Page 1 of Is my psu powerful enough

On 21/04/04 I brought a new computer:
Top Spec:
Intel Pentuim 4 HT
3.01Ghz
512Mb DDr ram
MSI Geforce FX 5200
120GB hard drive
SiS 648FX
1 X DVD REWRITER
floppy drive

So i have installed most of my software from my prev computer and everything was brilliant.

26/04/04
Until monday when i turned it on at arounf 8.00am to go onto the internet. when after 30secs after turning it on the computer froze. So i pressed the reset button and every think was tickateboo (ok).

It also froze when doing a virus check and then when i had left it for 30-45 mins and the computer brought up the XP screener saver and it would not respond when i got back to the computer

In the evening the mouse froze but if i pressed the windows key on the keyboard it would let me turn the computer off and when i restarted it was ok.

27/04/04
i started the computer again in the morning to look at the internet and it froze with no responce from the keyboard/mouse so i pressed the reset button. About miday the same thing happened again and i reset and all was ok.

28/04/04
Computer froze twice in the morning.when i reset from the second freeze i had a error messageon the memory check screen saying "CMOS Checksum error-Default loaded" pressed f1 to continue and it reset to do another memory test but came up with a different screen "Winfast A340 VGA BIOS" loaded with 128MB showing and web address www.leadtek.com.tw When computer reloaded res changed to 800x600 ok after this. I believe this bios is connected to the graphics card so i downloaded and installed the the newest drivers as "the ogster"told me has been a problem with the nvidia drivers recently.I left the res at 800x600

29/04/04
Left my computer on all day and no freeze in the morning or during the day but my dad went on the computer about 4.00pm and it froze.

The last hardware/software items were fitted on friday A firewire card from my old computer and itunes. so for 2 days after anything was fitted/installed all was ok

We use the internet alot in our house so i dont know if it is explorer but i have read alot of messages about freezes and i had alook at the psu and it is only 230W, is a problem do you think.

Any help and i would be great full as i am pulling my hair out and i have not got alot left. i have sent a support email to novatech but have not heard from them yet.

Thanks guys

Make sure that 230W is the output and not the input, you should have at least a 300W PSU. Most new cases come supplied with anything from 300W to 400W so if your case is new then your PSU should be ok.

The "CMOS Checksum error-Default loaded" message you saw means that your BIOS has reset itself and that could point to the problems coming from your motherboard.

Good luck

Here`s a reply I got from Gigabyte when I emailed them a problem I was having with my mboard.

Do You have enough Power?
Quick Check! approx power consumption
Latest Motherboards =40watts

Fans (each) =9watts or 0.5amp eusing the +12v line

Athlon Xp & Intel CPU above 1800 =90watts or 7.5amp using the +12v line

CDROM / DVDROM"s each take =30watt or 2.5amps using the =12v line

Hard Disk Drives each take =30watt or 2.5amps using the =12v line

AGP latest 8x =up to 80watts

Here is a sample system config.
You can check your voltage rail amp ratings on the Side of your PSU.
+12v line components only...= max 18.5amps

CPU=1800 7.5amps
2*HDD= 5.0amps
1*CDRom= 2.5amps
1*DVD= 2.5amps
2*Fan= 1.0amp

PSU 300-400 will only run a basic athlon 1.6.Or a entry level P4. using the incorrect power supply will cause lots of problems including slower fan speeds and blue screening system shut downs. And will eventually cause complete failure of system.
Get an AMD approved PSU around 500-550w with a absolute minimum of 18amps on the +12v line.. for the GA7***** range (mid 20's -35) recommended for future upgrades.
Also the P4 if used with a lot of hard drives/space will also need a high end power supply with a good +12v supply. Again suggest a 550w for future upgrades.
I believe that www.pcsuppliesuk.co.uk tel 01229 877577( have some very good prices on these.

