PSU differences

[Greg00139]

I recently installed a gtx 560 ti OC to 1GHz into my pc and I had a 600W PSU. I have being reading through many forums and I have calculated my power usage and it all seemed to be alright, but now when I run my pc for a while it randomly stalls and I know that this is a symptom of not enough power being supplied.

I have being looking at different PSU's, im looking at about 650-750W max.MAX. i know that prices range from not very much to a truck load and I know absolutely nothing about PSU's. What makes them expensive and are some better than others and why?

Thanks

 

[Rugger]

Take a look at the two links in my signature...a PSU guide thread and a recommended PSU thread.

What are all of your system specs? Including the make/model of your PSU. A 600W PSU should easily handle a 560 ti

 

[Greg00139]

Thats what i thought.

they are

i7 920 @ 2.66Ghz
3GB dd3 ram
Rampage II Gene
MSI GTX 560 TF II OC to 1Ghz
Vantec ion2 600W PSU

I have read many many forums about OCing my GPU and majority of them can OC the gpu to 1Ghz stably which is why i dont think its an issue.

 

[Greg00139]

my PC just played its stalling game again, and it seems that my CPU is overheating. this is after i reduced the clock speed of my GPU back down to the factory settings of 880MHz. As it may seem I need to organise myself a heatsink rather than a PSU.

some context for my assumption is that my startup screen normally greets me with the happy face of "CPU over heated" I thought that maybe buying an better case would help (I now have the antec 300) and it has just the CPU needs some more attention.

Seems I may have to take my querries else were in the forum.

 

[Rugger]

I don't have a lot ofe expereince with VANTEC PSUs, but with a combined 44A on the 12V rails it should easily power a 560 ti. X-Bit labs didn't have a lot of nice things to say about this particular PSU http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cases/display/psu-550w-850w_11.html#sect0

On the other hand, a CPU overheating will definitely cause the symptoms that you are getting. We could probably help with the cooler recommendation, too. What HSF are you currently using for your CPU?

The first thing that I would do is remove all overclocks - CPU and GPU. Boot and then run a stress test to establish system stability at default speeds. Then you can attempt overclock either the CPU or the GPU in small increments, boot and stress test to verify stability. After you establish your best stable OC on the CPU/GPU, then you start OCing the other component.

 

[Greg00139]

I just have the stock HSF on my CPU which doesnt seem to do a very good job, so i want to look into getting another one, just my budget is dead at the moment so that will have to wait a month or so before i can do that. So until then we need to find a way to make the CPU as comfortable as possible.

Even when the cpu isnt OCed it still likes to overheat, and I have turned the GPU back down to its factory settings of 880Mhz

I have also looked at the fan direction in my case. Just let me run this by you.

I do have limited numbers of fans so til i get some more this is how it goes:
1 at the front pulling air in
1 at the side panel pulling air in
1 at the top pulling air out
1 at the back pulling air out.

Im going to replace the one at the side because its an old small one and there is room from one more fan at the front. Does that sound alright?

 

[totalknowledge]

This is pretty low tech, but if you want to reduce temps (as a short term solution till you get a real heatsink/fan) you can pop the side off of your case, and set a fan right next to it.

 

[Rugger]

That fan setup sounds good to me...the only one that I would consider changing is making the side fan exhaust instead of intake.

There are some inexpensive CPU HSFs that provide cooling good enough for OCing. Probably one of the best options right now is the Coolermaster Hyper 212+ EVO. Review: http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/cm_hyper212_evo/

$35 bucks at Newegg http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

$25 bucks for the non EVO version at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-Sleeve-RR-B10-212P-G1/dp/B002G1YPH0/ref=pd_vtp_e_1

 

[Greg00139]

@ totalknowledge I used to do that with my old case and the CPU would still do its thing. As a temp solution im going to clean the HSF and apply some more thermal paste and if thats still an issue ill prop the case open.

I can get the 212 evo for $40. I have a very limited range available to me since im from South Africa. The sites that I can use that are budget friendly are Landmark pc whose link to cpu air cooling is:
http://www.landmarkpc.co.za/store/cooling-cooling-c-166_1106_169.html

And takealot.com
http://www.takealot.com/electronics/browse?cat=cooling-devices

 

[Greg00139]

this is now getting to be rediculous, my pc just stalled and when i restarted I got the cpu overheated screen then it procedded to blue screen with no code. then the pc wouldnt start up at all. I had to open my case and reset everything from the mobo controls. then once i started the pc up again i checked the cpu temp and its currently at 47 degrees. Now if my knowledge is correct 47 degrees is no where near overheating?

 

[Rugger]

47C is not too hot; it's not uncommon to see temps at 75C when the CPU is operating at 100% load. Auto shutdown isn't until 100C. You'd be surprised how fast the CPU cools down after the PC shuts down. Your symptoms may indicate that your PC wouldn't boot until the CPU sufficiently cooled. What are your ambient temps where the PC is running? Have you tried checking your logs to see why the PC is shutting down? Do you have your system setup to auto reboot or go to a BSOD so you can get the error code. Googling the error code could help ID why your system is locking up/shutting down.

 

[Rugger]

From the sites you linked:
CM 212+ EVO for 300R seems to be the best price/performance: http://www.takealot.com/electronics/coolermaster-hyper-212-evo-cpu-cooler,10808036

Does that include VAT? If not, then how much is the VAT? The other option might be the 475R (VAT included) Thermalright HR-02 Macho: http://www.landmarkpc.co.za/store/thermalright-hr02-macho-copper-base-with-copper-heatpipes-p-7173.html
Availability may be an issue - item listing directs you to call for availability.

 

[Greg00139]

that includes vat and delivery. Right now i have the side of the case propped open with a desk fan blowing full blast into it, and the cpu is still running at 85 degrees. its one of the early i7 920's so its not sandy bridge, not sure if that would make much of a difference. I def need to sort out the cooling and fairly quick.

All this latest is after i applied a new layer of thermal paste

 

[Greg00139]

ok the heat issue has being solved, when the stock HSF was installed the on clip bent back onto the motherboard, so there wasnt a proper connection with the cpu its self. Now its running smoothly at about 60 degrees under stress. Although there is a new symptom now.

The pc shudders during games which could be that its taking a while for something to load, and when ever the pc case is bumped the pc itself stalls and has to be restarted. My brother is thinking that maybe the case is shorting on the mobo. Thoughts?

 

[Greg00139]

That did the trick, I took the pc apart and rebuilt it, and now she is running smoothly

Thanks for all the help!