Recommend Replacement for Disappointing Antec TP2 550

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Shark-MegaByte

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 21, 2004
Messages
428
I'm replacing my Antec TruePower2 550w. It doesnt seem to be able to carry the load during gaming - Asus PC Probe gives 12v readings of 11.9 idle, dipping to 11.78 under load. The 'supply is being RMA'ed to Newegg. I know BIOS and software voltage readings are usually not 100% accurate, but in this instance everything else I've done trying to identify the problem part has seemed to clear my cpu, system ram, and video card/s of suspicion.

I don't want to mess around with trying a lot of PSU's, but i dont have a lot of extra money to blow, either. Hoping for a price tag around $100, but willing to go over if absolutely necessary. I'm not going to add any major components - don't need or want more drives, don't want to run 2 gpu's and my motherboard doesn't do that anyway - so I'm looking for something that will support my current hardware rock-solid 100% and that's all.

Antec is no longer an acceptable brand.. my confidence in them is drastically diminished.

Here's the setup, re-arranged from my sig:

Asus A8N5X
AMD64 x2 3800+
EVGA 7900gt KO 256mb ... or Sapphire x1800xt 512mb (I was testing both; havent decided yet)
Corsair TwinX ddr400 2gb
WD Raptor 74gb SATA
pata Pioneer DVD+/-RW
Linksys SRX pci wifi
3x120mm fans
==Usb devices==
Kensington SlimType usb kb
Logitech cordless MediaPlay mouse (usb)
Sandisk Cruzer Micro 256mb usb flash drive (connected often)
LG vx8100 cell phone charges and takes data from BitPIM, usb (connected often)
Wingman Extreme Digital 3D usb (connected occasionally)

==(other)==
XP Home
NEC MultiSync 90gx2 19" 4ms lcd
 
The main symptom was artifacting/screen corruption with both video cards. Only in games, which is when the power starts getting unreliable.
 
Are you sure it wasn't overheating? That seems more like it than the power supply
 
Shark-MegaByte said:
The main symptom was artifacting/screen corruption with both video cards. Only in games, which is when the power starts getting unreliable.
Click to expand...
Doesn't seem like low voltage was the problem since the voltage was within spec... You should've checked the voltage with a multimeter because the software isn't very accurate.

I'm inclined to go with overheating, as Bbq said.
 
You DO realize there were a bad batch of 7900's that did EXACTLY what your describing right? Its not the psu patna, for one 11.7 is within spec and wouldnt cause the issue.
 
454Casull said:
Doesn't seem like low voltage was the problem since the voltage was within spec... You should've checked the voltage with a multimeter because the software isn't very accurate.

I'm inclined to go with overheating, as Bbq said.
Click to expand...

Checked that. Gpu core on the 7900 routinely gets into the high 70s and low to mid 80s c under load - with no problems. The artifacts and crashes have no direct relation to temperature. And opening my case barely makes a difference.
 
wee96 said:
You DO realize there were a bad batch of 7900's that did EXACTLY what your describing right? Its not the psu patna, for one 11.7 is within spec and wouldnt cause the issue.
Click to expand...

Yes I realize that, which is why I strained my wallet to get an x1800xt to try. The xt has different display oddities but with about the same frequency - the gt shows thin straight lines radiating from objects, while the xt discolors chunks of the screen into rainbow junk.

So, whatever it is.... it's not the video card. I think many people have noticed a few genuine card defects and assumed that whatever problems they're having come from the same causes, when their real issues are a combination of other things they could fix themselves.

Changing drivers and implementing adjustments for dual-core have both helped the display issues a little. I think the psu is the final piece of the puzzle and want a better one.
 
Shark-MegaByte said:
The main symptom was artifacting/screen corruption with both video cards. Only in games, which is when the power starts getting unreliable.
Click to expand...
That's a problem with the 7900GT KO Superclock you have in your sig...I'm getting my rma card wednesday.
 
joemama said:
That's a problem with the 7900GT KO Superclock you have in your sig...I'm getting my rma card wednesday.
Click to expand...
And the x1800xt? That's a completely different card exhibiting similar symptoms. Sounds like it could very well be a power supply problem.

 
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