Overclocking and PSU

samartin

samartin

samartin

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Joined
8 Oct 2007
Posts
14
Location
Windsor, UK
Hi all,

Straight to the point, does the PSU affect the performance of an overclock?

Longwinded part...

I ask, as I used to run my E6600 chip at 3.19Ghz with ATI XT1900XTX, 2 HD's, several USB devices, dual monitors (might put more strain on the video card!?). Anyway all was fine for a good while with the odd reboot due to being pushed a little too far (I do lot's of 3D work/rendering) so I knocked it down to about 3Ghz and all was good.

Well it was good until the point the my machine wouldn't boot if turned off, it could take over 30 mins to get the machine booted. As I need consistency to perform my workload I went back to stock speeds it seems to be a lot better at coming to life :o) I don't understand but I suspect my PSU (430W, came with Antec "whatever" case), am I right in thinking this may be the case?

I will be buying a quad core at some point to replace or possibly co-incide with the current system so I may want to upgrade little bits here and there...

cheers

Scott
 
Welcome to the forums Mate!!! :)

Those 430W Antec PSU's are a great little PSU. The 1900XTX would be about as far as you could go on it though (especially with all your USB devices and extra drive) so its not a huge suprise if its starting to tire after overclocking as you were probably at the limit of the PSU prior to overclocking.

NOT that its a bad PSU, they are excellent. Its simply a fact that PC components rely on accurate and stable voltage to remain stable themselves. The importance of this multiplies ten fold when overclocking as you are running components above and beyond what they were ever designed to do, so its absolutely crucial that the PSU is up to the job.

If you are buying a quad core, anyone would be an absolute idiot not to advise you to upgrade your PSU. For a quad core, you need a bigger, better PSU - fact :D

Some recommendations:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-004-CS

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-031-EN

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-084-AN&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=

Any decent overclocker on these forums worth their salt will tell you that the PSU is the most important piece of kit in your PC - it doesn't matter how big/ fast/ shiny/ expensive your bits are if they aren't receiving clean, stable power. :)
 
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Hey thanks for the warm greet AndyOcUK :)

I am actually considering a Jeantech 700w, as it's about a 5 min walk to collect and about 80 quid. The other factor for the short term until I buy quad is that I don't have to use Sh!ttylink to deliver the item! I want to OC again ASAP, as rendering as dropped by about 15% and every little counts as I'm sure most people are aware :)

This is just a short term solution but my next system might be a complete new one, this would mean my current system can be used as a render client. Would you think the PSU I am considering to be a good purchase for very little OC load and consistent Boot up?

cheers

Scott
 
450w is all you need for that pc. its better to get a top tier 400w psu than spend more on a more powerful model from a lesser brand. somethign in the region of 450-500w from corsair, seasonic, zalman, PC P&c ect. any of those and your set.
 
james.miller said:
450w is all you need for that pc. its better to get a top tier 400w psu than spend more on a more powerful model from a lesser brand. somethign in the region of 450-500w from corsair, seasonic, zalman, PC P&c ect. any of those and your set.
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More 500+W, but agree on the top tier bit. FYI X1900XTX was/is quite power hungry.

Recommend this. Hopefully it should last through several PC upgrades :)
 
no, you dont need more than that. my old pc drew just 400w from the mains and that was loaded with gear - a 3.3ghz e6600, 7300gt, 8800gtx, 2gb of ram, 3 hard drives, 2 optical drives, 7 or 8 usb devices (camera, keboard, bluetooth, xbox 360 hd-dvd drive ect).


pc's dont reall use as much power as peopel think:)
 
So then realistically it safe to assume my current PSU does do the job! However why would OC'ing it not enable my PC to boot for sometime, we are actually talking minutes, I can get it to work when I jiggle cables etc... like mad, but when it's not OC'd it (touch wood) seems to boot no problems!

