Weak PSU?

[MattCoet]

Hi all,

This is my first post so I'm a bit unsure of how this works. My question is with regards to my PSU and whether or not it is sufficient to run my system effectively. My specs are:

- MSI PH67S-C43 motherboard
- Two 2Gb sticks of DDR3 RAM
- Intel Core i5-2300 CPU @ 2.80GHz
- One SATA II hard drive 500Gb
- One DVD RW SATA optical drive
- Two case fans
- Gigabyte Nvidia Geforce GTX 560 1Gb GDDR5 graphics card

I am currently running the system on a Vantec 520W power supply. Is this sufficient? I'm experiencing stuttering after a few minutes of playing games like Napoleon and I am sure this is not due to a weak GPU as the GTX 560 should be more than capable. I'm running on Windows 7 32-bit and am certain there are no viruses or software problems. Is this because the PSU is too weak? Or perhaps it's a heat issue? Sorry if these seem silly questions but I just want some advice before I end up forking out stacks of cash for new PC parts!

Thanks eager in anticipation,
Matt

 

[diellur]

Your specs seem fine for Napoleon so I don't think that's the problem. First thing to do is go to this site and double-check that 520W is enough: http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

Second thing is to download Prime95, Memtest86 and FurMark...these will test your CPU, RAM and GPU respectively. To brutalise your PC, run both Prime95 and FurMark together...this is a load far beyond what will be seen in gaming, so if your PC runs them fine then you know your CPU and GPU are OK.

I would consider getting a new PSU from the get-go anyway...that's not a brand I'm familiar with, and brand does count for PSUs. I'd go for a 600 - 650W PSU from SeaSonic, XFX, Corsair, Be Quiet!, Enermax or Silverstone...look for the 80+ certification on it too, shows its at least 80% efficient.