Hiper PSU blues

Keltik · 17 May 2006 at 15:03

Hi all,

Maybe somebody with some savvy can help me out.

I recently upgraded my graphics card to the excellent Powercolor X800 GTO 16 (I know it's lame compared to what some of ye guys run but my wife would divorce me if I spent like you lot do on graphics cards)

Anyway I had a problem with the card - so I thought and was told by the very helpful support guy that my Q-Tec 650w triple pants (I mean fan) PSU was a POS (he was nicer about it than that, but I read the same elsewhere after on the web)

After looking around I settled on a Hiper 480 Type R as a budget model (again with the budget)

Anyway cut to the chase it is worse - I am surprised as a lot of reviews made it out to be quite a work horse at a good price.

My load out is:

AMD 64 3200
3gb dual channel DDR400
2 x 120gb SATA
1 x 300gb IDE
1x DVDRW
Foxconn NF4 mobo
Floppy
X800 GTO 16
2 x 120mm fans on side of case
Couple of internal PCI cards

I will point out that the PSU didn't come from Overclockers and I hold them blameless - I only ask here as people seem to know what they are on about and I obviously don't!

Cheers

Keltik · 17 May 2006 at 17:11

Yes I suppose giving the problem would help :confused:

With the 650w Q-Tec

All 3d applications (95% games - 5 Modelling etc) would black out and then come back darker.

Changed the wiring so that PCIe slot had it's own link direct from the PSU (no other devices attached)

One or two games blacked out after a while playing or on higher settings

With the Hiper all games black out immediatley.

I can get a 580w from these suppliers but I was hoping to find out if this was normal / acceptable (as I see it's not from the post above - thanks) and stick the 480 in a machine that does not need too much juice.

Keltik · 17 May 2006 at 22:06

I wondered about the mobo myself - but don't have one to check - looks like working it out is gonna be a pain.

Just wanted to check that the PSU should run that lot okay (seemed to me it should p1$$ it

Thanks for your input

Although 3 items from 3 sources and each will blame the other- why didn't I take up fishing instead of playing PC games as a hobby

Keltik · 18 May 2006 at 00:04

Any chance you could give me some readings like these:

CPU Vcore 1.36
VDDR: 2.62
3.3v 3.23
5v 5.00
12+ 11.77
5VSB 5.02
VBAT 2.84

Those are off the Q-Tec as I have it in to play oblivion - it may "wink" out for a second here or their, but if I plug in the Hiper games just won't start

I actually got the screen turn grey just after boot up one time.

One other thing is my X800 does not have a place to plug in power (even though some I've seen in reviews do) I assumes it drew poser from the mobo via the slot on the mobo I plug in the moly connector (marked PCIe)

I will try the Hiper again tomorrow to get some readings.

Glad to see that I had picked a good model (just unlucky with it or one of the other parts)

I had an X800 gt in here before and no winking out or "no signal" problems but I took the reps word for it as it made sense that the x800 GTO 16 pulls down more power

Keltik · 19 May 2006 at 17:40

Okay I just installed a Hiper 580w SLI ready PSU

Same problem so it looks like it must be the mobo or X800 giving trouble

Tonights mission if I can be bothered is to swop the mobo (yes I ordered another of those as well)

Don't have a replacement X800 GTO 16 to try only a 6600 vanilla which will probably not tax whatever is wrong enough for the problem to show up.

Still it is funny that out of 3 PSU it is the Q-tec that is working the best with the problem. ***edit*** I can play Oblivion for up to an hour with the Q-Tec before the winking in and out start, the Hipers both fall down on load up.

