Two PSU's in one Computer (Is my new one dead?)

[gidgiddonihah]

OK.

So i have my old Dell computer running a a new(er) 500 Watt Coolmax PSU. And im building a computer and wanted to test the Power Supply so i could send in the rebate (Not getting CPU/RAM untill Christmas, so i couldnt test with a boot ). So i went ahead and hooked in the 4 pin, mobo, and both HDDs from the new power supply into the old Dell. When i hit the power button though, all it did was run the fans and the power light kept flashing orange. I checked and all the plugs were firmly plugged in, so is my power supply dead, or would i need to disconnect everything and run it totally on one power supply?

If it makes any difference, the new power supply was already mounted into the case... And on the new build i have hit the power button to make sure that the GPU heatsink runs and that my only fan runs and it does (With the new PSU). I just wanted to make sure it could handle the full stress of a boot up from the Dell before I sent in the rebate.

Oh and the Dell also boots just fine with the old Coolmax one...

So to make it not so messy :lol: :

1.) Why is this happening? Is it dead or did i need to connect everything into the Dell?

2.) If i do send in the rebate, i didn't think i could return/exchange for a new one with Newegg. Is this true?

My Build:

Windows 7 Home Premium (Not Installed)
Cooler Master 430 Elite Case
MSI 870-G45 AM3 Motherboard
AMD Athlon II x3 445 3.1 Ghz (Not Installed)
4GB G.Skill Ripjaw Series DDR3 1600 (Not Installed)
MSI GTX 460 Cyclone 1GB
Corsair Builder Series 500 Watt Power Supply
64GB SSD (Not installed-Getting it for Christmas :lol: )
1TB Total HDD (The old drives from the Dell-Not installed in new build)

 

[jsc]

If you are going to run 2 PSU's in a case (not something we recommend) you need a special adapter cable:
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=21193

If you want to just test a new PSU, you need to completely disconnect the old one.

 

[shovenose]

coolmax is junk

 

[gidgiddonihah]

So I need to totally remove the Coolmax, and then insert the new one into the Dell??? :lol: Sounds really complicated to test a PSU, but it sorta needs to be done unless Newegg with exchange even if I send in the rebate...

Im just a little curious why everything has to be plugged with the same power supply. Since all i left was the Optical drives and the rear fan (Directly plugged into the PSU). I guess ill try it again maybe tomorrow and post the results .

Will newegg EXCHANGE a broken part (DOA) if I send in the rebates?

 

[shovenose]

y not?

 

[4745454b]

If I understand you correctly you don't have to totally remove the old one. You do need to make sure the ATX and AUX bundles are plugged in however. 4pin? I would think your AUX bundle would be the newer 8pin if you have an 870 motherboard.

 

[shovenose]

actually the AUX was a 6pin AT-style plug found on the first atx power supplies to maintain legacy support. it was replaced by the ATX12V 4-pin square plug since the pentium 4. now they have an extension of that called EPS12V, originating in dual-cpu servers, but now found on most new home motherboards... so calling it an AUX connector is incorrect

 

[gidgiddonihah]

If I understand you correctly you don't have to totally remove the old one. You do need to make sure the ATX and AUX bundles are plugged in however. 4pin? I would think your AUX bundle would be the newer 8pin if you have an 870 motherboard.

:lol:

One the chip isnt the 870 , its only the 770... It was a marketing trick for those computer savy enough to know what 870 could mean, but too stupid to make sure it was truly a 870. Sad face. Well whatever, it will still fit my needs just fine . And the old Dell has a 4 pin, and the power supply is 'splitable' so i can make 8 into 4 .

 

[gidgiddonihah]

y not?

:lol: Just want to make sure before I send in the rebate and the part(s) end up being DOA. And with my luck, thats almost 100%.

So what i need to do, is unplug everything from the Dell, then plug the new one all in? And the optical drives will make a difference?

The way i tried it (Just as a refresher :lol: ) is i unplugged the Coolmax from the Dell mobo 24 pin, HDD drives, and the 4 pin CPU. Then i plugged the new one into the empty slots. So unless im missing something, i believe the only thing missing is the Optical Drives... (My Video Card is a power efficient version of the 9600GT so it doesn't have 6 pin power connectors)

 

[geofelt]

Did you also connect the 6 pin pci-e connectors to the GTX460?

If so, you seem to have done all you need. It is not necessary to install the psu in the case, since the 24 pin connectors have grounding.

I think I would return the corsair unit as defective. The builder series seem to not be the same quality as the rest of the line.

Why are you replacing a 500w coolermaster with a 500w corsair unit?

 

[gidgiddonihah]

Im not, im just testing the unit, for my new build. And i kept the PSU plugged into the GTX 460...

 

[gidgiddonihah]

So I have my new psu in the new build, its plugged into all that i have installed in my new build. Then i took the mobo plug, 4 pin plug, and hard drive plugs from the new build (New PSU) and put them into the Dell. When i hit the power button, all i got were fans and there was an orange light that kept flashing instead of the normal green power light.

 

[gidgiddonihah]

From what ive read when i googled the 'amber' light, its either the PSU or the mobo. :lol: And that doesn't help me. Ill try messing with it tonight, and see if I get any results. Ill pull ALL the plugs on the Dell/New build and plug the new PSU into all the slots on the Dell. This will really suck if I have a dead PSU... Just my luck too .

Do you think the Coolmax will have enough power to power my rig untill i get a replacement if it ends up being dead?

 

[shovenose]

coolmax is crap. which one? is it the cu-500b? or something else

 

[gidgiddonihah]

I don't know, ill take it out when try to test the new one again. I lost the package somewhere...

 

[gidgiddonihah]

Not modular

 

[gidgiddonihah]

I plugged it in again... AND IT WORKS YAY!!! Thanks everyone for you input...

Just to make sure i ran the "heaven" benchmark or what ever to make sure it could handle some of the load I would put it through, and it worked great. SILENT .

The Coolmax is the CXI-500B, seems to work great. It must have been a good one that they made? Seems to be somewhat highly rated on the the egg (For the crappy Coolmax) and ive been running almost a year now with an overclock and haven't had a problem EVER.

 

[shovenose]

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=72

 

[gidgiddonihah]

? :lol:

 

[4745454b]

I think he is trying to point out what Coolmax build quality is like.

 

[gidgiddonihah]

Ahhh :lol: ok

 

[gidgiddonihah]

How much pressure should i apply to the motherboard? Im trying to stick the 24 pin back onto my new mobo (The supporting screws create a lip where the 24 pin is) and the locking thingy is giving me troubles... I'm putting it on right :lol: (And have installed the mobo corectly )but when i press on it, it bends kinda scarily (25-35 degrees down just to give a round about idea)...

Call me paranoid lol .

 

[gidgiddonihah]

Maybe more like 15-25 degrees .

 

[shovenose]

you can always support the motherboard from behind/'the side with your finger, you shouldnt have to push that hard

 

[gidgiddonihah]

Finally got it I just didn't want to hurt my 85 dollar investment :lol: .

From what Ive read, the builder series is of lower quality and only worth about 450 watts... I can't seem to find any reveiws... Well this was the best deal around, and it should work until i plan on doing an upgrade .

Thanks for all the help !