GeForce 6800 power supply questions [Archive] - Page 9

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mustrum

09-09-04, 03:42 AM

I have an 431Watts enermax. 20a on the 12 Rail 44A on the 5V Rail.
With my XP @2.3ghz and all the fans hds and drives plus a X800 XT PE the system runs stable (at 2.4ghz as well) but my 5v rail drops as low as 4.55 sometimes. I know this is very low but i get this drops as well if i underclock my CPU a lot and underclock the graphics card as well.
I think this PSU is fluctuating anyways. I haven't had a freeze or reboot at all so it is stable.
I am planning to throw in an ULTRA in this system soon: Do you think it will run stable? (Power needs of the ultra is only 10 Watts more than a XT PE according to Xbit)

Is it true that the ULTRA sucks more on the 12v rail and the XT PE more on the 5v rail? This would be good since my 12volt rail is solid (at 11.8 only but not moving wich is fine).
I'd hate to replace this PSU since it was expensive and does itS' job well for quite some time now.

DJMONDY

09-09-04, 03:54 AM

I have this PSU: http://www.buypcbits.co.uk/acatalog/Home_Power_Supply_Units___PSU__and_Acrylic_PSUs_46 .html

Scroll down to the 550 W ATX TruePower Acrylic Transparent Power Supply with Blue LED's.

Will this be ok for my 6800 Ultra???

subbo

09-09-04, 09:32 AM

I have this PSU: [url]
Scroll down to the 550 W ATX TruePower Acrylic Transparent Power Supply with Blue LED's.

550W for 32 quid I'd be VERY suspicious. The quality PSU that even manage 550W cost nearer to 150£

kahloq

09-09-04, 09:32 PM

Today i tryed Doom3 windowed mode, and had aida32 running in the background showing the voltages

i normally have around 11.67 to 11.61V on the +12V line
and while gaming it dropped down to 11.55 and 2 times to 11.49

I have read that the ATX V2 specs are minimum 11.4 V !!!

I am running a 450W TSP power supply
http://www.pc-cooling.de/catalog/artikeldetail.php?cPath=159_162&products_id=4398
Has 22A on the +12 Line, should be enough somehow ?

And i have 1 seperate Molex line with 2 12V plugs on a Gainward 6800 Ultra GS 430/1200 (nothing else attached)
Besides i run a AMD XP Mobile 2600+ , 1 DVD-Rom and 3 SCSI harddrives. (on the other Molex line of the psu)

Could that be "too low" Voltage , i had about 3-5 crashes in various games ??

Or would it be better if i take one 12V plug from the other line to the 6800 Ultra ?

Please help.

I can tell you what your problem is right now!!!!!
You have both power connections on the Ultra running off the same molex line. YOU CANNOT, under any circumstances, y -split ONE molex line to the Ultra. Your PSU has enough on the +12 at 22a, but your not feeding the card properly. You need to adjust your connections inside your case so that the two power connections on the Ultra are running off seperate lines. So, why not just unplug the molex on the DVD and swap it for the ONE of the ones currently on the Ultra? Seems simple! However, you MUST swap the secondary and not the primary power connection on the ultra. The primary is the one that needs a dedicated line if at all possible. The secondary will be ok if there are a few other things on that line.

Golden Boy

09-10-04, 01:21 AM

OK kahloq thanks for the tip,
I will try at home later with new cabling :)

Is it easy to differ which is the 1st and 2nd power connector of the card ?

Or are they marked with numbers ?!

Greetings

self0

09-10-04, 01:51 AM

thanks for the tip

kahloq

09-10-04, 09:46 AM

OK kahloq thanks for the tip,
I will try at home later with new cabling :)

Is it easy to differ which is the 1st and 2nd power connector of the card ?

Or are they marked with numbers ?!

Greetings

On the PCB of the vid card where the molex connections are...they are labled primary and secondary

Golden Boy

09-10-04, 02:31 PM

kahloq

09-10-04, 03:08 PM

OK - i took the powerconnector from the DVDrom (the line where my 3 scsi drives are on) and connected it to the "secondary" molex on the 6800.

I re-checked in windows, but the +12V still is around 11.67-11.61 in windoze and "jumps" from 11.61 to 11.55 down to 11.49 (in large areas) when i played doom3.

Sure, it could be that those crashes were card/bios related ... and the Voltage is ok, as long as it does not reach 11.4V or below...

But i read another thread on the EVGA forum where a user with a 550W PSU had problems too on the +12V with 11.6 or below volts, and a new PSU helped him.

I had a FX5950 before, really can`t believe that my good PSU should be the bad part here :(

Unfortunetly, some of the PSU's out there dont hold their current well under load. If you weren't aware, the 6800 series cards draw more power then the 5950's. So what worked good before may not work 100% well now. I checked the link you provided in an earlier post. Although I can't read german, the stats looked ok. I cannot though find any information on that PSU: (TSP 450 P5 Ultra Silent - 450 Watt - Triple ) other then one or two sites that all are in german. I tried a search and came up empty. This concerns me some as a PSU maker that is well known is going to have multiple places where it would show up and reviews of some kind.

