psu help plz

[jsfarthing]

hi peeps

a few days ago i brought a 550watt power supply made by coloursit (cheap i know) but it had 30 amsps on the 12 volt rail.

and i also got a new 2900gt.. i knew these had quite high power requirements (450w) so i brought i cheaper 550w thinkin it wud atleast deliver 450w. i checked my system power requirements on psu calculator and it sed id need 235watts at 90% load even with the 2900gt installed and all the rest of my components.

wen i had installed it all.. it worked fine (i even played olivion and cod 4) up until i decided to tidy cables.. all i did was move a few and i didnt even touch any of the components or the psu. when i plugged everythin back in, it wudnt power up. i thought it was the psu so i took it out and did that shortin thing to try and switch it on and still nuthin. im sendin it bk but do u reckon it was just a faulty one? or is it not up to the task? it worked fine earlier and it didnt seem like it was having trouble.

btw these are my specs

AMD athlon x2 3600+ 2GHz
1.5 gb corsair XMS2 DDR2 675 Mhz RAM
Foxconn A690GM2MA Motherboard
Sapphire HD 2900gt 256mb GDDR3
80gb western digital IDE hard drive (only 80gb but iv got about 30gb left)
random DVD drive
C-Media CMI8768+
ColorsIT 550watt neon psu

thanx

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

It is not the wattage but the amount of amps that the PSU can deliver which is important.Cheaper PSUs usually have ratings which are totally fabricated. Go with a PSU made by good company. Even Dells use FSP PSUs which are one of the better manufacturers. I would get something like the following for under 40 quid:

OCZ StealthXtream 500W PSU - 1x PCI-E 6/8pin, 2x SATA 12cm Fan - Ebuyer

This is a decent PSU from a well known company and it should do the job and is not overpriced too!! A Corsair VX450W is even better but costs over 40quid.

[Webby]

Have you checked to make sure that you haven't dislodged any of the motherboard power cables or the PCIe cables on the graphics?

If these are all ok then it could be the power supply thats gone if it has you had better hope it hasn't taken anything else with it.

You should always go for a decent power supply it is the single most important component in your system.

[shadowmaster]

hi peeps

a few days ago i brought a 550watt power supply made by coloursit (cheap i know) but it had 30 amsps on the 12 volt rail.

What it says in not necessarily what it does. A lot of cheap psu’s claims to supply a certain amounts of wattage and, amps on the 12 volt rail but in actual fact don’t.

Rule 1 with computers- Don’t use cheap psu's. I know its tempting to skimp on them (I've done it before) but its not much fun when the blow up and/or fry your components.

It seems your psu has died, hopefully the rest of your components are fine. The only way to check would be to buy a new psu.

Send the psu back and get a branded psu such as Corsair, Seasonic, FSP, etc. Stay away from generic makes such as Ezcool, ColoursIT, etc. For your system I would recommend the Corsair VX450 @£45. From what I read, it’s very stable and is more then enough for your system.

[jsfarthing]

Well i found a 500w power supply by a arctic power, dunno if its reliable.

wot do u peeps think? and do you think itll be okay for my system?

Arctic Power 500W PSU With PCI-E 2x SATA, 20+4 ATX12V 8pin +12V Connectors - Retail Boxed - Ebuyer

[matty-hodgson]

Well i found a 500w power supply by a arctic power, dunno if its reliable.

wot do u peeps think? and do you think itll be okay for my system?

Arctic Power 500W PSU With PCI-E 2x SATA, 20+4 ATX12V 8pin +12V Connectors - Retail Boxed - Ebuyer

again, a very generic and cheap power supply, get a branded PSU.. 'cause if you get a decent enough power supply it'll last you years and years and many upgrades in that time

[Jay]

Get a Corsair, Tagan or Enermax. Can't go wrong with any of them.

[jsfarthing]

hmm i liked the OCZ stealthXstream 500w or woteva its called. seemed like a good deal i mite get tht only £32.

i wud av more to spend but i spent the rest of my money as i didnt think i'd need to replace my power supply so darn quickly (lasted about 3 days)

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Well i found a 500w power supply by a arctic power, dunno if its reliable.

wot do u peeps think? and do you think itll be okay for my system?

Arctic Power 500W PSU With PCI-E 2x SATA, 20+4 ATX12V 8pin +12V Connectors - Retail Boxed - Ebuyer

Buy the OCZ one I recommended - it is a good PSU for the price.

£33 for a branded PSU versus £27 for an unbranded PSU.

[Blitzen]

hmm i liked the OCZ stealthXstream 500w or woteva its called. seemed like a good deal i mite get tht only £32.

i wud av more to spend but i spent the rest of my money as i didnt think i'd need to replace my power supply so darn quickly (lasted about 3 days)

Nothing wrong with that one.
Your rig isnt a big power draw so it will fit the bill nicely.

[jsfarthing]

thanks peeps...
if u find another good one for around tht price then tell me, otherwise i think im sorted now

thanx agen

[kmac]

You should be able to get your money back on the dead one - especially if it claims to be rated at 550W with 30Amps on the 12v rail.

Get it RMA 'd

[matty-hodgson]

with it only being 3 days old and already dead it's almost definately a manufacture fault, or its taken a serious knock in transit..

get it RMA'd and get your money back on that!

[jsfarthing]

lol i am.. sent it off and asked for my money back

oh and one more question, you sed reliable brands, so does Trust count? cuz i found a 570w trust power supply and wonder if it would do for my system?

Trust 570W PRO PSU - 2x SATA, 20+4pin, 1x PCI-Express, 4x Molex, ATX12V 4pin - 2x 80mm Fans - Ebuyer

if its a peace of rubbish then i wnt get it..but if its enough for my system then i will

oh and btw i dnt plan on doin much, if any, overclocking.

[shadowmaster]

'Trust', never heard of it and looks generic, so if I was you I would not buy t.

Go for the OCZ stealthXstream 500w

[jsfarthing]

it says the requirements for the 2900gt is a 450watt power supply with 30 amps on the 12 volt rail. will my system reli need that? i heard that its only an average of how much a system will need with the graphics card installed.

thanx