Each component with a motor uses approx 1.5 - 2.5 amps on the +12v line ie fans, hard drives, floppy drives, and Graphics cards. Most CPU's use around 8- 11 amps themselves!!!. Also High speed memory PC3200 (400) needs a lot of power.

Extract from Toms Hardware
These issues of "stability" can cost hours of use time while the system is continued to be tinkered with in vain in an effort to resolve the issue. When this occurs, ambitious users are inclined to search for the cause in the processor settings, system memory or on the motherboard, since the Front Side Bus, CPU core voltage and GPU of the graphics card are often pushed to the limit to achieve maximum performance. This results in the user resetting all of the system parameters to default values - but to no avail. The computer continues to crash, eventually so frequently that it is no longer possible to continue using it.
One possible cause of unreliability that is often overlooked by users is the power supply that is installed in their computer. Unless the computer was custom built and the user recently had the power supply upgraded, chances are that it may contain a less-than-capable power supply. Users who stand to fare the worst are those who have purchased their computer from a computer super store and/or discount retailer. These systems are generally fitted with cheaply made, low-cost power supplies, which often can sustain damage even under minimal loads.
The power supply is something that many users overlook when they upgrade their PCs. Since upgraded components often require more power, a larger, more capable power supply should be a standard replacement when significant upgrades have been made to a computer. Only the lab test tells the truth - even if the maximum load is specified as 400 watts, the power supply often "gives up the ghost" long before reaching this load. Some manufacturers of power supplies apparently assume that computer users will never need maximum power from their power supply.

Rocky..

"The secret to enjoying your job is to have a hobby that is even worse."

Gigabyte`s full of s*** aren`t they?

Have to agree with Tinnion.

As always, ensure you have the latest service pack/updates etc.
Ensure you have the latest certified graphics drivers (www.nvidia.com) as well.

FYI - I have a Gigabyte motherboard, with the following:
AMD 2600XP
1GB PC2100 DDR RAM
Radeon 9800Pro (8x AGP)
1 x 200GB HD
2 x 120GB HD
1 x DVD-RW
1 x CD-RW
TV card

All running on a 350W power supply with no issues whatsoever.
However, saying that, I would not write off the fact that it could be the power supply - but don`t go out thinking you need a 550W one.
If you bought it as a full system from Novatech - did you opt for the OS included? Or installed it yourself?

If you installed yourself - did you use a kosher copy of it?
If not, it`s always a possibilty that it`s the OS freezing up (I have a similar issue with one I`ve just built for someone)

My computer came from Time, has a 250W PSU and also uses a Radeon 9800 Pro. Hence my full of s*** comment.

To just add to that though, remember different quality power supplies provide different amounts of power consistently. I`ve just been lucky in my case that it actually provides enough power. I would advise at least a 300W PSU. But it sounds to me like you are reading the Voltage off the back of the PSU.

This item was edited on Friday, 30th April 2004, 12:31

i have checked the nvidia and microsoft website and have the lastest drivers,regarding the os Xp pro came preinstalled.

I`m sure this has nothing to do with the problem but I`m just surprised no one has yet recommended that you double your RAM to 1024.

Pete 8)

I opened my case and it has 300w writen on it i also checked to see if all the fans were working and they were.

I recall servicing a number of s***ty Time PCs that did have stupidly low rated PSUs (they were also non standard sizes), but your problem doesn`t really sound like the PSU issues I`ve experienced. In my experience, at least with my own PCs, having too little power results in restarts, not chrashes. On the other hand, RAM problems do result in the kind of problems you mentioned (as well as restarts).

Can you check the RAM to eliminate it? You can get PSUs dead cheap nowadays anyway if you need to. I`m running two 400W eBuyer PSUs (admittedly with decent 12V rails) and I have nForce 2 motherboards, 2800+ and 3000+ CPUs, GeForce 4 Ti video cards, two hard drives, two optical drives, sound cards and USB devices running without any problems. I used to have the same running on 350W PSUs, but upgraded when the 400s fell into my lap.