A few things to attempt. A)Is your motherboard bios up to date? B)Have you attempted to update the bios on the Gainward card? Some ppl have reported faulty bioses on some european cards like the Gainwards and had to use another vendors bios to fix the problems. C) Is there anything you can disconnect to check to see if it affects the voltages?
However, since what your reporting is low voltages, it may in fact be the PSU you got. Although its pretty and all, I especailly like the blue led fans, it may not be carrying the voltages well and at opperating temps(40c) is not producing the current its listed at in the specs. Most PSU makers list their specs off of a temp reading of 25c. So in reality, you may be experiencing more like 16a on the +12 at 40c. Your voltages are real low and that in my oppinion is an indication of a lower output on the PSU.
When not gaming, your +12 voltages should not be that low(11.6). As a side note, my OCZ 520 always stays between 12.342 and 12.403 even while gaming.

Is your PSU adjustable at all? Most PSU's aren't. If it is, it is most likely adjsutable inside the box...meaning you got to take the cover off the PSU and mess with something inside it. OCZ fortunetly makes it real easy and has the adjustment locations located on the back of the PSU.

If you decide to flash the bios on the gainward, make sure you make a backup first of the original.

Golden Boy

09-10-04, 04:36 PM

Well, TSP is a good brand normally...

I dont have the newest Bios on my mainboard, because the first revision i am running, is the best for overclocking.

A friend told me perhaps the voltages which are shown could be "false" or i should not 100% trust them, he advised me to use a multimeter to measure them correctly.

But you are fully right, the 11.67V on normal windows usage is a bit strange !

I already was running the XFX ultra Bios for my Gainward because the original Gainward bios was really crappy.

I now have the newest EVGA ultra Rev04 on the card, will see if that runs ok too...

I will try the tip with removing stuff to look what uses the voltages.

I perhaps could try feeding the card with a seperate PSU to look if the voltage still remains that low.

I saw the OCZ has 2 special power connectors for VGA and HDD, do you use both of them for the 6800 card , and the normal for HDDs and other stuff ?

kahloq

09-10-04, 04:43 PM

What are the specs of the "other" psu you mentioned you may try and power the vid card with?

Golden Boy

09-10-04, 05:04 PM

kahloq

09-10-04, 06:07 PM

Its a "Noiseblocker" PSU

with 430W
+3.3 - 28A
+5 - 36A
+12 - 20A

I could "shorten" it so that it runs as soon as power is connected, and just have the card powered with this one.

I am running a SFF PC too (SHUTTLE SN45G) with a 250W Silent-X PSU and a PNY 6800GT@Ultra, and there the +12V is very good (dunno exact how much now)...

PS : I saw the OCZ has 2 special power connectors for VGA and HDD, do you use both of them for the 6800 card , and the normal for HDDs and other stuff ?

Yes. Both of the 2 special power connectors are running to my 6800 Ultra and the normal molex lines power the ata HDD's and opticals and fans. The other 2 HDD's I have are sata and run off the seperate sata power line.

Have you tried using that 430 watt you listed above in your system with the scsi and ultra? I dont mean as a 2nd psu by as the primary?

azanon

09-10-04, 10:06 PM

If you weren't aware, the 6800 series cards draw more power then the 5950's. So what worked good before may not work 100% well now.

Actually, the 5950 uses more power under load than even a 6800 ultra. Source: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/ati-vs-nv-power_9.html

kahloq

09-10-04, 10:45 PM

Actually, the 5950 uses more power under load than even a 6800 ultra. Source: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/ati-vs-nv-power_9.html

I didnt specify under load conditions regarding the comparison of 5950 and 6800 ultra. AS your own link showed....at idle...the 6800Ultra draws more power then the 5950 regardless of clock speeds. Under load...yes the 5950 takes slightly more...but there is more a difference between the cards at idle then at load and that is why I said the 6800 series use more power.

This is a quote from that article:

Still, it is not perfect. New graphics cards on NVIDIA’s GPUs are misbalanced as concerns power consumption. The most powerful cards put a heavy burden on the +12v power rail, and this is the real reason – not the total power consumption of the device! – why you must ensure your PSU can stand such a strain before purchasing the card.

self0

09-11-04, 01:49 AM

kahloq

09-11-04, 07:54 PM

any1 of this psu will work nice for the video card?

http://www.frozencpu.com/cgi-bin/frozencpu/psu-92.html
or
http://www.frozencpu.com/cgi-bin/frozencpu/psu-50.html
or
http://www.frozencpu.com/cgi-bin/frozencpu/psu-93.html

pls

The first one... I dunno cuz it dont list the specs
The second one.....its ok but a little low on the +12 for a 500watt PSU priced at $99
The 3rd one well.....I wouldnt recommend it since its only got FOUR total molex connectors for HD's and opticals and only 1 additonal 4 pin + 12 connector for a total of 5 devices without having to y split a bunch of stuff. For $69 its not too bad tho.

