Old?

[ant900]

how do people use the small PSUs??? i run half a dozen HDDs and a dual GPU vid card... i wouldn't try turning on my computer with less then a 700 watt PSU

Because you are the exception, not the rule.  I would say a good majority of people have 1 HDD and 1 GPU.

[nstgc]

My 620W PSU is fine, and I'm pretty sure my computer can beat yours (Hizoka's) in most benchmarks even with my 9600 GT video card. I also have 5 hard drives, and several fans.

[Perplexing]

how do people use the small PSUs??? i run half a dozen HDDs and a dual GPU vid card... i wouldn't try turning on my computer with less then a 700 watt PSU

My previous build had three hard drives, one 230mm fan, seven 120mm fans, and two 8500 GT in SLI with a 500w PSU. But then again as I stated earlier I went to this site

http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

Beforehand to verify that it would work. If I'm not mistaken I believe I needed a total of 369w according to the site. Oh and I had a PC Power and Cooling PSU
(the best PSU  company in my opinion)

Out of curiousity I would love to know what this site I linked would require power wise of your system configuration.

[GoGeTa006]

where? If i may get directions. . .?

(click to show/hide)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835425007&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Mem ory+++Chipset+Cooling-_-VIZO+Technology-_-35425007
($13.99)

You gotta get that fan off the chipset, and put a new one on.  I've used this one as a good replacement on an Asus A8N-e series board (defective fans) running an Athlon 64 FX55 - works nice.

I also have used this one on the same board:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118014&cm_re=Zalman_chipset-_-35-118-014-_-Product ($9.50)

The zalman one, though it looks nice, I would never buy again.   It's a real pain in the ass to install - and it's too big.  Really high, and where the chip is - it can hit your video card ... and that's never good.  I uninstalled one of them and replaced it with the vizo one.   It's been running about a year or two, and has worked nicely. 

The chipset cooler is probably clipped in with 2 plastic pins.  Get a needlenose or other small pilers - and squeeze the pin from under the board ( it's like an expanding arrow lock thing.  The pin usually looks like this: http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-50621372921554_2096_6676915 - white plastic pin right in the foreground of the picture.  )  See if you can pull it out from the top of the board once you have it squeezed.   If you can't, just twist off the bottom real carefully ( don't scratch or touch the board ) from the bottom - while holding the top still --- OR --- you can snap off the top where it holds the pin down.  Either way should work to break it off.    They're pretty weak, so it can just break right off.   If it has thermal tape on it, you'll want to slowly work it off by twisting it side-to-side.  It may have a paste under it as well ... that may be very rigid due to being old.   Same thing as the thermal tape - just work it slow & easy, it'll wear out.   Don't try lifting it - if secured - until you feel it's good and loose. 

The new fan should have installation instructions on how to secure it and all that.   Make sure the pins are the right distance before you pull off the old one.

are those things like universal? (the size i mean). . .cause I think that would be the way to go. . .

[nstgc]

I think they are. I had to replace one several years ago. The chipset of my DFI board kept over heating due to a 66% overclock. I replaced the heatsink-fan with the last one that KyanWan suggested. It not only was much cooler, but also made less noise (the stock fan was quite loud). I'm hot sure if its universal, but I do believe my current chipset heat sink would be replaced by the fan from my DFI mother board. I've never tried, but it looks like it would work.

[Hizoka003]

My 620W PSU is fine, and I'm pretty sure my computer can beat yours (Hizoka's) in most benchmarks even with my 9600 GT video card. I also have 5 hard drives, and several fans.

i'm not saying i run a super computer or anything, just saying that i wouldn't use the smaller ones... that and i blew up a 550 watt one once...

[nstgc]

Who made it?

[Hizoka003]

Who made it?

it was rosewell i think

[whiic]

http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

This site will take all of your build info and give you a rough estimate of the power needed to run. More than likely the 550w should be enough. My current computer required
462w to run and I went with a Corsair 850w that way I would have ample power and be prepared for a possible upgrade in graphics card or going SLI or 3x SLI in the future.

