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GPU vs PSU...

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May 8, 2013 2:38:39 AM

The Problem
After an over demand on my PSU when rendering some HD video (and running lots of other stuff at the same time) my PC shut itself down and smelled like electrical burning. It wouldn't power up again until the next day when it began working again without any noticeable problems apart from the fact that the fan in the PSU no longer spins and hence it overheats. When trying to push the fan round manually (by sticking a plastic pen in and pushing it round) there's a fair bit of resistance.

The make-shift solution
I've been running it fine with an external domestic fan blowing into the back of my tower and with one side of the case removed... but obviously I want to replace the PSU so it will be able to handle such power demands in the future and so I don't need to run a separate fan. I understand that it was probably the GPU that would have been drawing lots of power to do the video rendering so any thoughts on whether the GPU is not able to handle this task would also be welcome.

My PC Usage
I use the PC for various low power tasks and also do relatively intensive internet browsing (I usually have 20-30 tabs open), downloading/uploading through a bit torrent client, streaming HD video and more recently editing and rendering video from various HD sources into one HD finished edit. I often do several (or even all!) of these things simultaneously and ideally would like a power supply that will enable me to continue doing so. I don't really know which of these activities is most power intensive or even which bits of my PC they are working most intensively (CPU, GPU, PSU, memory etc.) so any info on any of that would be really useful (and interesting!).

My Basic Spec
PSU: Win Power SL-8460BTX with total output 450W (complete with broken fan)
Motherboard: ASRock G31M-GS
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400
memory: 4Gb (2x2Gb) 800Hz DDR2 RAM
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT
HDD: Maxtor STM3500418AS SATA 500Gb

A Better Solution?
I'm mostly interested to hear suggestions on which new PSU to buy and any suggestions about safely installing it, as I've never built a PC before. In fact adding the GPU myself after buying it 3 years ago was the only bit internal fiddling I've done (other than cleaning). So suggestions on required wattage/brand would be very welcome, as would any suggestions on whether my GPU ought to be able to handle the rendering of basic HD video (and whether I should only do this without running other programs simultaneously).


Thanks very much for any help!

Adrian Peenball

More about : gpu psu

May 8, 2013 3:07:39 AM

If the PSU is ok, you can just replace the fan. It makes no sense to replace the PSU for just a broken fan. Just check the size of the PSU fan and use any case fan that matches in size. It should be powered by a fan header on the PSU PCB similar to the one on the motherboard. If you can't find it, just stick your cable out of the PSU and connect it to the motherboard directly.
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May 8, 2013 3:37:36 AM

Your most extensive usage would likely be video editing/compiling. 450W should be adequate for your system. I will not suggest replacing the fan in the PSU if you are not familiar with the internals as there is the potential for personal harm. I might suggest the FSP Group RAIDER 450W as a viable option.

note: NewEgg link used for descriptive value

To swap out the power supply, there are really no "tricks", it is a fairly straight forward procedure. A picture or two before hand may help your reference though. Basically, it goes like this; Unplug PSU from wall and remove external power cord from PSU, open case, unplug the SATA power from your optical drive and hard drive, unplug the 24 pin connector and the 4 pin connector from the motherboard, make sure any other fans or devices are also disconnected, unscrew 4 screws at back of computer holding PSU in place, remove PSU - for installation, reverse the order
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May 8, 2013 3:50:58 PM

This is really helpful, thanks guys. I don't feel comfortable taking the PSU apart as C12Friedman picked up on, it's just a bit of a step too far I think! Do I need to be wearing latex gloves or at least make sure I "earth" myself before handling the internal cables and PSU etc?

I'm also wondering about another procedure - putting a hard drive from an older machine (which fails to switch on now) into my current one so I can download the data from it... Is it as simple as unplugging the current hard drive from whatever's plugged into it (power cable and one to the motherboard is my guess without checking) and then plugging them into the old HDD? Do I need to know/be careful of anything else in particular?

Thanks again for the help - it's very much appreciated!
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May 9, 2013 6:34:40 AM

I personally suggest developing a 'habit' of "earthing" one's self any time you get inside a computer. The PSU swap process poses little risk of ESD but why take chances.
Your old HDD should fit, you might need to bring over the data cable from the old computer. The only possible issue I am aware of there is if the HDD is IDE (uses a wide, flat ribbon cable) and your optical drive uses IDE. In that case you would want to leave the optical drive connected as is and use the second or third connector on the ribbon (if it has any extras). Also, if IDE, you'll want to make sure the jumper on the back of the HDD (only if IDE, SATA HDD's don't have a jumper) are set to "Cable Select" or "Slave". If you find there are no extra IDE connections to connect your old HDD, there are external options that will allow you to use the HDD (or retrieve data)
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