More Problems Options

[Chewy]

So I have a racing game that I play every now and then. Prior to all of my power supply issues everything worked fine. After, I'm able to run a couple of laps before my video starts to get choppy. It just continues to get worse forcing me to quit. The creators stopped supporting online gameplay almost 5 years ago. So this is offline only. The frames were at 40fps and would suddenly drop to 35 for a split second, and back up to 40. It almost seems like its just skipping frames instead of loading the graphics slow. Any ideas? They sent me a different PS then the one I had before because they were having problems with my original model. I have nothing in the background running, no anti-virus or auto-update for anything. I'm baffled.


BC2 works just fine which demands WAY more everything than the other game.

[OneWay]

any better? It still could be a PS issue, although you said last night your connection was spotty?

just for shits and giggles..

1. goto www.trendmicro.com and run their house call
2. in start type msconfig and hit enter, check the start up tab for anything strange and stop those processes and any unwanted programs
3. check xfire/steam/windows for auto updates.. the downloads can happen in the back ground and screw with your connection.

lets start there,

One

[Chewy]

Net seems back to normal. Good results on speedtest.net. Also played BC2 for awhile earlier no problems. Every now and then I get these net issues only it was a little different this time.

My problem for this thread though is not a online issue. Just seems the machine lost some mojo somewhere along the way and can't run that game anymore...

Did all your things, everything was good.

[Chewy]

Now I'm thinking it has to be Power Supply. Today the screen blacked out on me for like 3 seconds, 4 different times...

[BAC]

what video card do you have? Do you have anything running with it, that can tell you its temp? You want to see what is at idle and under load. You may be overheating.

[Chewy]

Yea I do, I'll check it out next time. I've previously looked at it and the highest I've seen is 60 C. I'll double check my settings as well.

I just don't feel confident about the machine now. Everything was perfect before hand. Now I'm getting all kinds of different problems...scares me.

[Jimmy 2 Toes]

What are the makes and models of your psu and pc case? A quality modular psu with power to spare is always worth spending a few more $ on. A properly ventilated case is mighty important too as you know. You could cheaply install larger, more powerful fans inside your case if you feel that the present ones are too old or not up to snuff. Does the AC sufficiently cool the room the your pc is in? I have had similar issues to yours with both faulty psu-s and cramped, hot pc cases.

I recommend a simple experiment to rule out heat and ventilation issues. Remove the side panel to your case and set a fan to blow directly on the interior while you game for several hours. If you don't encounter any problems then you have some strong evidence that your case or case fans may be lacking. If you still have probs then I would lean towards a problem with your psu or gpu.

[Chewy]

Case is BCC Voyager Mid-Tower ATX
http://www.ebayconfigurator.com/user/allpc...bbcivoyager.bmp


PSU: Orion HP585D

Which I think they screwed me over because I looked at the prices and this is very slightly cheaper than my old one, but they charged me $10 extra bucks because it was an 'upgrade'.

[Jimmy 2 Toes]

I like your case; the psu....not so much. I would recommend dropping a little more money on a better quality power supply. Make sure it's from a good company, make sure it's modular (becoming the standard - it's just easier to work with), and make sure that the power output well exceeds the power requirements of your components. I think either newegg or Tom's Hardware has a nifty little program that allows you to input your components and the calculator will tell you how much power you are drawing.

[Chewy]

Was up to 73 C today. But didn't have any problems (aside from internet). How much can I get a good quality PS without over doing it. I'm not made of money.

[Chewy]

Just tried my racing game again. Same thing. It works flawlessly for about 10 minutes. Then it gets so bad I can hardly click my way out of the game. And like I said it's not just choppy picture, the whole program itself gets choppy.

Video card was only at 43 C with this game. Nothing hogging memory. I did notice that my system CPU Usage meter jumps from 12% to 50% just with an idle system. Not sure if that's normal or not.


