Computer from hell

[Steve325]

Specs:

Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 Rev 1.3
E4300
ATI X1950PRO
OCZ 2gb DDR800
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 SATA 16mb
Apevia 500w
Samsung DVD burner

1) OK, put together a new machine and trying to get this thing up and working. I've been at it for 5 hours now just trying to make it WORK! First problem was the slow windows installation. I've never had an XP installation take 45 minutes in my life, even with my old single core 1.2ghz with 1gb of memory!

2) Temperature. I am running about 44c system temp and 38c CPU temp at IDLE! I have 2 120mm fans in here with a duct over the CPU. I don't have the intake fan hooked up right now, gotta love when gigabyte gives you 2 3 pin fan connectors.

3) Lets go from the start up. On [becoming] more rare occasions my monitor does a thing where it goes red, green, blue, white for about 3 seconds in between colors.

4) Next it starts to load windows. Usually windows has a nice fade to it, but no, not mine. Mine skips like the computer is incredibly slow. I have the latest video drivers installed and all the chipset drivers installed that came on the CD.

5) I was downloading a few programs and also ran into some very slow speeds. I was using this exact same network card with the exact same drivers and was getting consistant 10mbits on dslreports. I'm now lucky to see 4mbits.

6) Overclocking? Haha! I don't know why I tried it. I guess it was hearing such great reviews about this cpu/board being so overclockable. Well I think I heard wrong. I can't push this thing past 1.8 ghz if I wanted to. I tried 9x233 with a blank screen. 8x233 with a blank screen. I have the voltages set on auto. I tried manual voltages and bumped it up a little bit and tried 9x233 and had a couple beeps thrown at me. All of these required me to reset CMOS

I don't even know where to start. This is the biggest disappointment of my building career.

Please help, anything is better than where I stand right now.

I'm about to run a 3dmark06 and see how it compares to my X2 3800 which I upgraded from (SADLY)

 

[Steve325]

well I did get a higher 3dmark score. 200 more points with 200 less mhz, so I guess the CPU/Video card is up to par. I just want to know why the performance is so bad with everything else. I also want to overclock which was the only reason I upgraded in the first place

 

[Blain]

Originally posted by: Steve325
Specs:

Apevia 500w

I don't even know where to start. This is the biggest disappointment of my building career.

Please help, anything is better than where I stand right now.

Why would you place otherwise quality parts in the same case with that Apevia PS? :shocked:
Was it because the Apevia was so cheap compared to quality PS, or was it the cool see-through cover?
Did anyone or any review recommend the Apevia PS?

"<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTMzOSwxNywsaGVudGh1c2lhc3Q=">During the load testing portion of the review the design choices lead to poor performance and some literal falling apart as the unit began to melt.

There is no application that the Apevia ATX-AS500W-BL would be suitable for and it could indeed be outright dangerous hardware due to its electrical performance and due to how the unit?s physical construction operates at elevated temperatures (such as our testing range of 45c). The Apevia ATX-AS500W-BL is priced at $59.99 (currently $54.99) but simply can not be recommended at this or any other price point.</a>"

___________________________________

Originally posted by: corsa
Power supply u cant go past Corsair HX520, it has stability, modular cabling & runs quiet. ;

Originally posted by: Steve325
Antec 450w
How about this power supply? Coolermaster 500w

Originally posted by: Steve325
I'm afraid I didn't get enough power.

 

[Roguestar]

http://forums.anandtech.com/categories.aspx?catid=32

 

[Paul Anderegg]

Perhaps it would make diagnostics easier if you UNCLOCKED your OVERCLOCKING mods, and installed the OS as normal, to determin if your setup works A-OK like that FIRST, then proceed with OVERCLOCKING then that you would have "baseline" data to work with?

 

[Steve325]

well I switched to vista 64 and it's working great.... I don't even know how to explain what happened. I am running overclocked on stock voltages at 2.7ghz and I can OC my video card a good bit too. I might try to bump it up a little bit later on

temps still aren't great, but I'm assuming the intake will drop it down 5c or so. I might go ahead and order a new HSF so I can push a little more out of this. Any recommendations?

