When do you need a larger power supply?

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.overclocking.amd (More info?)

On Sat, 12 Mar 2005 18:05:43 +0000, Jake wrote:

> What are the symptoms of an inadequate power supply?

System reboots by itself or locks up. High voltage fluctuations. Very low
system voltages. Extreme PSU exhaust heat may indicate overloading. System
not stable, or any other oddities noticed.

It's hard to say if your 300W Sparkle is adequate for what you are
powering. If it's overloading it you'll know soon enough by seeing some of
the systems, or a big bang.:-)

--
Abit KT7-Raid (KT133) Tbred B core CPU @2400MHz (24x100FSB)
My server http://wesnewell.no-ip.com/cpu.php
Verizon server http://mysite.verizon.net/res0exft/cpu.htm

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.overclocking.amd (More info?)

On Sat, 12 Mar 2005 18:05:43 GMT, "Jake" <jake@yahoo.com> wrote:

>I've been building computers for a while, and the subject of power supplies
>still baffles me. Given the load of individual components, it sure seems
>like we've gone a bit overboard using 500-600watt psu's. However, perhaps
>I'm just missing it.
>
>In one of my computers I've been using a 300watt Sparkle to power an NF7,
>mobile 2500 at 2.34ghz, 2 80gb IDE HDDs, SBLive soundcard, Winfast TV tuner,
>1 DVD-RW, 1 CD-RW, 6-in-1 card reader, floppy, modem, and a 9800 Pro video
>card. I didn't mean to get to this point; I kept meaning to beef up the
>power supply as I added components, but I put it off because I'm seeing no
>ill effects. Or am I? What are the symptoms of an inadequate power supply?
>Yesterday I replaced the 9800 Pro with an Nvidia 6800 (non-ultra), as a
>temporary thing, and I expected to have problems, given that Nvidia
>recommends 400+ watts for that card. However, it's humming along without a
>hitch.
>
>Input appreciated.
>
>jake

I've got two computers side by side, one's 550watts the other's an
antec 350. When there's a brownout and the lights blink, the 350 will
reboot, the 550 sails through. hmm... worth $50 to me.

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.overclocking.amd (More info?)

On Sun, 13 Mar 2005 06:57:00 +0000, Derek Baker wrote:

> <charlie> wrote in message
>> I've got two computers side by side, one's 550watts the other's an
>> antec 350. When there's a brownout and the lights blink, the 350 will
>> reboot, the 550 sails through. hmm... worth $50 to me.
>
> Are those PSUs similar types?

I think the point he's trying to make is that the larger PSU will be under
less load and thus a short brownout won't drain the caps as fast as the
system with the smaller PSU under heavier load. Probably only talking
about milliseconds here, but if you have bad AC power and no UPS, a larger
capacity PSU will make a difference. Wouldn't be worth $50 to me, but I
only paid $24 for my 600W. And now a year later, running 24/7 it's still
working fine, but down to $18.:-)

--
Abit KT7-Raid (KT133) Tbred B core CPU @2400MHz (24x100FSB)
My server http://wesnewell.no-ip.com/cpu.php
Verizon server http://mysite.verizon.net/res0exft/cpu.htm

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.overclocking.amd (More info?)

Another argument to be made in favour of larger power supplies is that
for a given system, a 400W power supply will be under less stress than a
300W power supply. This results in the 400W PSU running cooler and much
quieter than the 300W one for instance (since noise increases
exponentially with load). This is one of the reasons I bought my 400W
Seasonic Super Tornado for my PVR rather than just the 300W version....
but if silence isn't an issue, then for most cases you're probably fine
with lower rated PSU's.
JB

Jake wrote:
> I've been building computers for a while, and the subject of power supplies
> still baffles me. Given the load of individual components, it sure seems
> like we've gone a bit overboard using 500-600watt psu's. However, perhaps
> I'm just missing it.
>
> In one of my computers I've been using a 300watt Sparkle to power an NF7,
> mobile 2500 at 2.34ghz, 2 80gb IDE HDDs, SBLive soundcard, Winfast TV tuner,
> 1 DVD-RW, 1 CD-RW, 6-in-1 card reader, floppy, modem, and a 9800 Pro video
> card. I didn't mean to get to this point; I kept meaning to beef up the
> power supply as I added components, but I put it off because I'm seeing no
> ill effects. Or am I? What are the symptoms of an inadequate power supply?
> Yesterday I replaced the 9800 Pro with an Nvidia 6800 (non-ultra), as a
> temporary thing, and I expected to have problems, given that Nvidia
> recommends 400+ watts for that card. However, it's humming along without a
> hitch.
>
> Input appreciated.
>
> jake
>
>
>
>

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.overclocking.amd (More info?)

A while back,my 250W yumcha(no offence to YumCha brands.:-)) was powering an
8RDA and xp2100+ o/c to 2400, few HD's,a 9700 and few other bits and
pieces.I noticed that the 5V rail used to drop to 4.5-4.6V.Didn't notice any
abnormal reboots.Upgraded to a 430W Antec.
--

SteveH
Abit AV8 Third Eye v1.1, A64 3200+ at 2340(9x260),1.5V CPU
DIY watercool
Radeon Sapphire 9700

"Jake" <jake@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:XbGYd.15090$4k2.5058@fe2.columbus.rr.com...
> I've been building computers for a while, and the subject of power
supplies
> still baffles me. Given the load of individual components, it sure seems
> like we've gone a bit overboard using 500-600watt psu's. However, perhaps
> I'm just missing it.
>
> In one of my computers I've been using a 300watt Sparkle to power an NF7,
> mobile 2500 at 2.34ghz, 2 80gb IDE HDDs, SBLive soundcard, Winfast TV
tuner,
> 1 DVD-RW, 1 CD-RW, 6-in-1 card reader, floppy, modem, and a 9800 Pro video
> card. I didn't mean to get to this point; I kept meaning to beef up the
> power supply as I added components, but I put it off because I'm seeing no
> ill effects. Or am I? What are the symptoms of an inadequate power
supply?
> Yesterday I replaced the 9800 Pro with an Nvidia 6800 (non-ultra), as a
> temporary thing, and I expected to have problems, given that Nvidia
> recommends 400+ watts for that card. However, it's humming along without
a
> hitch.
>
> Input appreciated.
>
> jake
>
>
>
>