Can someone confirm that the X800 GTO 16 does NOT have a slot for dierct power (mine doesn't but some of the screenshots I have seen do)

**edit**
I might have worked this out - in talking to myself

Does this seem reasonable:

My graphics card has no direct power input X800 GTO 16
My old X800 vanilla did have (I think)
My mobo had a standard moly connector on the board for PCIe not the new PCIe 6 plug connector

Could it be that the mobo cannot feed enough power to the graphics because of a design flaw in the board (not a fault which sucks as I have another of the buggers here)

All comments gladly appreciated - even the rude ones about me being thick

Keltik

Keltik · 20 May 2006 at 12:21

Specs:

AMD Athlon 64 3200
Foxconn/Winfast NF4k8ac - 1.0 mothertboard
3gb PC3200 - 2x1gb 2 x 512mb on 2 dual channels
powercolor X800 GTO 16 (all pipes are unlocked @ factory)
2 x 120 gb SATA hard drives samsung
1 x 300gb maxtor
Hiper 580w PSU type r
Soundblaster audigy
DVDRw
XP pro

Shelling out for parts is and isn't a problem when they are stock parts from my local supplier as (you can all have a laugh here) I fix workstations and home PCs (mainly networking / security and SBS 2003k stuff - wiping prn off home PCs).
I can return or use for clients what I don't use myself. Graphics cards that cost more than €80 though won't go as most my clients have very basic needs.

As for mates, sorry I have none (well none with a PC newer than 3 years old - they are a bunch of soccer louts with no interest in gaming at least outside of xbox / ps2) This is why I got all the parts to allow me to test different combo's.

Plug for CPU is in (I do have some knowledge even if I have made myself out as a complete ****)

I tried the new mobo last night and it does not even power up once the molex was attached to the AUX PWR Connector (the correct name for what I was calling the PCIe connector) **edit** this is only for PXE functions so should have nothing to do with my problems.

One thing the Q-Tec is only a 20 pin connector and as you say the Hipers are 24 - checking some temps etc using ATT I am getting a very high reading on one of the mobo temps (-6 to 62 - when running oblivion startup to menu - won't go past that)

Here are some pics of the hardware and the temps etc

http://www.keltik.ie/pcpice.html

The yellow temp is the CPU the red is the system - I am looking into the 3rd as this my be the problem.

Apart from not being able to play games I am quite enjoying this - it's the only way to learn (although in about a week I might be asking someone to please build me a system and send to ireland)

Keltik · 20 May 2006 at 13:30

Yes the more I test things the more I think it must be the mobo.

The second board I got is deffo a job for RMA so I will get credit and get something decent.

The mobo I am using, I will stick in a "reconditioned" pc with the q-tec and a 6600 vanilla.

I love the 580w Hiper (even if it is not working with this build) the modular aspct is very nice and it is SLI ready - hmm get an SLI mobo and then get a nice nvidia card in a couple of months and another for Christmas

The 480w HiperI will sell on easily enough PSU's are always going on older workstations and it only cost €60.

Thanks for all your help people, if anyone wants to recommend a mobo I would appreciate it.

Keltik · 20 May 2006 at 20:52

Thats what I conclude.

The PSU is not cutting out as you say it would reset the PC, my initial thought was that my Q-Tec was the problem, when the 1st Hiper came, I thought it may be faulty as the problem was worse.

Now it is down to the mobo or graphics card. I suspect the mobo is not pushing enough power to the card.

The graphics card probably should have a power socket - but as this one doesn't I'm stuck with RMAing the mobo for a better quality one as suggested earlier.

It actually fits quite well as an SLI board now will work with the Hiper 580 and leave me an upgrade path with a couple of 7600's or 7800's depending on how good business is for the next 6 months.

Hopefully I can just get credit for the RMA's if not build some basic systems as upgrades to all the locals still using Win 98 PC's (believe me there are plenty around - amazing how many people near me got iPods at Christmas and needed to upgrade to use them)

I am going to keep testing with these three PSU's and a couple of Codegen ones I have to try and be a bit more knowledgeable on the whole PSU thing (usually just get whatever is available at a good price for clients)

Just added a pic from Bjorn 3D here

showing the power connector on the card - if they removed it I think it was a bad development choice.

I am currently installing windows on a machine built from the other mobo (still does not boot with aux power) with the X800 in it.

I have the 6600 in my PC and everything works (but very ugly graphics on Oblivion) This card also has no power socket as it cleary doesn't need it that is why it will probably not play up at all.

I think Powercolor took the power socket off assuming most mobos would cope and Foxconn assumed that people buying their board would use either a modest card or the card they got would have a power in connector.

So piggy in the middle none of the parts are faulty as such (try getting any of the parties to say yea our ... should do that. It will be no no no sir the card is fine it is all because of ...)