Power supply problems

[lewish]

Hi all,
was looking for advice on a potential psu problem I may have.

I have just completed a new build with the following kit:

AMD 64 3200 with coolermaster fan, Aopen AK86-l mobo, xfx geforce fx5900xt, 1gig pc3200/400 RAM, dvd dual layer drive, maxtor sata 160gb drive, fdd, 400w psu and 2 12v/0.14a case fans.

One of the case fans is strapped to the gfx card because the card's own fan was DOA (don't laugh - it works a treat:)). I am using a feed directly from the motherboard from this fan, instead of the cards own connector.

The problem I have is that the Nvidia driver detects that the gfx card is not getting enough power, and chops the performance down to compensate.

With all the kit listed, does it sound feasible that a 400w psu would have problems running all this?

I wanted to know a few opinions on this before I buy a 500w psu:))

MTIA

[Yawgm0th]

Re: Power supply problems

What brand is the PSU? Did it come with the case? It it's not a good quality PSU, it can't handle that system. I'd say about a 450W+ from a good brand name would be a good replacement, if necessary. This Thermaltake or something similar (if you're not in the U.S.) would easily be enough.

[lewish]

Re: Power supply problems

Hiya,

thanks for the response...
I think you may have hit the nail on the head - the psu came with the case and it was a "budget" purchase.

I suspect the psu isn't all its cracked up to be, and if all the kit i listed would push a decent 400w psu to the limit, then there isn't much hope for a cheap one:)

[Yawgm0th]

Re: Power supply problems

Maybe $40 - $60 would get you a PSU that would do the job. That's not a bad price.

Hell, this 420W Thermaltake would probably run that system with no problems. At $42 U.S., I'd say it's a fairly cheap purchase.