 

[Steve325]

Originally posted by: Blain

Originally posted by: Steve325
Specs:

Apevia 500w

I don't even know where to start. This is the biggest disappointment of my building career.

Please help, anything is better than where I stand right now.

Why would you place otherwise quality parts in the same case with that Apevia PS? :shocked:
Was it because the Apevia was so cheap compared to quality PS, or was it the cool see-through cover?
Did anyone or any review recommend the Apevia PS?

"<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTMzOSwxNywsaGVudGh1c2lhc3Q=">During the load testing portion of the review the design choices lead to poor performance and some literal falling apart as the unit began to melt.

There is no application that the Apevia ATX-AS500W-BL would be suitable for and it could indeed be outright dangerous hardware due to its electrical performance and due to how the unit?s physical construction operates at elevated temperatures (such as our testing range of 45c). The Apevia ATX-AS500W-BL is priced at $59.99 (currently $54.99) but simply can not be recommended at this or any other price point.</a>"

___________________________________

Originally posted by: corsa
Power supply u cant go past Corsair HX520, it has stability, modular cabling & runs quiet. ;

Originally posted by: Steve325
Antec 450w
How about this power supply? Coolermaster 500w

Originally posted by: Steve325
I'm afraid I didn't get enough power.

I chose it because it had good reviews on newegg for a cheap cost. If it does give me any problems I will look into upgrading. So far all my voltages have been great, so I have no worries. Also, that is not the same power supply that I bought

here's mine http://www.newegg.com/Product/...p?Item=N82E16817148027

that corsair is a little pricey. I realize a power supply is one of the most important parts, but I wasn't ready to dish out $100+ for a PS

 

[JAG87]

what makes you think that spending 100+ for a cpu is alright, but "dishing out" 100+ for a PSU is not?

maybe when your power supply melts, your whole computer shorts out, and the AC outlet catches on fire and burns your house down,you will stop being cheap about your power supply. ok that was a little dramatic, but I hope I got my point across.

 

[Blain]

Originally posted by: Steve325

I chose it because it had good reviews on newegg for a cheap cost. If it does give me any problems I will look into upgrading. So far all my voltages have been great, so I have no worries.

that corsair is a little pricey. I realize a power supply is one of the most important parts, but I wasn't ready to dish out $100+ for a PS

Your PS won't post a pop-up on your screen saying...
"Power Supply Problem"

They are very subtle about problems they cause. You can spend many hours tracking down instabilities.

Originally posted by: JAG87
what makes you think that spending 100+ for a cpu is alright, but "dishing out" 100+ for a PSU is not?

maybe when your power supply melts, your whole computer shorts out, and the AC outlet catches on fire and burns your house down,you will stop being cheap about your power supply. ok that was a little dramatic, but I hope I got my point across.

Don't beat around the bush... :laugh:

 

[coolpurplefan]

Originally posted by: JAG87
...and burns your house down...

OMG, that made me laugh.

Well, not to pee in someone else's cereal, but the way I see it, you want to build a computer so you can get something BETTER than what you get in a store (like an HP or whatever), not something worse.

I sold my old HP to my mother and she told me it just died. lol (She has money so I don't care. Plus, she got a desk and monitor with it real cheap.)

 

[lenjack]

I wouldn't want to be in the same building with that power supply. Is Apevia another name for Fisher-Price, or is that an insult to Fisher-Price?

 

[aCynic2]

Originally posted by: Steve325

2) Temperature. I am running about 44c system temp and 38c CPU temp at IDLE! I have 2 120mm fans in here with a duct over the CPU. I don't have the intake fan hooked up right now, gotta love when gigabyte gives you 2 3 pin fan connectors.

Are you using the stock HSF? I used to have 38 on the CPU using the intel stock HSF, but I lapped up my Ultra-120 Extreme and the CPU, used AS5 and it runs 30 degrees @ standard clocking. At least, I think it was CPU temp, because I see my system runs at 38 now, so I'm hoping I didn't look at the wrong temp.

 

[Steve325]

I can't beleive it's really that bad. I realize it's not top of the line, but they can't sell something that's just asking to blow. I will consider upgrading it in the future, but so far no problems and I'm overclocked at 3ghz and running stable now.

