How much juice for this PC?

[Indybird]

So my friend just got his second 2GB of Corsair DHX2 DDR2 800 RAM, and a 9800GX2 to top off his computer:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 @3.2GHz
4GB Corsair DHX2 DDR2 800
Foxconn P45 mobo (forgot which model)
PNY 9800GX2 1GB
2x 160GB SATA drives in RAID 0
500GB SATA drive for storage
ASUS DVD Burner
Lite-On Blu-Ray Drive
3 120mm fans
Raidmax 630W Modular PSU

We get everything installed, windows booted up and guess what? BSODs left and right. We double checked all of the hardware in my computer, so we're pretty sure its not any broken hardware.

My only guess at this point is not enough power. If this is true then, assuming he wants to install a watercooling system in here later on, how many watts is he gonna need to run this properly?

Thanks,
Indybird

[Eclecticos]

630w should be more than enough.
Disconnect some of the fans, or anything else
that is unnecessary, and see if that is the problem.

I would resocket the processor, and double check
and/or reseat all the cable connections, and cards.
Then try booting it up with just 1gb of the new memory.

[progbuddy]

I've done something silly before and the same thing happened. I forgot to push the RAM in all the way. lol.

But yeah. 630 should run it fine.

[FuzzyPlushroom]

A proper 600w-650w PSU would be plenty. Raidmax aren't exactly known for their high quality (or honest ratings), though. It could well be a rail-distribution issue, too - the Hybrid's a dual-rail PSU, and if it actually has a limiter on each, there could be too much draw on 12v2. If it's the now-discontinued Volcano that's even more likely.

[Raz1r]

Raidmax makes horrid products to be quite honest. It's a very common mistake to buy a low quality PSU to keep costs low.

I'm not sure how much juice a GX2 sucks, but it has to be pretty up there. My recommendation would be to get a better quality PSU, especially for all the money invested into that system. Corsair is known for their great PSUs, (they're pretty much rebranded Seasonics) but PC Power and Cooling is another great brand.

[progbuddy]

Raidmax makes horrid products to be quite honest. It's a very common mistake to buy a low quality PSU to keep costs low.

I'm not sure how much juice a GX2 sucks, but it has to be pretty up there. My recommendation would be to get a better quality PSU, especially for all the money invested into that system. Corsair is known for their great PSUs, (they're pretty much rebranded Seasonics) but PC Power and Cooling is another great brand.

I have a Rosewill 550 watt. It's been running fine for about a year and a half now. Voltages are solid.

[Raz1r]

I have a Rosewill 550 watt. It's been running fine for about a year and a half now. Voltages are solid.

Rosewill is an outlier in the lower end. I took a chance with my friend in buying an RP500-V2 and it's run quite solid, a little hotter than most but his case cools well so I'm not worried. I'd be curious to see what you're running on it.

For the amount of money he's already sunk into that system, there's no point in copping out on the PSU.

[Indybird]

For the amount of money he's already sunk into that system, there's no point in copping out on the PSU.

Thats the problem, hes already blown a lot of money on this system, and he doesnt want to spend a whole lot more.

If we finally do determine that the power supply is the problem, we will probably just buy/find a 300-350W Power Supply and use it just for the HDDs, Optical Drives and Fans.

-Indybird

[FuzzyPlushroom]

Thats the problem, hes already blown a lot of money on this system, and he doesnt want to spend a whole lot more.

If we finally do determine that the power supply is the problem, we will probably just buy/find a 300-350W Power Supply and use it just for the HDDs, Optical Drives and Fans.

If he's sunk that kind of money into it already, can't he afford another hundred bucks to make sure his investment doesn't disappear with a loud bang and cloud of smoke?

What you've got now is like a marathon runner with the heart of an overweight retiree. Sure, you might do fine in the long term - but the odds are stacked against you, and performance is already decreased.

[Indybird]

Its looking like the cheapest option is to get a 250W PSU to run the hard drives and optical drives. The only problem is that dual-PSU cases are expensive and/or rare. Does any one know of a decently cheap (<$130) Dual PSU Case?

Thanks,
Indybird

[FuzzyPlushroom]

So, rather than spend $100-150 on a single PSU that will definitely meet his needs for the next few years, he'd prefer to spend the same amount on a case that can hold two cheap PSUs, either of which could fail and possibly damage his system?

Seems like flawed logic to me.

However, I can't stop you. Some CM Stacker models accept two PSUs, if you can find an Antec 190 with its PSUs removed it'll work, as well. They're pretty few and far between, as you've noticed.

[nevermind1534]

My 550W Cooler Master has served me fine. It was $70, originally, but with a $30 MIR and $30 promo code, I got it for only $10 +shipping. If you want cheap, I guess you just have to wait until a deal like that comes up.

[Indybird]

Alright here's what we think we're gonna do. I've found a series of deals to make this cheap and done right.

Now I know you said that Raidmax isn't real high quality, but I found a 730W on newegg, that got really good reviews saying its very stable.

So hes getting that Raidmax 730W for $89.98 -$30 MIR +Free Shipping, an Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 for $24.99 +Free Shipping and a Cooler Master RC-690 Case for $74.95 +Free Shipping. Then he's selling the Raidmax 630W for $40 to someone he knows.

After the MIR and selling the 630W all that comes to just $120.

Running that system above, do you guys 100% (or nearly 100%) think that the 630W is not enough power?

Thanks,
Indybird