I highly recommend Corsair, OCZ, and Cooler Master as these three have been very good makers of PSU's for me

Pretty good for a PSU calculator. I've tried many, and most give ridiculous +100% headroom just to be certain. This one demangs 355 W and recommends 405 W. I'm using Corsair HX520W, so with 355 watt load (not that unrealistic constant load if I use Folding@Home or BOINC that keep the overclocked Quad at 100% util, and have 6 HDD spinning) the PSU is running at 68% of it's maximum rated load. (70% (or at least 50-80%) is usually considered to be the sweet spot for best efficiency, and not too stressing for even constant load and years of expected use.)

Yeah, and I also recommend Corsairs: 5 years of warranty, intelligent fan controller that keeps the fan speed low unless you really push it to the edge or if ambient air rises much (or the combination of both). Corsair PSUs are manufactured by Seasonic. And not only are they manufactured there, their build is pretty 'Seasoniccy", the only mentionable difference being that Corsairs have different fan ramp-up to temperature/load relation curve.

how do people use the small PSUs??? i run half a dozen HDDs and a dual GPU vid card... i wouldn't try turning on my computer with less then a 700 watt PSU

Easily - by not using a high-end dual GPU. Two high-end GPUs can easily bump the power usage by 200 W. Of course 500 watts can be enough even for such computers (if noise is no concern and if it's not done 24/7). Theoretically, like the PSU calculator suggests, a tad above 300 watts is barely enough. It's just that I wanted to do 30% overclock and bump the CPU TDP alone to 130 watts and wanted to use it 24/7 for scientific computing while in overclocked state and remaining a quiet HTPC at the same time. No 300-watter would have remained quiet under such load and not necessarily even reliable if pushed that hard for at least 5 years (which is what I would hope the PSU would survive... after all, it's death can cause every other computer component to die along with it).

But yeah, theoretically 300 watts might be barely enough for me. 500 watt might be barely enough for someone with dual high-end GPU. It would probably be ok as long as you don't push it constantly to the limit.

i'm not saying i run a super computer or anything, just saying that i wouldn't use the smaller ones... that and i blew up a 550 watt one once...

More likely a bad PSU than overloading it to death. Unless of course you did 6 hour gaming sessions in a non-airconditioned room during summer, or ran BOINC or Folding@Home with GPU clients.

[GoGeTa006]

mmm sounds interesting. . .actually Ill check an old computer I have somewhere in my house to see if that cooler can fit in this one. . .that'd be a great quick-fix. . .
cause as mentioned its not like time for an "upgrade". . .cause he already got his i7 and his couple of core2 laptops, and a core2 PC in his office. . .I love working at his house (like with 4 computers at the same time. . .I feel im in the movie swordfish)

[Hizoka003]

http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

This site will take all of your build info and give you a rough estimate of the power needed to run. More than likely the 550w should be enough. My current computer required
462w to run and I went with a Corsair 850w that way I would have ample power and be prepared for a possible upgrade in graphics card or going SLI or 3x SLI in the future.

I highly recommend Corsair, OCZ, and Cooler Master as these three have been very good makers of PSU's for me

Pretty good for a PSU calculator. I've tried many, and most give ridiculous +100% headroom just to be certain. This one demangs 355 W and recommends 405 W. I'm using Corsair HX520W, so with 355 watt load (not that unrealistic constant load if I use Folding@Home or BOINC that keep the overclocked Quad at 100% util, and have 6 HDD spinning) the PSU is running at 68% of it's maximum rated load. (70% (or at least 50-80%) is usually considered to be the sweet spot for best efficiency, and not too stressing for even constant load and years of expected use.)

Yeah, and I also recommend Corsairs: 5 years of warranty, intelligent fan controller that keeps the fan speed low unless you really push it to the edge or if ambient air rises much (or the combination of both). Corsair PSUs are manufactured by Seasonic. And not only are they manufactured there, their build is pretty 'Seasoniccy", the only mentionable difference being that Corsairs have different fan ramp-up to temperature/load relation curve.

how do people use the small PSUs??? i run half a dozen HDDs and a dual GPU vid card... i wouldn't try turning on my computer with less then a 700 watt PSU

Easily - by not using a high-end dual GPU. Two high-end GPUs can easily bump the power usage by 200 W. Of course 500 watts can be enough even for such computers (if noise is no concern and if it's not done 24/7). Theoretically, like the PSU calculator suggests, a tad above 300 watts is barely enough. It's just that I wanted to do 30% overclock and bump the CPU TDP alone to 130 watts and wanted to use it 24/7 for scientific computing while in overclocked state and remaining a quiet HTPC at the same time. No 300-watter would have remained quiet under such load and not necessarily even reliable if pushed that hard for at least 5 years (which is what I would hope the PSU would survive... after all, it's death can cause every other computer component to die along with it).

