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I'm running a P4 3ghz system, 2gb ram, 4 hard drives and two PCI express Geforce 7600GT video cards in SLI configuration.
Sometimes my pc doesn't post when I power it on, just get a blank screen. I have to hit reset a couple of times or wait about a minute and then it will start booting. Also, when I'm playing a game everything will freeze for about 10 seconds and then it will just go back to normal, this happens every few minutes or so during a game.
Other than those two problems my PC runs fine, do you think the power supply is to blame? I have a 550 watt supply.
"I have a 550 watt supply"
I don't know how many times this has to be said, but simply saying you have a 550W PSU means nothing. We need to know the specs. It should be a brand name unit, conform to the ATX12V 2.x standard, have two +12v rails of 18A each, & be SLi certified. A 550W PSU that meeets all those requirements should cost close to $100, possibly more.
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always good to have an extra psu around so you can swap it in at a time like this to see if there is a change in symptoms
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You may want to get a tester and test all the outputs on your psu cause if that blows it will throw a surge across the board and then you won't have to worry about any of your hardware working. It may fry it all. All you have to do is a get a multimeter and check the voltages. If you don't know how to do that take it to a computer store or electrical shop. They should be able to do that for you.
Big Daddy Dirk
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Thanks for the info, I'll probably pick up a beefier power supply, I think the four hard drives and the dual video cards is just too much for it.
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If you'd list the specs of your current PSU, someone would be able to help you determine if you need a "beefier power supply" or not. No point in shelling out $100 if it's not necessary
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"Sometimes my pc doesn't post when I power it on, just get a blank screen. I have to hit reset a couple of times or wait about a minute and then it will start booting. Also, when I'm playing a game everything will freeze for about 10 seconds and then it will just go back to normal, this happens every few minutes or so during a game."
i dont think is your PSU, i think you have too many HDs. 4 hard drives!. why du have so many HDs? take out some HDs man. boot your PC with just 1 HDs, try this, you ,might be able to find the problem.
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"i dont think is your PSU, i think you have too many HDs"
uhhh, if you have a decent quailty PSU, running 4 HDDs *should* be no problem.
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Jam - I feel JoeJoe's comment is a valid point.
Surely, as the are running all the time, they are a constant heavy load on the psu.
It would be better (if possible) to have one or two hdd's with a large capacity, rather than 4 with small capacity.
Bigdirk - I am not so sure that taking voltage readings with a multimeter will help, although maybe it will give a guide.
Surely it is the available wattage on the various output lines that is important and that is not so easy to check.
Regards - Mike
Good Luck -Keep us posted.
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Current rating is more important than wattage rating. What if you have a power supply labelled 500w with actual efficiency 60%. So you need to be sure about the current rating on the rails. As jam has said it shouldn't be the problem of 4HDD's .It ain't a big deal for a more than decent power supply.What is ur PSU?
But yours might work out on the same PSU with a lower no of HDDs.
hey Nick, are you using 4HDD's in RAID? If not, maybe it's better to stick on to lower numbers anyway but with more appetite.But this won't be a problem at all if your PSU rocks!Be humble
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