Champion_R 0 Posted March 28, 2003 Recently I added a 512MB DDR to my system and discarded the 256 and 64MB PC133 sticks. A week after this I starting getting system freezes, random reboots and blue screens. Today I opened my computer and the PSU had these numbers on the label. (This is meant to be a 350W PSU) +5V 25A +12V 15A +3.3V 15A It also said this "The max load can't be over 100W when both DC+15 and 3.3V are used." I think thats the Total Combined Output. From what I've read about my motherbaord on forums, people recommend a TCO of 180W. Does anyone else think that such a weak PSU can cause the problems I have described earler? Also some PSU recommendations would be nice. Share this post Link to post
CUViper 0 Posted March 28, 2003 The supply is probably ok if is 350W. I think it would be better for you to first double check the ram timing settings in your bios, and make sure they are not faster than the new ram can handle. Especially, try increasing all of the delay cycle settings to their max - if that fixes the problem, then you can slowly start lowering them again to find the stable point. Share this post Link to post
Champion_R 0 Posted March 29, 2003 Lowering RAM timings didn't solve anything. I'm convinced it's the PSU or the board itself. Also ran Memtest86 without any problems. My voltages dip when the system is under load. Share this post Link to post
Bursar 0 Posted March 29, 2003 Quote: My voltages dip when the system is under load. That's quite normal. What really matters is how much they dip by. If it's about .25v then you should be OK. But if you're losing around .5v or more, then you could have problems. Can you get your hands on a branded power supply for testing? Something like an Antec should give you great results. Also, some combinations of motherboards and power supplys just have problems working together. If the power supply is a bit erratic, and the board is a power hog, then you will have problems. Upping the power supply to a 500W may not make any difference. It all comes down to the ability of the PSU to deliver constant voltages. A cheapo 500W PSU will probably be worse than a branded 350W. Share this post Link to post
Champion_R 0 Posted March 29, 2003 I was thinking along the lines of getting an Antec Truepower 430W. My 350W is the one that came with the case and it seems like the case company has just rebadged some el cheapo PSU. Share this post Link to post
Champion_R 0 Posted March 29, 2003 Might of been running on the bleeding edge before I added the new RAM module. Might try running my machine with less gear and see it it's fine then Best way to tell if power is an issue. Share this post Link to post
Champion_R 0 Posted March 30, 2003 Hows this for weird, last night I ran Prime95 for like 3hrs without a crash. Voltage did drop low but the system stayed up. This morning I did a CMOS clear and reseated the RAM and I put the machine under heavy load this morning and it's all going well now. Buggered if I know what was with it, but it's working now Share this post Link to post