If you are in the market for a PSU and want somethign of quality and also somethiong with nice led fan since all 3 you listed were lighted, you might want to consider the OCZ 520. It does have a lighted exhaust fan(green) and also has 6 standard molex connectors PLUS 2 dedicated vga lines with shield and rfi filters as well as 2 seperate sata connectors.

FrozenCPU is a bit overpriced compared to Newegg. Forzencpu has the OCZ 520 listed at 149, however....Newegg lists it at 125. I have this PSU and highly recommend it to anyone.

azanon

09-11-04, 11:44 PM

I didnt specify under load conditions regarding the comparison of 5950 and 6800 ultra. AS your own link showed....at idle...the 6800Ultra draws more power then the 5950 regardless of clock speeds. Under load...yes the 5950 takes slightly more...but there is more a difference between the cards at idle then at load and that is why I said the 6800 series use more power.

As if under idle is anyone's concern. I gave you the benefit of the doubt and assumed you meant under load.

You corrected the guy, when what he stated was correct; the 5950 uses more power. What they use at idle is inconsequential, of course.

kahloq

09-12-04, 12:58 AM

As if under idle is anyone's concern. I gave you the benefit of the doubt and assumed you meant under load.

You corrected the guy, when what he stated was correct; the 5950 uses more power. What they use at idle is inconsequential, of course.

Inconsequential to you. But it wouldnt have been listed at all if it meant nothing. Have a nice day.

self0

09-12-04, 01:09 AM

The first one... I dunno cuz it dont list the specs
The second one.....its ok but a little low on the +12 for a 500watt PSU priced at $99
The 3rd one well.....I wouldnt recommend it since its only got FOUR total molex connectors for HD's and opticals and only 1 additonal 4 pin + 12 connector for a total of 5 devices without having to y split a bunch of stuff. For $69 its not too bad tho.

If you are in the market for a PSU and want somethign of quality and also somethiong with nice led fan since all 3 you listed were lighted, you might want to consider the OCZ 520. It does have a lighted exhaust fan(green) and also has 6 standard molex connectors PLUS 2 dedicated vga lines with shield and rfi filters as well as 2 seperate sata connectors.

FrozenCPU is a bit overpriced compared to Newegg. Forzencpu has the OCZ 520 listed at 149, however....Newegg lists it at 125. I have this PSU and highly recommend it to anyone.

I looking for a good, cheap and with cable sleeve :/
newegg is very expensy with the shipping to Puerto Rico (I'm from there) and frozencpu is very cheap and don't make me pay taxes

kahloq

09-12-04, 10:41 AM

I looking for a good, cheap and with cable sleeve :/
newegg is very expensy with the shipping to Puerto Rico (I'm from there) and frozencpu is very cheap and don't make me pay taxes

I c that can make a difference:)

ace

09-13-04, 12:51 AM

Hi, is anyone running 6800GT or Ultra on my PSU?
It's 350 W Enermax EG365P-VE. The +12V rail has 26A. I know it should be enough. My system also has few components. But it would be good to know it it can handle it, if anyone is running this (especially together with my Abit NF7-S 2.0).

I had some problem with ATi AIW 9700 Pro last time:
http://www.viperlair.com/reviews/video/ati/r3xx/aiw9700/fix.shtml
It was probably caused by the ATi card (exact series) but it was the power supply which did not pass it. And it was doing together with NF7-S.

Elvis2

09-13-04, 04:46 PM

FrozenCPU is a bit overpriced compared to Newegg. Forzencpu has the OCZ 520 listed at 149, however....Newegg lists it at 125. I have this PSU and highly recommend it to anyone.
__________________

I hope your right. I just ordered one from NE. Sounds like it has the features I'm looking for to replace my Antec TP 480. Reviewers like this power supply so we'll see. can't beat the warranty either.

kahloq

09-13-04, 05:49 PM

I may have to buy another one LOL since Im building a new case and system for the wife with custom side case window. Was thinking of using the 420 PSU that I took out of mine when I put in the OCZ 520, but with such a nice custom windowed case, it may look odd NOT having a classy looking PSU.

MustangSVT

09-13-04, 10:57 PM

I'm using this PSU, and this is what I'm runnin:

Enermax EG465P-VD
431W rated
+12v@20A rated

Gainward 6800 GT Golden Sample @ 400/1100
XP-M 2500+ @ 2300MHz / 1.680v
2x 512MB PC3200
2 IDE HDD's
16x DVD-ROM
40x CD-RW
SB Audigy 2 PCI

Working with absolutely no problems. The PSU is about 2.5 years old.