Yeah it's just the stock HSF, which seemed like a nice design, but that fan is incredibly weak

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: Steve325
I can't beleive it's really that bad. I realize it's not top of the line, but they can't sell something that's just asking to blow. I will consider upgrading it in the future, but so far no problems and I'm overclocked at 3ghz and running stable now.

Yeah it's just the stock HSF, which seemed like a nice design, but that fan is incredibly weak

38C is quite a good temp

 

[Captante]

Originally posted by: Steve325
I can't beleive it's really that bad. I realize it's not top of the line, but they can't sell something that's just asking to blow. I will consider upgrading it in the future, but so far no problems and I'm overclocked at 3ghz and running stable now.

Yeah it's just the stock HSF, which seemed like a nice design, but that fan is incredibly weak

Believe it ... your power supply is junk & when one of your much more expensive components fails as a result you'll learn the hard way.

The saddest thing is that there are decent PSU's available for only a few bucks more then the one you chose.

 

[Blain]

Originally posted by: Captante

Originally posted by: Steve325
I can't beleive it's really that bad. I realize it's not top of the line, but they can't sell something that's just asking to blow. I will consider upgrading it in the future, but so far no problems and I'm overclocked at 3ghz and running stable now.

Yeah it's just the stock HSF, which seemed like a nice design, but that fan is incredibly weak

Believe it ... your power supply is junk & when one of your much more expensive components fails as a result you'll learn the hard way.

The saddest thing is that there are decent PSU's available for only a few bucks more then the one you chose.

But he... "chose it because it had good reviews on newegg"
Are you saying Newegg reviews can't be counted on any more? :shocked: What's this world coming to?



[EDIT] Maybe we can count on Newegg reviews...

3/19/2007 - "a defective power supply cost me over $500 to replace parts - pretty disappointed (obviously)."

8/28/2006 - "power isn't very consistent or clean, my machine doesnt get enough power and randomly crashes because of it"

8/24/2006 - "This unit is very flaky, it tends not to function 100% correctly all the time, hard drives keep loosing power, SCSI drives unable to boot because not enough power.... Just a not worth the money when you can spend the $$ on a better cheaper one, last only about a couple of months!"

3/21/2007 - "I had this power supply for about 1 week and last night I turned off my computer and went to bead then I saw a flash from my PC roomn with a loud POP like a light bulb just died. I looked around in the room and smelt burning. I checked all the outlets then relized it was coming from my compouter. I tried to turn it on and no go, it died in its sleep, what a way to go. You heard me the computer's PSU was off but managed to DIE when everything was turned off. I dont think all of Apevia's PSU's are unreliable but in this case mine lasted for 1 week and now im going to return it for a new one hopfully it will change my mind about Apevia's PSU's."

8/28/2006 - "Don't skimp on the PSU. Get quality. This is not a quality PSU. I feared having all my components running on this thing."

2/18/2007 - "On a tight budget and gave it a try... Not a good choice for an ATI1950Pro video card."

2/3/2007 - "so now I bought antec 430W supply and my system voltage is very stable. I would not recomend this power supply. the reason I put 4 stars is that I managed to sell the PSU for more that I bought it for. so price is really good."

12/19/2006 - "Spend a little more and get a better PS!"

 

[Steve325]

Originally posted by: Blain

Originally posted by: Captante

Originally posted by: Steve325
I can't beleive it's really that bad. I realize it's not top of the line, but they can't sell something that's just asking to blow. I will consider upgrading it in the future, but so far no problems and I'm overclocked at 3ghz and running stable now.

Yeah it's just the stock HSF, which seemed like a nice design, but that fan is incredibly weak

Believe it ... your power supply is junk & when one of your much more expensive components fails as a result you'll learn the hard way.

The saddest thing is that there are decent PSU's available for only a few bucks more then the one you chose.

But he... "chose it because it had good reviews on newegg"
Are you saying Newegg reviews can't be counted on any more? :shocked: What's this world coming to?



[EDIT] Maybe we can count on Newegg reviews...

3/19/2007 - "a defective power supply cost me over $500 to replace parts - pretty disappointed (obviously)."

