Need Advice

[CuRoi]

I was wondering if any one can help me with a problem. I recently bought a DFI DK X48 t2rs. Unfortuanlly it wont run a 3870X2. I am unsure how to proceed I need to either replace the mobo or Video card. Possibly both. I was wondering if any one had any suggestions. Rest of my system is as follows.

CPU: E8500 LGA 775
RAM: OCZ 4gb(2x2gb) ddr2 1066
Video: Visiontek HD 3870 X2 1gb
PSU: Rosewill 950w
HDD: Wstern Digital Caviar 500gb Sata
Mobo: DFI Lanparty DK X48 t2rs

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Silverion77]

PSU????

Rosewill is a crappy brand....its probably unstable for such a card

 

[shadowduck]

Rosewill is a piece of crap for a PSU, replace that as soon as possible.

I am with Silver on this one, your PSU might very well by the issue (not enough power on the 12V rails)

 

[dagger]

I wouldn't worry about it. It has good reviews on Newegg. While the rail ratings aren't ideal, they're not that bad.

 

[shadowduck]

While I agree to an extent dagger, I have trouble finding another reason his system won't run the video card. Video card failure is a pretty rare event, but it is certainly possible.

 

[Silverion77]

its not a matter of the amount on the PSUs rails (well yes but not in this case)....even bad numbers on rails on a 950 should be enough but its 1) the quality of components and 2) how stable said rails are.

They could have a great rating but if they have bad ripple and bad regulation with bad parts (like Rosewill is) then u will have problems with the PSU

And those are newegg reviews

 

[shadowduck]

Ah okay, well I learned something

 

[Silverion77]

If u want go to http://www.jonnyguru.com/index.php

They test the PSUs very well on load, crossload (low 3.3 and 5 and high 12) and vise versa plus hotbox. Ripple, reg. The works

Thats where i learned and as a shocker...PC&C is not the best

 

[dagger]

its not a matter of the amount on the PSUs rails (well yes but not in this case)....even bad numbers on rails on a 950 should be enough but its 1) the quality of components and 2) how stable said rails are.

They could have a great rating but if they have bad ripple and bad regulation with bad parts (like Rosewill is) then u will have problems with the PSU

And those are newegg reviews

Newegg reviews aren't that insightful on the details, but they do give you a big picture on overall defective rate. In this aspect, mass user feedback is more useful than single pro review. That psu's defective rate should be quite low.

 

[Silverion77]

That i do agree with....newegg is a great place for ppl to complain about defective and DOA.

But in terms of this PSU, i feel that its still unstable for a card like the 3870x2

 

[dagger]

That i do agree with....newegg is a great place for ppl to complain about defective and DOA.

But in terms of this PSU, i feel that its still unstable for a card like the 3870x2

It's not possible for a 950watt psu that's not defective to not be enough on any kind of system. It's still possible that the psu is defective, but it shouldn't be the first place to look, because it's not the most likely cause.

 

[Silverion77]

Its not a matter of being ENOUGH power....its a matter of is the power stable. Theres more then just power to a PSU. Theres regulation (how close the 12v IS to 12v and the 3.3 to 3.3) second there is ripple which is the mv that spike (or DC output quality) and there is also 3 the actual build....types of capacitors, transformers etc.
If the rails are not stable then its possible it wont power a card like the 3870x2

 

[dagger]

Its not a matter of being ENOUGH power....its a matter of is the power stable. Theres more then just power to a PSU. Theres regulation (how close the 12v IS to 12v and the 3.3 to 3.3) second there is ripple which is the mv that spike (or DC output quality) and there is also 3 the actual build....types of capacitors, transformers etc.
If the rails are not stable then its possible it wont power a card like the 3870x2

Yes, if the psu is defective, power output may fluctuate. But only if it's defective. If you mean all non-defective 950watt psu of that model will crook out, as a blanket statement, that's not true. Keep in mind 3870x2 plus e8500 is not exactly a power monster. People run oced q6600, which consumes several times more power on full load and heavier sli/crossfire configurations on less than that.

 

[Silverion77]

No, ur not getting it....all PSUs fluctuate with ripple and have off regulation...its never exactly 12v. It will be 11.85 or 12.34 or even up to 13 on bad PSUs and thats a problem. Its not cause they are defective....they just dont regulate well and all PSUs have this. Its just some are worse than others. Im not saying its not enough juice...its overkill, but Rosewill tend to have Bad ripple and regulation

 

[CuRoi]

I think I might have stated things in a wrong light. The computer Powers up the video Card works to a degree. Its not untill I try to play a game or a complex website entailing the use of 3d. Its all over the DFI forums this Mobo has a certain problem with all 3870 X2. I thought a 3 month old Card and Mobo would have the kinks worked out. As it seems to go ATI blames DFI and DFI blames ATI. I even called ATI they claimed it was DFi.

Called VisionTek they said it doesnt make sense and its the first they heard of it. Which I know to be untrue. So my real question Is. Should I replace the Card with an nVidia if so which is around the same price range and quality. Or should I go with a different Mobo and keep the card? Albiet some thing other than DFI and Gigabyte as they both have this problem. Or possable switch them both out.

As for the PSU. When i RMA the card and or Mobo. I will do that as well. I kind of need to keep it all around the same price. Tight budget and All.

Thanks for all your post already its much appreciated. Usally people ignore or flame. So thanks!

 

[Silverion77]

O lol, so much for our debate

In terms of similar performance the 8800GTS is less and the GX2 is a little more. Personally the new GTXs are coming which should be awesome.....about 1.5+x better than the 3870x2

 

[CuRoi]

lol sorry. I was looking at some nVidia Cards on newegg.com. This one to be more percise. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130338 . I am very disapointed in ATI and DFI. Been using ATI since around 04. Guess nVidia here I come lol.

 

[dagger]

lol sorry. I was looking at some nVidia Cards on newegg.com. This one to be more percise. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130338 . I am very disapointed in ATI and DFI. Been using ATI since around 04. Guess nVidia here I come lol.

It's bad timing to spend $470 on a gx2. The new cards from both Nvidia and ATI are around the corner. If nothing else, they'll drive prices of existing hardware down. Wait a little until the price drop. Also, keep in mind gx2's 2 g92 cores are underclocked, so it'll perform worse than 2 g92 8800gts in sli. A g92 8800gts cost just under $160 after mir. The $470 price tag for less performance isn't ideal.

 

[shadowduck]

It's bad timing to spend $470 on a gx2. The new cards from both Nvidia and ATI are around the corner. If nothing else, they'll drive prices of existing hardware down. Wait a little until the price drop. Also, keep in mind gx2's 2 g92 cores are underclocked, so it'll perform worse than 2 g92 8800gts in sli. A g92 8800gts cost just under $160 after mir. The $470 price tag for less performance isn't ideal.

+1 for dagger! Just like the 7900GX2, the 9800GX2 is a stop gap card to waste people's money ahead of the 2xx series launch. This product will die quickly when the 2xx series is out.

 

[Silverion77]

or if u are on a tighter budget....the 4870s from ATi.....not as good as the GTXs coming but they are cheaper

 

[CuRoi]

Wow thanks for helping me dodge that bullet. I did some playing and downloaded the beta drivers for the 3870x2 and it kind of fixed it for about a secound. I think I will just RMA the 3870x2 and get a single 3870 or 8800 to hold me till the new ones come out. Thanks guys. Saved me money and time.