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Thread: Powersupply symptoms

  1. #1
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    Powersupply symptoms

    What are the symptoms if the powersupply is not strong enough (wattage) for a athlon xp system, because my computer is behaving very strange (errors in windows XP, random reboots) ever since i upgraded from a p3 700 to a athlon xp 1900+.

    System specs.

    300 W max DTK powersupply
    Asus A7V333 mobo
    Athlon XP 1900+
    256 Mb Corsair PC2700
    Asus V7100 Geforce 2 MX
    2 IBM harddisks (20Gb & 60Gb)
    Ltr24102b (liteon writer)
    Ltd163d (liteon DVD)
    4 80mm Case fans.

    Thanks Robert
    Last edited by De Joker; 08-07-2002 at 07:03 AM.

  2. #2
    Member oldguy's Avatar
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    What's the CPU temperature?

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    Extreme Member! BipolarBill's Avatar
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    Random reboots are almost always PSU-related but WinXP will sometimes reboot on memory/hardware errors too. To filter the BS, right-click My Computer > Advanced > Startup and Recovery > untick "Automatically Restart" and set memory dump to None.

    The next time there's a crash, Windows will display the error.
    MS MCP, MCSE

  4. #4
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    Thanks i will try to disable the automatic restart and see what error i get.

    BTW the cpu temp is around 58 degrees C. But i don't think that's the problem.

  5. #5
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    Robert, IMHO 300 watts would be borderline power for a system as you have setup. If you continue to have reboot problems after following Bills advice...try disconnecting some hardware for a few days and see if that helps. A couple of case fans and maybe disconnecting the CDRW & DVD for a test may prove it one way or the other. If you can find some way to monitor the 5 volts DC from the psu (black to red) from the molex connector, or by software monitoring...the 5 volts should not drop below about 4.6 volts or there about...bearing in mind that a sudden drop in voltage and then restoring back up again can happen too fast to be seen on monitoring instruments, but affect the computer anyway. If the output voltages from the psu are borderline, and a sudden "call" for more current kicks in by some hardware...even the 12 volt rail, will cause an overall voltage drop...this may cause the computer to reboot.

    One other thing...not all power supplies are built the same. One company may design the 5 volt rail to supply 30 amps, whereas a different company may design theirs to supply 28 amps. 2 amps dosn't sound like much, and usually dosn't even come close to being a cause for failure between different psu's...but if the one supply is already borderline in current availability...that could make the difference.

  6. #6
    Member RobUK's Avatar
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    All i can say is "what are you guys talking about!!"

    300Watt PSU is fine for that system. lol No offence but 400watts and 500watts lol

    for that system a 300watt PSU (not a cheapo piece of ****) should be more than enough. I have a 300Watt PSU running:-

    AthlonXP 2000+ with ThermalTake Volcano 7 HSF
    MSI Geforce3 TI200 128MB DDR
    Crucial 256MB DDR333
    MSI KT3 Ultra ARU , VIA KT333 chipset
    80gb Maxtor ATA133 hard disc 7,200rpm
    Sound Blaster Live 5.1
    Pioneer 106s DVD-ROM
    Mitsumi 4809te CD-RW
    4 x 80mm Case fans
    don't forget floppy disc lol
    plus all the USB1 and USB 2 ports connected and working supplying power to certain devices.

    My system is solid and have never had any crashes. I know that some PSU rails are rubbish compared to others but it should be fine with that psu.

    Athlon XP 1900+ uses around 68Watts
    Athlon XP 2000+ uses around 70 watts
    (as stated on a web site i just found using google)

    so u guys telling me that all his other parts are using around 232watts ??? When i have a greater power demand and mine is ok!

    I would check your memory as i have just retured a faulty PC2100 stick which was causeing system crashes and restarts!! its worth checking it out.

    RobUK

  7. #7
    Senior Member kazuza's Avatar
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    Originally posted by wallijonn
    i always use the 20% rule, multiply your cpu speed by 20%.

    therefore 1900x20%=380.

    you "should" have a 400w power supply.

    when the new amd 2400 comes out, i would buy a 500 watt power supply for it.

    and if all else fails, i first go to www.amd.com and check what power supply is certified to use with which cpu (it's in the configuration page: http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/...8^4376,00.html )

    http://www.amd.com/us-en/assets/cont...ling_guide.pdf
    LOL LOL LOL

    I have a PIII 1G. with 6 hard drives, 1 CD-RW, 1 DVD-ROM, a FDD (lol), a ASUS V7700 Deluxe with TV BOX,an Adaptec ATA RAID 1200, 2 LAN, Creative 5.1, a Volcano 7+, and 4 80mm fans and 4 USB.

    Is a 200W PSU enough for me? LOL

  8. #8
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    I defy any "Normal" home user to exceed 250 watts. And by normal home user I'm not taking about full towers stacked to the gills with pointless peripherals.

    The system as originally stated would be fine on 250 watts, although 300 would allow for more epansion. As De Joker explained:

    ever since i upgraded from a p3 700 to a athlon xp 1900+.
    The upgrade will have caused the problem, not the power supply. Think about it chaps?

    A 400/500 watt power supply? Do you have a nuclear power plant to go with that? Don't make me laugh!

  9. #9
    Ultimate Member Strawbs's Avatar
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    AMD themselves recommend 300w minimum for all Athlon processors. and cheapo's have been known to cause all sorts of restart problems, so checking the stability of ones PSU is a wise and necessary step in the process of elimination. no one should be discouraged from making sure thier power supply unit is up to the job.

  10. #10
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    Strawbs is entirely correct, although I read too many misleading statements saying to go for 400/500 watt psu's for basic machines. This type of statement is not only misleading, it's also scaremongering.

  11. #11
    Gone Fishin' ukulele's Avatar
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    If your MB supports voltage monitoring then it is easy to determine if PSU is up to the job. Here is an easy test you can do. First, go into bios and disable all drives except C: drive. Next unplug the molex connectors for all the drives but C: drive. Then unplug all the case fans. CAUTION: Leave the cpu/hsf connected. Unplug any USB devices or other devices you don't need to boot. Now boot the computer and open the monitoring program. Write down the voltages displayed. Next, hook everything back up, re-enable the drives in bios and reboot. If the voltage for +5 and +12 are close to spec with a minimum load but drops more then 5% or so with a full load then the PSU is close to the maximum output it can supply for the load demanded. Under heavy use it will drop below spec and you have a PSU that is not up to the task demanded.

  12. #12
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    Originally posted by gtaylor
    Strawbs is entirely correct, although I read too many misleading statements saying to go for 400/500 watt psu's for basic machines. This type of statement is not only misleading, it's also scaremongering.
    May I ask which statement you are referring to as misleading and 'scaremongering'?...

    Tnx.

  13. #13
    Extreme Member! BipolarBill's Avatar
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    Pshaw to all of you wimps! I have a 1 kilowatt PSU custom made by Antec just for The Postmaster. More is better and that's the Americun way!
    MS MCP, MCSE

  14. #14
    Gone Fishin' ukulele's Avatar
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    Well, I have a 3kva UPS so what have you got to say about that. Oh, and buy the way way, the Harley battery is working just fine in it, so far, but then you never know about them Harley Parts.


  15. #15
    Extreme Member! BipolarBill's Avatar
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    Originally posted by ukulele
    Well, I have a 3kva UPS so what have you got to say about that. Oh, and buy the way way, the Harley battery is working just fine in it, so far, but then you never know about them Harley Parts.
    Ohhh...3KVa and a Hawg battery. I am truly humbled, thailor!
    MS MCP, MCSE

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