8/28/2006 - "power isn't very consistent or clean, my machine doesnt get enough power and randomly crashes because of it"

8/24/2006 - "This unit is very flaky, it tends not to function 100% correctly all the time, hard drives keep loosing power, SCSI drives unable to boot because not enough power.... Just a not worth the money when you can spend the $$ on a better cheaper one, last only about a couple of months!"

3/21/2007 - "I had this power supply for about 1 week and last night I turned off my computer and went to bead then I saw a flash from my PC roomn with a loud POP like a light bulb just died. I looked around in the room and smelt burning. I checked all the outlets then relized it was coming from my compouter. I tried to turn it on and no go, it died in its sleep, what a way to go. You heard me the computer's PSU was off but managed to DIE when everything was turned off. I dont think all of Apevia's PSU's are unreliable but in this case mine lasted for 1 week and now im going to return it for a new one hopfully it will change my mind about Apevia's PSU's."

8/28/2006 - "Don't skimp on the PSU. Get quality. This is not a quality PSU. I feared having all my components running on this thing."

2/18/2007 - "On a tight budget and gave it a try... Not a good choice for an ATI1950Pro video card."

2/3/2007 - "so now I bought antec 430W supply and my system voltage is very stable. I would not recomend this power supply. the reason I put 4 stars is that I managed to sell the PSU for more that I bought it for. so price is really good."

12/19/2006 - "Spend a little more and get a better PS!"

I can find negatives on almost any product, what's your point? Some people catch the bad ones, not every electronic is made perfectly. Like a lot of things that you buy, it's luck.

 

[Steve325]

Originally posted by: PurdueRy

Originally posted by: Steve325
I can't beleive it's really that bad. I realize it's not top of the line, but they can't sell something that's just asking to blow. I will consider upgrading it in the future, but so far no problems and I'm overclocked at 3ghz and running stable now.

Yeah it's just the stock HSF, which seemed like a nice design, but that fan is incredibly weak

38C is quite a good temp

my AMD X2 ran at about 34c under load, 28c idle. that's what I was expecting to see with this chip

 

[Blain]

Originally posted by: Steve325
I can find negatives on almost any product, what's your point? Some people catch the bad ones, not every electronic is made perfectly. Like a lot of things that you buy, it's luck.

My point is that the Newegg "reviews" aren't real reviews at all. Therefore they shouldn't be relied on as any main source of product quality.

Those of you that are relying on "luck" for your next cheap PS purchase, help stack the deck in your favor by looking at these...
* FSP AX400-PN
* Thermaltake TR2 W0070RUC
* FSP ATX350-PA
* FSP Group (Fortron Source) FSP400-60THN-R
* SPARKLE ATX-400PN-B204
* FSP FSP350-60BN-S

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: Steve325

Originally posted by: PurdueRy

Originally posted by: Steve325
I can't beleive it's really that bad. I realize it's not top of the line, but they can't sell something that's just asking to blow. I will consider upgrading it in the future, but so far no problems and I'm overclocked at 3ghz and running stable now.

Yeah it's just the stock HSF, which seemed like a nice design, but that fan is incredibly weak

38C is quite a good temp

my AMD X2 ran at about 34c under load, 28c idle. that's what I was expecting to see with this chip

Why would you expect the same temps from two different chips?

 

[KermitM42]

Originally posted by: Steve325

Originally posted by: PurdueRy

Originally posted by: Steve325
I can't beleive it's really that bad. I realize it's not top of the line, but they can't sell something that's just asking to blow. I will consider upgrading it in the future, but so far no problems and I'm overclocked at 3ghz and running stable now.

Yeah it's just the stock HSF, which seemed like a nice design, but that fan is incredibly weak

38C is quite a good temp

my AMD X2 ran at about 34c under load, 28c idle. that's what I was expecting to see with this chip

yeah.. except the 4300 has 1.8 ghz clock speed, you've doubled the clock speed and you expect it to run cooler than 38C? i think thats pretty incredible myself.
also, 45 minutes isnt bad at all to install windows. especially with a non-10k rpm drive.

 

[Count Alucard]

The FOUNDATION of any build-it-yourself computer SHOULD be a PCP&C Power supply! Nuff said!!!!!

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: Count Alucard
The FOUNDATION of any build-it-yourself computer SHOULD be a PCP&C Power supply! Nuff said!!!!!

not really