Is my 600W PSU causing sudden system power-offs?

[EatTheMeat]

Just built a new system - as below - and works beautifully, except when under extreme load with Supreme Commander / Doom 3 / (occasionally) UT3. The power suddenly switches off with no warning, usually right in the middle of some intense gameplay. My PSU is rated at 600W (Jeantech JN120F). I've looked at a few power requirement calculators - the one on the nVidia site is very easy to use. It estimates 950W (!!!) minimum requirement. Now I know these things tend to really overestimate the power requirements but it's got me thinking that the PSU is the problem. What do you guys think? (The rig is not overclocked)

 

[Mr Fox]

Originally posted by: EatTheMeat
Just built a new system - as below - and works beautifully, except when under extreme load with Supreme Commander / Doom 3 / (occasionally) UT3. The power suddenly switches off with no warning, usually right in the middle of some intense gameplay. My PSU is rated at 600W (Jeantech JN120F). I've looked at a few power requirement calculators - the one on the nVidia site is very easy to use. It estimates 950W (!!!) minimum requirement. Now I know these things tend to really overestimate the power requirements but it's got me thinking that the PSU is the problem. What do you guys think? (The rig is not overclocked)

Based upon the symptomology, that is probably the issue.

A Quality ATX /EPS 2.2 will solve the issue.

The issue lies with how many Amps are being delivered on the +12v Rail.

A Quality 650-750 will do it there will be others selling less.. but if you want overhead, and long term lack of issues shoot to the higher side.

Corsair, Silverstone, Seasonic and a few others are very capable Quality Units.




Welcome to AT Forums !

 

[tynopik]

it's funny that when i search for Jeantech JN120F the second result is someone having problems with their system powering off under load

according to the specs it only puts out 430W on the 12V lines which isn't very good for a modern 600W supply

for instance the Corsair 520HX can put out 480W on the 12V lines, or 50W more even though it has 80W less total capacity

 

[MarcVenice]

And, the corsairs are rated at 50c continous, whilst that jeantech, unknown as it is, probably isn't, so the moment it heats up, it's capacity is only going to go down. So depending on where you live and where you can order from, get a new PSU, around 600w, better to have a little more then a little to less though. We're talking like 400w under load when gaming, hell, maybe even more in SupCom. I'd probably feel good with a 750w unit.

 

[HOOfan 1]

wow you bought some pretty expensive components there, hope you didn't buy the PSU casue it was cheap. Remember wattage rating is not an absolute rating. Just look at the HardOCP article on the Ultra X2 750W Extreme Edition. They found out that it was pretty much a 400 Watt PSU.

 

[EatTheMeat]

First, I'd just like to thank you guys for really good help and advice. Going to go shopping for a new PSU tomorrow. Thanks for the tips on what to look for and trustworthy brands. Very interesting about the Jeantech's shortcomings. I didn't buy it for this rig, but took it from it's predecessor - an AMD X2 4600+ on an Abit AN8 32x. I guess it was wishful thinking, believing it could keep up on an SLi setup. Think I'll probably go for a 1000W supply as I believe in headroom. Any suggestions on a good, quiet 1000W PSU?

 

[MarcVenice]

1000w is overkill mate, why don't you tell us your budget, how much would you like to spend ? Do you want it to be modular ? Where will you be buying from ?

 

[Quiksilver]

Originally posted by: EatTheMeat
Think I'll probably go for a 1000W supply as I believe in headroom. Any suggestions on a good, quiet 1000W PSU?

Talk about overkill...

You just need a quality PSU. I just don't know what your options would be. Budget and currency would be nice to know.

 

[EatTheMeat]

Maybe you're right about the overkill - I guess the problem at the moment is just that my current PSU simply doesn't do what it says on the box. Sorry about lack of pertinent details...

Budget definitely less than £150, and I'll be buying it in the UK - online of course. I see that overclock.co.uk have the Antec quattro 850 for £100. It gets great reviews, but don't like the idea of a noisy fan / annoying cables.

 

[MarcVenice]

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/...=701&catid=123&subcat= out of stock though.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/...t.php?prodid=CA-007-SS not a bad unit either, modular as well.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/...=701&catid=123&subcat= good PSU as well.

 

[Quiksilver]

Originally posted by: MarcVenice
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/...=701&catid=123&subcat= out of stock though.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/...t.php?prodid=CA-007-SS not a bad unit either, modular as well.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/...=701&catid=123&subcat= good PSU as well.

too add to this list

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/...=701&catid=123&subcat=

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/...=701&catid=123&subcat=

Too be honest though, you really don't a unit higher than 650W but sames their within the price range...

 

[rich168]

silverstone decathlon series is a very good option

 

[HOOfan 1]

anything on this list will suffice

Jonnyguru's suggestions for high end gaming

However, there have been alot of problems with Enermax power supplies recently.

 

[EatTheMeat]

thanks a lot everyone. I tested the theory by disconnecting 2 backup hard drives and the floppy drive and spent an hour on UT3 with no problems. It must have reduced the power requirements to just below the ability of the PSU. I took a look at the list you suggested - the quattro 850 does well on the tests and they say it's actually very quiet, so I ordered that this morning. Thanks again.

 

[EatTheMeat]

Update - quattro 850 installed and system working perfectly. Very quiet PSU actually, and good cable management for an SLi system in particular. Thanks again everyone - it never ceases to amaze me just how helpful the online community is. Long may it last.