I attempted to fill out the Power Wattage Calculator. I didn't know what some of it was so I kinda guessed. Came up with 761 W. I currently have 585W

This post has been edited by Chewy: Jun 25 2010, 05:42 PM

[Chewy]

Ok well I'm leaning towards purchasing a better PSU. Looking at newegg.com. I'm thinking around $100

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16817371025

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16817139006

These are the ones I'm looking at. Either brand better than the other? Is there anything that stands out that makes one better than the other?

One thing I saw is one is ATX12V V2.3. Is that something different than ATX12V or are they just adding numbers to make it looks fancier?

The Output makes no sense in my brain...

How are these prices for what I'm getting? Should I look elsewhere?

[OneWay]

Antec all the way, they are a decent PS brand. Go with the 4 rails,, better power to your components, esp your vid cards.

+12V Rails 4

corsair - they make good memory, but not sure how they do with PS... only 1 rail is a deal breaker for me
+12V Rails Single

[BAC]

I agree with OneWay on this one, Chewels..the Antec is the way to go, between the two.

[Doc]

one thing though how are they ratting the total? if you have 4 x 12v raails and say the total watts are 1000 each rail it would seem is then each rail is 250watt 250x4. this is not even subtracting the other rails needs like the 5v ect.? anyone know?

[Jimmy 2 Toes]

Although you will spend a pretty penny for them, Antec PSUs are money well spent. You can shop for cheaper, quality PSUs (my current one is a Silverstone - I like it) but with Antec you don't have to worry - you know it is reliable and of good quality.

[Nimmer]

Antec all the way, they are a decent PS brand. Go with the 4 rails,, better power to your components, esp your vid cards.

+12V Rails 4

corsair - they make good memory, but not sure how they do with PS... only 1 rail is a deal breaker for me
+12V Rails Single

actually Corsair has higher efficiency. Now a days Rails are actually quite the opposite.
One rail is better for GPU's and multiple rails can cause problems in Multi GPU setups.
Splitting up rails can cause problems with single card gpus that have very high output.
Antec has good reputation but Corsair for psu all the way IMHO.
sometimes manufacturers will split the rails in a very bad way, so the user can not receive
anywhere near the stated power. Also, if you have 1 rail, as long as you don't exceed that
amount you will be good. But, if on a multirail system, you have say a graphics card or
something that pulls more current than what is stated for the rail, you can't run it.

Multi GPU set up = single high power rail.
High power single GPU = single high power rail
Med or low end single gpu = either way doesn't matter.

I have done 6 systems (1 . 750 hx 2 850 hx and 3 1000hx ) and none have failed as of yet BEST psu s I have ever done.
Corsair has second best warranty in industry 5 year.

This post has been edited by Nimmer: Jul 10 2010, 12:23 AM

[Doc]

Thats what I thought, thanks Nimmer that explained it well. The last two systems i built I used Corsair as well. They have a very good rep with the public it seems with the PS as well as memory. I have never had PS die on any of the many PC's i have built and all have went well over 6 years, Pc's tend get usles way before they die. Well I did have one system blow the PS, but it has hit by lightning and not only did the PS fry the modem(blew a hole through it) the mother board worked but had issues after. The lightning came through the cable line.

[Chewy]

I guess there was a reason why I posted this in the forums haha. What is a rail? I have a wireless card and a graphics card, and thats it really. I would assume I fit under the "either way doesn't matter" group?

[Nimmer]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_supply_rail

[Chewy]

Been a few days without one problem with my new PSU. Thanks for the help guys, really upset the place a got my PC from gave me an "upgraded" PSU that essentially worked worse than my old one. Not only that but the brand is nearly unheard of. I guess I can take part blame on that though.

[Doc]

That is main reason I have been building my own now for almost 10years. Fact is i new nothing to start with and all have worked better than any of the store bought we used to get. Pluss you get to pick the parts one by one.

[Nimmer]

Been a few days without one problem with my new PSU. Thanks for the help guys, really upset the place a got my PC from gave me an "upgraded" PSU that essentially worked worse than my old one. Not only that but the brand is nearly unheard of. I guess I can take part blame on that though.

CORSAIR?

[Chewy]

I actually went with the Antec. I was originally leaning towards then Antec because of all the reviews it got. Then BAC and Oneway gave their two cents which solidified my decision.