SG31G2 - PSU upgrade?

benji182

benji182

benji182

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i just got a computer for uni and was wondering can you upgrade the 250W PSU to something of at least 450W with out modding the case. Is making the PSU external the only option i have in which case what PSU to get?

i want to buy a ATi 3850 to put inside so i can play some games while i study.


cheers
 
how much more power hungry is a 3850 over a 1900? Normally if it fits within the shuttle, it can power it.
 
I have a SG31g2 fully loaded. I change my rigs around often but have had the following components in it:

Q6600/E6750/E4400
ATI3850/8800GT/8600GT
4gb OCZ vista gold
150gb raptor X
750gb WD
DVDrw

The system copes fine, and with my most power hungry config Q6600 @ 3ghz and 8800GT it consumed 250watts on load with no problem. The only issue was the noise as the PSU fans on load are like a jet taking off. I now run a e6750 and ati 3850 and the psu fan never kicks in.

Any questions just ask
 
ah thats helpful - but how do you power the GFX card as my PSU doesn't have a 6pin PCI-E connector

450Watt or greater power supply with 75 Watt 6-pin PCI Express power connector recommended.
Click to expand...
 
Most gfx cards come with a 6pin to 2xmolex connectors. You then just attach the two molexs to the PSU.
If you didnt get one with your card you can pick them up from the usual places.
 
no problem, any questions just ask! I have plenty of experience with shuttles especially the SG31G2.

I was surprised how much I could fit inside my shuttle. The only thing to consider is how quiet you want your shuttle? Put a quad in there and the noise ramps up (mostly from the PSU, seems to kick in every 10 mins) whereas the dual cores have never caused the PSU fans to ramp up.

Also I found the ATI 3850 much quieter than my 8800GT. As my shuttle sits on my desk I want the quietest rig possible.
 
cheers again, i only went for the 3850 because of crossfireX so when i finally finish my water cooled rig when i'm back home (currently at uni) i'll be able to put a decent dual slot card in :)
 
Sorry to hijack this thread, I am looking into this Shuttle system with interest and just wondering how good is it at OC say a 2180 to 2.8 or even 3.0GHz with the supplied PSU & Heatsink.

It will be coupled with 2x1GB OCZ 6400, along with an ATi 3850 512MB GPU card.

Just worried about the noise level and how far that 250W PSU can output without getting too noisy.

Thanks.
 
Hi DR Jones,

I have good and bad news for you.

Good - You will never get the noise level that high with that config, if you set smart fan to low (2000rpms) it will easily handle it without ramping up. Your wattage will be under200w with that config.

Bad - the SG31G2 is not a good overclocker. It wont overclock E6x50 range at all. It will overclock E2/4/6000 range but here is the kicker. There is just 2 memory deviders 667 and 800mhz.
If you have a E2/4 range CPU and you set it to 667mhz it uses a 3:5 devider so if you clock the CPU to 250fsb your mem will be 417fsb already above you mems rated spec (obviously you can try and overclock your mem)

I got my E4400 upto 2.6ghz (260x10) by overclocking my 4gb OCZ vista gold and using slack ram timings.
 
Thanks ninja, will be something to look into then :)

Shame about the overclocking but still excellent value if pushed 2.0GHz or 2.2GHz.
 
If you havent already bought the RAM you could always buy PC8000+ to allow a greater overclock.

E6000 or Q6600 clock quite well though as you get the 4:5 devider, I run my Q6600 at 3ghz so CPU FSB-333 RAM-417
 
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