Having trouble- how much power to POST??

[madmanbmw]

I just built a new rig and I am having some trouble with it. It will POST and run Win 2k fine sometimes, but about 6/7 times I hit the reset button or power button and it wont post. All my case fans kick in along with the fan on the Power supply, processor, etc, I then hear the cd drives and floppy drive fire up but no "beep" and nothing on my screen. I restart, restart, leave it for a while, restart and then it will post. Do I need a bigger power supply or what is problem? Something wrong with the mobo? I built this system two days ago and it seems like when I first started putting it together I wasnt having this problem. Here are the specs:

Antec File Server
Antec 300w P/S
AMD 1.33 GHZ (overclocked to 1.4)
IWill KA266-R Mobo
512 MB RAM PC 2100
IBM 40 GiG 7200 RPM (RAID)
IBM 40 GIG 7200 RPM (RAID)
Plextor 16x10x40 CDRW
Toshiba 16x DVD
ATI ALL N WONDER RADEON DDR
TURTLE Beech Sound Card
CNETT Win Modem
NetGear Network Card
4 Case Fans
1 GPU FAN
1 Retail Processor Fan

Is 300 Watts enough or do I need to go to 400? What else can I try to post?

Please Help. Thanks in advance.

Madison
mmcmajor@apex.net

 

[madmanbmw]

Btw... it seems that if I leave it turned off for about ten minutes and then try to boot, it boots fine.

Madison
mmcmajor@apex.net

 

[Guest]

yeah, you need a larger PSU......start up is the operation that requires the most power. when you let your PSU sit for five or ten minutes, it is actually building up its charge. thats why it is capable of starting the machine on those occasions. get an Enermax 431 with dual fans. they absolutely rock! tons of power and the twin fans keep your rig extra cool.

ignore everything i say

 

[Guest]

I've been having EXACTLY the same problems over the weekend. My new A7A, seemed to be working fine, but then I started having this boot-up problem, and its getting worse, it is now freezing up completely while in use, when it does boot up.

System specs:
Asus A7A266
Duron 800
2x 64Mb PC100 SDRAM
PCI TNT graphics
10.2Gb ATA66 HD
Floppy,
36X CD-ROM
250W

I did have the monitor powering through the power supply, but I changed that to its own plug, and still had trouble (didn't leave it for long though!), I then removed the power connectors to Floppy, HD and CD-ROM and it STILL wouldn't POST.

I don't have a very high power system, so surely my 250W should be enough?

This morning my wife turned it on, and it booted o.k. (I left it switched on at the wall this time, unlike before), but froze up after 20 mninutes.

Does this still sound like a Power supply problem?

Thanks

Topher Bear

Don't wait for tomorrow! Live for Today!

 

[Guest]

it COULD be your power supply. remember that its not the wattage rating that is really important. its the quality and the ability of the PSU to maintain power flow even during moments of extreme drain. my Enermax can maintain 160% of its rating (431 watts) for several minutes without a problem

ignore everything i say

 

[Guest]

A-Ha!! I think I have solved this problem now. just thought I would let you know.

I remembered someone saying before about the VID jumper being missing. When I checked...lo and behold, the CPU VID was neither Enabled nor Disabled...no Jumper!! I've now added the jumper and set to enabled, and now it seems to be working o.k. for now! Except for a new problem (aaarrggghhh!!), but I'll detail that one elsewhere, if I can't find a solution on the homepages!

Anyone know of a way in which I can check the max power output of my unit and see if it is enough at boot-up?
Using Asus Probe, my +12v level dipped to +8v for a second last night...hmmm. Asus Probe glith or PSU glitch?


Topher Bear

Don't wait for tomorrow! Live for Today!