michaelb15

what are the symptoms a pc would show if its not getting enough power?

currently I have just a 450 watt power supply, and I dont kno if my computer is getting enough juice



ive got a dualcore Pentium D 820 (2800 mhz)
AsRock 4coreDual VSTA
2 gigs DDR2 SDRAM@ 333 mhz
Geforce 8600 GT (512 mb ram) <--- thats PCI express
a dvd burner
2 hdds (one 80 gb, and one 320gb)
and a floppy drive lol
and all ive got in the PCI slots is a wireless LAN card.

I just removed the dialup modem today, because it was warm to the touch, and I wasnt using it.. so i figured no use for it to be in ther

Tumbleweed36

What is the brand name of the power supply, that might tell us a whole lot about the power it puts out.

michaelb15

lol im not thinking its a very good one... I didnt find any tags anywhere, stating its brand.. or even wattage.. lol the only reason I kno its a 450 watt, is because i noticed it on the bill of sale, when I got the comp, about 5 years ago... lol I dont even think the bill of sale gave it a brand name..

and everest doesnt reconize it

Tumbleweed36

Pull the side off your case and look on the side of the power supply. 99% of manufacturers put their name right there for you to see.

michaelb15

yea mang thats what I did... chacked the back of the comp.. then opened it up n checked the 3 visible sides.

I really dont wanna have to take it out to just find the brand name

Tumbleweed36

If it is not on the visible side, then it won't be on the other side. Are there any other marking there, like +12 = 17amps or something like that? I think if it is not marked, you have a "dog" for a power supply.

michaelb15

I can not find one single marking on it.. lol...

but.. what are the consequences of having an underpowered computer? would somthing like this be the result?



I didnt think I could catch a screenshot of it .. but whenever I drag windows, it lags for a half second.. once it starts moving, its normal, computer isnt slow or laggy, but it trails... as shown

games run fine as far as I can tell.. but would a new psu inprove peformance?

Tumbleweed36

There are many symptoms of an underpowered unit, and yes, this can be one. I would see if you can beg, borrow, or steal (only kidding) a better power supply and see if it helps your issue.

michaelb15

I think I am going to get a PSU for the next upgrade.. lol was thinking a motherboard.. but after consitoring the PSU, its definatly taken priority..

I read through your article thats pinned ther.. its really good.. so id want a psu of at least 650 watts?

michaelb15

lol does this look adiquite?

http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/ca...affixedcode=WW

Tumbleweed36

The link you have provided doesn't go anyplace.

magnethead

I'd recommend the THERMALTAKE TOUGHPOWER 650 watt unit.

michaelb15

ok sweet thanks for the advice! I will be picking one of those up ASAP

in the mean time tho..

Would it be all right to use 2 power supplies? I just got I 300 watt ATV power supply from an old computer that just retired today :)

I figure id use it to power fans, and the CD drive..

would it be all right to use it for hard drives as well?

michaelb15

ok well I hooked up the dvd rom drive, and the slave hdd, to the other power supply.. I gotta say.. looks like **** but it works verrry well.. was able to gen an extra fan in the case aswell..

the computer still gets those trail kinda things.. but there is no lag what so ever.. everything is running as smooth as silk.. cant wait for the 650w psu lol itll do wondersss

it was almost like an overheating problem for a while.. lol the computer would hang.. then catch up with itself.. untill the next big enviroment change.. i dunno lol

magnethead

just make sure you have room for the cables. has about 7 or 8 of them, each about 2 or 2.5 foot long. includes a 6 pin AND 8 pin PCIe connector.