Anyone had a similar experience? Maybe a dodgy on/off switch?
 
not realyl, that doesnt mean that your antec is up to the job. a psu's rating doesnt tell you anythign about the unit untill you start looking closer at what it can really do - how much current it can stabally output on each rail. a cheaper 500w psu for example will have smaller 12v rails, but still be rated the same as a more expensive 500w psu because of the way they arrive at this wattage rating.

it could even be nothing to do with the psu. something simply might not be stable, though i do suspect its the psu, yes.

anyway the 450w/500w argument is splitting hairs realy. i still would only recommend the corsair vx/hx series or something better from the manufacturers i mentioned previously :)
 
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samartin said:
So then realistically it safe to assume my current PSU does do the job! However why would OC'ing it not enable my PC to boot for sometime, we are actually talking minutes, I can get it to work when I jiggle cables etc... like mad, but when it's not OC'd it (touch wood) seems to boot no problems!

Anyone had a similar experience? Maybe a dodgy on/off switch?
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PSUs lose power over time so when you have overclocked and the PSU is warmed up it's likely it's unable to provide enough power.

I've got the Corsair HX 520 a few have recommended above and it's a high quality PSU but more importantly for me it runs whisper quiet even with high case temp.

I read a review of that Jeantech Storm 700W and it's not bad for £75 (on offer currently for reserve and collect @ store). It has 16A on +12v1 and 25A on +12v2 and 17A on +12v3 and the 12cm fan is supposedly temp controlled so might be reasonably quiet. The wattage meter at the back is a nice gimmick too. :)
 
I wouldn't spend £80 on a Jeantech mate - Stick another £30 and get the Antec or one of the other recommendations - It will last you at least 3 years and will outperform the jeantech by miles. "That big PC supermarket" sell the Jeantech so that should give you an ideas as to quality! :)
 
Cheers for the advice, I guess I'll hold off and stick to stock speeds, what's a few seconds between frames :)

I will be going quad-core very soon so plump for a decent PSU

cheers all

Scott
 
str said:
PSUs lose power over time so when you have overclocked and the PSU is warmed up it's likely it's unable to provide enough power.

I've got the Corsair HX 520 a few have recommended above and it's a high quality PSU but more importantly for me it runs whisper quiet even with high case temp.

I read a review of that Jeantech Storm 700W and it's not bad for £75 (on offer currently for reserve and collect @ store). It has 16A on +12v1 and 25A on +12v2 and 17A on +12v3 and the 12cm fan is supposedly temp controlled so might be reasonably quiet. The wattage meter at the back is a nice gimmick too. :)
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Hi, huh, where did you get this from? My Antec's been going for years and has always run overclocked systems, currently having no issue with my 2900Pro and my Q6600 being oc's to 3ghz. Oh hang on I know why, hell my PSU is a seasonic in disguise :eek:
ChrisC
 
chriscatt said:
Hi, huh, where did you get this from? My Antec's been going for years and has always run overclocked systems, currently having no issue with my 2900Pro and my Q6600 being oc's to 3ghz. Oh hang on I know why, hell my PSU is a seasonic in disguise :eek:
ChrisC
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It's a known fact. :eek:
 
chriscatt said:
Hi, if so where are the facts stated, and legimate evidence, not anecdotal ones found in forums please.
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It is a known fact that over time PSUs loose their wattage capacity, its called 'Electrolytic capacitor aging'. Hence why recommend to get a top tier one since they'll use high quality capacitors & other components - will also age/fail but not as quickly/dramatically ;)

& I'd much rather believe a forum with evidence from legitimate users like me & you :)
 
Hi, ok but we are referring to years, my PSU has a 5 year warrenty so my reasoning is that the manufacturer wlould look at it lasting at least 2-3 years longer...
ChrisC
 
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It is a fact mate. Trust me, I'm a doctor (oh, and I used to run the OcUK Tech Lab!) :D

Capacitors do "wear out". otherwise, you'd never have to replace anything electrical. A lot of it is to do with the amperage draw and the heat that this "friction" causes, thus weakining cables, caps, resistors at a molecular level.

;)
 
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