But yeah, theoretically 300 watts might be barely enough for me. 500 watt might be barely enough for someone with dual high-end GPU. It would probably be ok as long as you don't push it constantly to the limit.

i'm not saying i run a super computer or anything, just saying that i wouldn't use the smaller ones... that and i blew up a 550 watt one once...

More likely a bad PSU than overloading it to death. Unless of course you did 6 hour gaming sessions in a non-airconditioned room during summer, or ran BOINC or Folding@Home with GPU clients.

sounds about right.. it blew up not long after i made the server first death knight when WOTLK came out for woe... i played 20 hours a day for a week.. then again thats also prolly why i hate ow now

[GoGeTa006]

I bought the fan for the thingie. . .thing is I cant place it... it doesnt "stick" because it doesnt come with those plastic like. . .bolts? iono those plastic things that fit it into place. . .it just has sticky thing in the bottom. . .I was thinking of using thermal compound. . .but does that work as glue also?

[sdedalus83]

I bought the fan for the thingie. . .thing is I cant place it... it doesnt "stick" because it doesnt come with those plastic like. . .bolts? iono those plastic things that fit it into place. . .it just has sticky thing in the bottom. . .I was thinking of using thermal compound. . .but does that work as glue also?

The sticky thing at the bottom is called thermal tape.  You hold it firmly against the chip for about 5 minutes and it should hold pretty securely.

[GoGeTa006]

I bought the fan for the thingie. . .thing is I cant place it... it doesnt "stick" because it doesnt come with those plastic like. . .bolts? iono those plastic things that fit it into place. . .it just has sticky thing in the bottom. . .I was thinking of using thermal compound. . .but does that work as glue also?

The sticky thing at the bottom is called thermal tape.  You hold it firmly against the chip for about 5 minutes and it should hold pretty securely.

tried it, . .

it went ok on the first try but after the third time I turned it on it fell off. . .

if you look at the chip from the side it looks like this

_______|----|__________


so basically if i were to put that hting on top it would go something lik thi
s


|________________________|
   _______|----|_________

in which case not all would be touching and not all would be sticking. . .
offcourse thats an exageration of the distance. . .its minimal but its there

[Proin Drakenzol]

Who made it?

it was rosewell i think

It may have been a 550W peak power PSU tested at room temp whereas you should always make sure your PSU is rated at continuous power and at 40°C (or higher).

I bought the fan for the thingie. . .thing is I cant place it... it doesnt "stick" because it doesnt come with those plastic like. . .bolts? iono those plastic things that fit it into place. . .it just has sticky thing in the bottom. . .I was thinking of using thermal compound. . .but does that work as glue also?

The sticky thing at the bottom is called thermal tape.  You hold it firmly against the chip for about 5 minutes and it should hold pretty securely.

tried it, . .

it went ok on the first try but after the third time I turned it on it fell off. . .

if you look at the chip from the side it looks like this

_______|----|__________


so basically if i were to put that hting on top it would go something lik thi
s


|________________________|
   _______|----|_________

in which case not all would be touching and not all would be sticking. . .
offcourse thats an exageration of the distance. . .its minimal but its there

you may need to just get some screws and screw it in.

[GoGeTa006]

haha
superglue FTW

[vuzedome]

Power supply calculators are real dodgy, most recommended me to get a kilowatt but I do fine with just 650watts.

[costi]

My rig is:
- C2D E8400 @ 4GHz
- 2x2GB RAM
- MSI P45 Neo3-FIR
- Evga GTX260 superclocked (55nm, 216SP)
- 3 HDDs (2x500GB barracuda 7200.12 + Samsung F1 320GB)
- DVD burner

All this is powered by a 530W bequiet Purepower L7 and the PSU doesn't even break a sweat, the whole rig takes about 250-270W under full load, and about 130W in idle.