very frustrating problem

[dannyc3]

hi,

A couple monhs ago i had a problem with power supplies blowing. After replacing the motherboard, case, power cable and surge protector it seems to have sorted the problem. Then yesterday exactlythe same thing happened again!

Now the wall socket is fine as we have 2 pcs plugged into the same surge protector, my question is could one of the components that i didnt replace be causing this, and if so why would it work for a couple weeks then pop a PSU again?

I didnt replace the HDD, Graphics card, memory or cpu.

I'm totally baffled and reluctant to spend any more money with trial and error, im very frustrated right now!

Any help appreciated

TIA

 

[Baez]

Need to know all of your parts. What PSU are you using and what hardware with it (CPU, Video Card, RAM, Motherboard). It could just be that the PSU's rating isn't up to par with what your hardware needs.

 

[dannyc3]

After a little more research i have found that my graphics card which is an 8500gt requires a 350watt PSU and 22amp output, mine is a 400 watt but only has 20 amp output.

Could this be the problem?

 

[Baez]

Yes it could very well be your problem. What's the rest of your hardware?

 

[dannyc3]

Thanks for the reply,

It is Athlon 4800+ duel core cpu, 500gig sata HD, geforce 8500gt Graphics 4gb ddr2 memory and an ASrock AliveNF6G MB

Thanks again for your help

 

[dannyc3]

Digging a little deeper it has also become apparent that the 8500gt requires 18+ amps on the +12v rail, looking on my PSU it only has 13amp on the +12v rail1.

This is looking more likely to be the cause?

 

[dannyc3]

I have also found that my power supply has 2 +12v rails.

+12v1 = 14A
+12v2 = 13A

Now correct me if im wrong but rail 1 which is the 4 pin connector is used to power the cpu, and rail 2 powers all other components. So i only have 13A to power other components including my Graphics card, which requires 18A minimum?

Would this be the cause of my PSU poping?

Thanks

 

[Baez]

Yes you need a better power supply overall. 400W is pushing the limits of what is acceptable. The rails can handle a higher amperage but it does wear the PSU down over time. I suggest a dual or quad rail at 18A each as your graphics card asked for.

Take a look at these:

Newegg.com - OCZ GameXStream OCZ600GXSSLI ATX12V 600W Power Supply 100 - 240 V CB/CE/CSA/UL/FCC - Retail
Newegg.com - FSP Group AX500-PN ATX2.2 500W Power Supply 110-120/ 220-240V UL, CSA, VDE, NEMKO, TUV, CE, CB, FCC - Retail

Both are very good PSUs. There are many good companies other than OCZ and Fortron. I've used that Fortron in many builds and it has never failed. Check out the PSU rating thread in these forums for more info.