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is my PSU outdated?

RedTalon19

RedTalon19

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Dec 10, 2000
Messages
5,998
Gigabyte GA-M770OT-UD3P
Phenom II x2 550 BE Callisto 3.1GHz
XFX Radeon 5770
8 gigs RAM (4x2gb)
2 HDDs

I just upgraded my system to the above but I'm still using an Antec 350w (model SP-350) PSU I picked up a few years ago from BestBuy. This PSU did not have the 8-pin 12V EATX connector but the mobo manual said it supported the older 4-pin so I tried it out and I'm up and running stable with this system so far. The BIOS reports voltages well within tolerable ranges too.

I run into problems when I attempt to unlock extra cores on my Phenom. I am able to post and enter BIOS but when Win7 attempts to load it either locks up or BSOD's. I am not sure if this is because the extra cores are bum or if the PSU cannot handle the extra load.

So my question is: should I upgrade the PSU even though I am currently stable? And, is it possible my current PSU is holding back my Phenom from becoming a quad-core or did I just get unlucky?
 
The PSU is slightly outdated but I'm not sure if it is the reason behind you being unable to unlock extra cores. I think that may more be luck of the draw/chip. However an inadequate PSU might hamper your OC attempts with your cpu/gpu.
 
I recommend that you replace the PSU in any case, since the old Smartpower, Truepower, and Truepower II series PSUs used cheap capacitors that were prone to premature failure, and were coupled with fan control that didn't kick in adequately until very high temperatures were reached, leading to many early deaths. Even if your PSU is still functioning, there's a decent chance that it won't last long with that rig, so you'd be better off with a new unit.

As for the unlocking issue, I doubt that has anything to do with the PSU. More likely is that one or both of the other cores are faulty, which is why your CPU was binned as a dual-core.
 
sigh... figures I have that kinda luck. I'll probably pick up a new PSU eventually, would a quality 500w be enough? Hoping not to spend more than $100 on this after everything else.
 
Yes, a quality 500W unit certainly would be enough. I can give you some recommendations if you'd like.
 
I assume Antec and Corsair and Enermax still make quality PSU's but if you had a specific model that was quality for a great price I'd love to hear about it, thanks.
 
The Antec Earthwatts 500W would be a good choice, as would the Seasonic SS-500ET.
 
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