i5 upgrade, system not stable - help!

robbiec

robbiec

robbiec

Associate
Joined
13 Dec 2009
Posts
7
Hi all,

My faithful X2 4200+ rig finally died so I picked up some new components;

* i5 750 2.66Ghz (stock cooler)
* Asus P7P55D (standard) mobo
* Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz/PC3-12800 Dominator i5 Memory Kit
CL8(8-8-8-24) 1.65V (CMD4GX3M2A1600C8)

The rest of the components remain the same;

* Thermaltake 480w PSU
* Thermaltake Tsunami Dream Case (2 large chassis fans and 1 side fan)
* XFX 8800 GTS 320Mb video card
* Samsung Spinpoint 1TB HDD

I've had problems with it occasionally locking up pretty much since I built it. I had the RAM timings set via the XMP profile (1600Mhz) but I figured that since the RAM is not on the ASUS confirmed compatibly list I'd set the BIOS back to Auto where the system sets it to 1333Mhz which I can live with if I have to. I also updated the BIOS firmware to the latest version.

This seems to have stopped it freezing but now I'm finding that it's completely cutting out / restarting when I put it though any kind of performance test (e.g. the COH performance test or HL2 Lost Coast video stress test). I've run prime95 for a shortwhile and it was OK, but the COH performance test will kill the machine everytime (pretty much at the same point in the performance test).

CPU temps are 40-45 idle with the stock cooler - which doesn’t seem unusual from what I've read elsewhere. So perhaps it's the PSU is not up to the job anymore?

I was planning on getting a better cooler and over clocking it at some point.. but at the mo I just want the thing to work reliably!

Any suggestions on what I should try next please?

Thanks in advance,
Rob.
 
depends on what you want to spend.

I have a budget i5 cooler: Coolermaster Hyper TX3 which works pretty well.

It came with some Thermal Compound, and got 25-30° idle, 50° load. Rebuilt PC, with Arctic MX3, and now get 20-25° idle, 45° load. Might be due to my room being freezing at the moment!
 
So I think it's down to a choice of 2 PSU's

Corsair 650w http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-008-CS

OCZ 700w http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-032-OC&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=1098

The OCZ is more powerful and it's modular so seems the best option, however the Corsair said 52A on a single rail which (although I don't know what it actually means!) I gather is a good thing. I can't see the figures for the OCZ to compare the amps - can anyone help me make an informed choice?

THanks,
Rob.
 
robbiec said:
I can't see the figures for the OCZ to compare the amps - can anyone help me make an informed choice?
Click to expand...

Here's the specs on the OCZ

Technical specifications
150 x 160 x 86mm (W x L x H)
ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V
Typical load 86% Efficiency
80+ Certified
Overvoltage/OverPower/Short-Circuit protection
(.99)Active PFC
MTBF: 100,000 hours @ 25C

500W - 700W Connectors:
1 x 20/24-pin ATX
1 x 8-pin CPU
1 x 4-pin CPU
Modular Connectors:
1 x 6-pin PCI-E
1 x 6+2-pin PCI-E
4 x Peripheral
2 x Floppy
6 x SATA

Someone with better know-how can tell you if the above is good or not for a psu, but iv had no problems with mine but either way both the Corsair and the OCZ are great choices, im biased towards the OCZ for the modular aspect above all else but whichever you choose you will be happy with. :)
 
OK, cool thanks. Hope I didn't cut it fine going for 600w.. I have no plans to run SLI so I guess I'll be OK.

EDIT: Wow I just checked the stats on my 8800 power consumption... 250W under load - ouch.
 
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