A good 550W PSU.....

[leech]

Ok, had the same problem as before. Could play Rise of Nations for a while then it'd freeze the computer. Oddly it's all frozen except for the sound keeps playing...... Lousy computer. So I threw the 400W one back in. This is rather irksome...

Leech

[GNEP]

I'va also had a few freezes with Rise of Nations and nothing else. I reckon it is the software and will improve after patch no. 4 or so but it will get better...

[spadnos]

Originally posted by leech
Yes, thanks for that explaination. The reason I didn't have that other one plugged in (well besides running out of connectors) is that in the Manual for the motherboard, it states "The ASUS EZ Plug connector is optional" Well ok, so that was in the Quick Setup book, I couldn't find my manual, damned thing.....

It is optional - but highly recommended. The number and type of cards you plug in will decide if it's necessary.

My old PSU (Just got a Antec True550w one today... though I'll probably take it back.... since I found one on the net for 40 bucks cheaper and I mainly just wanted to test this out to see if it helps my problem.... ) has these stats...

Raidmax Technology.

Model No: PM-S400W ATX12V
Output 400W AUX
+3.3v +5v +12v -5v -12v +5vsb
28.0A 30.0A 15.0A 0.5A 0.8A 2.0A

now wouldn't you say that should be sufficient? The Quick Setup Guide states "Important: Make sure that your ATX 12v Power supply can provide at least 8A on the +12v lead and at elast 1A on +5v standby lead (5VSB). The minimum recommended wattage is 230W; 300W for a fully configured system."
Leech

It should be sufficient, but there's a difference between manufacturers in how they rate their products. A 100W amp from Yamaha will deliver 100 excellent watts of sound - a 100W amp from SounDesign (hopefully no longer in business) will give you 100W of distortion - but it is 100W...

There are a bunch of things that can make one supply better than another, even with the same specs:

1) "Cleanliness" of the output: Does the supply provide a stable DC output? How much ripple is there? Does that change under load?
2) Duty cycle: Can you run the unit at full load continuously, or is that a peak value?
3) Quality of components: Believe it or not, smoe components in the power supply WILL degrade over time - the capacitors will die the fastest. Unfortunately, they also control the quality of the regulated voltages, so as they go, the supply will get worse (ripple and variance under load will go up).
4) Marketing-isms: Are the claims made by the manufacturer conservative or generous? Does the supply still work to its spec when hot or cold? Does a large current draw on one supply rail affect another? (eg., a high current draw on the 12V line changing the output of the 3.3V line)

Unfortunately, you DO get what you pay for (or, rather, you don't get what you don't pay for

Edit: On a side note, the PC does run QUITE a bit more silent with this PSU

Even better

[leech]

I decided to take the Antec PSU back, simply because I found it for 96 bucks on the net (Paid 140 at CompUSA, damn overpriced bastards, but I wanted to test it....) As soon as I have more money I'll get it again, since I did like the quietness of it. I'll also wait 'til I can afford to get that Thermalright heatsink to make everything nice and cool and quiet :-)

Leech

[Admiral]

Reading the thread on Matrox's forums...640 ram ?
Are you really sure those sticks get along together ?
I mean, you must have 512 + 128 or 2x256 + 128, try pulling the 128 stick out and see how it goes.

[leech]

Where did I say I had 640 RAM???? I have 512mb.... Might have been someone else that posted to that thread.

Leech

[Admiral]

Me bad, thought you were SalSolo