Lannister in the North said:
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I then bought a Xilence 800W gaming edition; And everything was working fine.
However, not long after purchase it started intermittently making a strange rattling noise. When i put it on a PSU tester it gave me nothing to read and a strange smell started filling my nostrils.
When I tried the same tester a day later it appeared to be working fine, Amps and Volts were all good.
One question on this:
5. Can it be normal for a PSU to make a rattling noise? (I double checked if it was the fan but it wasn't)
I'd like to know because I don't want to fry my mobo with a defective PSU.
Anyway I RMA'd the noisy PSU.
Some further questions:
When I use various calculators and estimates around the web, I conclude my current build should have enough with 600W.
And if I were to put in another 7970 in Xfire I should have enough with 800W; According to the web.
6. Is this perhaps a false conclusion? Do I in fact need more or is the 600W Xilence PSU of poor quality and under performing?
7. Would the "Corsair TX850M PSU - ATX12V 2.31/ EPS12V 2.92 - 80 PLUS Bronze - AC 100-240 V - 850 Watt - active PFC" be enough to power my rig + another 7970 in Xfire? From what I looked up it should, but with my recent experiences I'm not so sure any more.
I know I'm asking a lot but the prospects of frying my mobo or damaging my gpu are realy weighing on my mind, and i'd like some clarity.
So any advice is greatly appreciated!
5. No. It's not normal for a PSU to make a rattling noise. That would indicate that there is something loose inside the PSU. If it's a screw or solder ball that is floating around inside the PSU, due to poor manufacturing quality, then it can cause a short circuit. The strange smell may indicate that it was a loose solder ball that melted due to a short circuit.
6. 600W isn't enough for two Radeon HD 7970 graphics cards in 2-way CrossFire mode.
For a
system using
two AMD Reference Design Radeon HD 7970 graphics cards
in 2-way CrossFireX mode AMD specifies a minimum of an 750 Watt or greater
system power supply. The power supply should also have
a maximum combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of 58 Amps or greater and have at least
two 6-pin and two 8-pin PCI Express supplementary power connectors.
Total Power Supply Wattage is NOT the crucial factor in power supply selection!!! Sufficient Total Combined Continuous Power/Current Available on the +12V Rail(s) rated at 45°C - 50°C ambient temperature, is the most critical factor.
In theory the 800W model should be sufficient but I wouldn't trust PSUs made by Andyson. Andyson is the OEM for the Xilence 800W models and I've rarely seen any reputable reviews of any of their PSUs that have given them a decent rating.
7. The Corsair TX850 should be of better quality than any Xilence 800W model since the OEM used for the Corsair TX850 is better and the component quality is better.