joined
Nov 8, 2007
Messages
53
Hi,

I am running the Thermaltake W0131RU ATX12V / EPS12V 850W Power Supply. I need more power to my computer. My motherboard is the EVGA 122-CK-NF68. I think i need to run dual powersupply.

1. What do I need to run a second powersupply? a connecting cable?
2. Must the 2nd PS be the identical to my current one?
2. Can the 2nd PS be a different, weaker PS?
 
What do you have that makes you believe that you need more than 850w?
 
i use this computer as a file server in addition to other things. Currently, i have the following items:

- E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz
- 4GB 667 RAM
- 122-CK-NF68 SLI mobo
- DVD rewriter
- 4 x 36GB Raptors
- 6 x 500GB Seagate
- 3ware 9650SE-8LPML PCI Express SATA II Controller Card RAID
- 128MB PCI video card
- 7 x 120mm fans

i plan to put 6 more harddrives into this machine, thus need more juice.
 
Your startup power requirements will be the most difficult time for the PSU.
If it can cope with that it will use much less power while in windows so you wont be prone to problems by pushing the PSU too hard long term.

If we say each hard drive uses a max of 15W each on power up, thats 16x15 = 240W extra for all the hard drives.
Once in windows they will consume around 5W each max, giving a max sustained power use of 80W.

As a good 400W PSU will run the rest of your system and have necessary spare capacity, 850W will be fine with all the drives.
 
Nenu, so you are saying I should get an additional 400W powersupply so I can run both, the 850W + the 400W? If so, i am missing the key piece, which is how I can run both simultaneously?
 
drives take little power and even not a lot on spin up, I think you have more than enough. However there is a post only a few days old on how to run two power supplies.
 
tale said:
Nenu, so you are saying I should get an additional 400W powersupply so I can run both, the 850W + the 400W? If so, i am missing the key piece, which is how I can run both simultaneously?
Click to expand...

lol, no I'm saying you need less than 400W to run your system without the drives and the startup power is 240W for the hard drives meaning you need around 600W to get your system to boot.
You dont need anything more than the 850W PSU you have.

You can also stagger the power up time for the hard drives in the CMOS so the PSU doesnt have such a hard time at the instant you power on.
 
Thanks guys. I did research and it looks like seagate spin up will use up to ~ 25W. 16x 25 = 400W! I may have to look into staggered spin up.
 
Wow, thats rather high!
I'd get in touch with Seagate tech support to see what the typical spin up power consumption is.
That "sounds like" a safe figure because maybe they hadnt researched it on release.
 
i would imagine that getting them to both turn on at the same time would be Accomplished by simply connecting the secondary atx power on pins in the 20 pin connector to the corresponding pins in the primary power supply. But i could be wrong.
 
i wish i could find it, but (and I think it was Enermax) had 24 drives running off one of their (Galaxy?) 850W PSU.
 
You don't need to buy anything fancy if you're a little handy with electronics. The PSU powers on when the "green" cable is pulled to ground. If you use a relay you can get the second PSU to power on when you turn on the computer. Since you're intending to run hard disks off it there should be no problem with the load, since those load both the 12V and 5V rails.
 
tale said:
i use this computer as a file server in addition to other things. Currently, i have the following items:

- E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz
- 4GB 667 RAM
- 122-CK-NF68 SLI mobo
- DVD rewriter
- 4 x 36GB Raptors
- 6 x 500GB Seagate
- 3ware 9650SE-8LPML PCI Express SATA II Controller Card RAID
- 128MB PCI video card
- 7 x 120mm fans

i plan to put 6 more harddrives into this machine, thus need more juice.
Click to expand...


A corsair 620 will even power that with no problems. Your 850 is more than enough.

I'm running 36 drives, dual core, 4 controllers, etc etc one a 1kw with plenty of room to spare.
 
HOLY CRAP!!!!

Ockie mate, why do you need 36 drives? that is one bigass RAID array...

what would be kinda funny though would be if they were all 1tb drives...

pics please (sorry for hijacking thread kinda...) also, what case do you have?
 
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