I'll try to be brief... I have this setup exactly: http://www.gateway.com/systems/product/529668210.php It claims a 500W power supply, but from what I'm told it's actually a 450W that can get to 500W for brief periods of time. The only thing I have added is another 6GB of RAM. Now, it started with a Radeon HD 4850. I upgraded to an XFX Radeon HD 4890 XT (slightly overclocked version of the standard 4890). The computer really has been running okay, but I notice the idle temp of the card seems to be higher than people claim it should be (60 C instead of 50 C). I've also had three blue screens in about 2.5 months of owning the card... I recall having maybe 1 blue screen in the 9 months I owned the machine before I installed the 4890. Now, I don't know if the 4890 is actually causing these random blue screens, or if I'm just being paranoid. None of them happened while playing a game, they were all just in Windows while browsing the web. I also installed my additional memory shortly after installing the card, so maybe that has something to do with it too. The only game I've played much with the card is Oblivion, and that HAS crashed out a few times... but then again I had added a TON of mods, and I know Oblivion is particularly notorious for crashing a lot anyway, hardware issues or not. So again, is it the card/PSU, or am I just being paranoid? Anyway... I actually just ordered a (non-overclocked) XFX Radeon HD 5870. I'm told those actually use less power than the 4890... but now I'm reading some conflicting reports about that. It seems for every 3 sites that say the 5870 uses less than the 4890, 2 sites say it's the other way around (I'm talking high-end, everyone does agree 5870 is better low-end). So, with the above information in mind, computer hardware gurus: am I fine with the PSU I have, or do I NEED a better power supply? I'd really rather not go through the trouble, but I also want to know if I'm way out of line thinking this setup would run okay. Anyone know?
I'm running a 5870 on a 520w Corsair (actually just a rebadged Seasonic). It's more than enough power for my machine. Just make sure the power supply is from a good manufacturer and not a crappy one. A crappy 500w PSU can be worse than a good 450w PSU. If you ever decide to go SLI, then you may need a better power supply.
what DOD said. A crappy manufacturer (normally PS's that come free with cases) will not give you the out put stated on the sticker. I have been using an OCZ GameExtreme 700W for like 4 years now.
BTW, I hope your case cooling isn't an issue because the 5870 is a damn inferno with a turbine for a fan. lol. Lastly, did you make sure the card will fit in your case without hacking it? The card is massive. I had to remove a drive cage for the 5870 to fit, but I knew I'd have to do that when I bought it. I thought I may have to buy a new power supply and case to just run the card, but in the end, I didn't.
I hope you don't mind me putting a question out to all the computer experts in your thread. Sorry if you do, can't do anything about it now I wanted to upgrade my hard drive on my Lenovo Thinkpad T61p laptop, it currently has a: Hitachi Travelstar 7K200 100GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 1.5Gb/s Should I get a Hitachi or a Seagate hard drive to replace it, if either? The two have the same specs: 320 GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s. But the price difference is about $35, Hitachi being more expensive. I've never heard of Seagate before so I don't want something that won't perform well, anyone have bad experience with them? The reviews on most websites say that they make decent hard drives.
Seagate is one of the most well-known hard drive manufacturers out there. They all have had great drives and problem drives in their history. Sometimes it's just a crapshoot. Research them both... Google the model numbers. Ask questions on StorageReview.com. See if there's a reason for the price difference. Make sure both will work on your laptop. Yada yada.
Thanks for the help DOD, it appears my crappy laptop does not support SATA II (3.0Gb/s) hard drives, will have to go with something different. Will give Lenovo a friendly call for my $1800 I want back. :grin:
Well I absolutely will not go SLI with this power supply, I've been sure to stick to single cards because I didn't want to mess with the power supply. I'm not very hardware-savvy. I'm not sure what the manufacturer is, just what it came with (so probably crappy). Really? I had heard it didn't run WAY hot. The 4890 has been doing so-so for itself, so I hope this won't be too much of an issue. I'm definitely not going to overclock this thing, either (in fact, would it help if I under-clcoked it just a tad? Can you even do that?) Uhhhh... this is one of those things that was in the back of my mind, but I leaped before I looked. I checked and saw it was 4cm longer than the 4890, and I *think* I remember there being a little room to spare in my case... but I could be wrong. That would suck. How big of a deal is it to install a new PSU for a guy who's not terribly hardware-savvy or familiar? I've muddled through with putting in graphics cards and memory, and I think an optical drive once, but I've definitely never done a power supply. How easy would it be for me to screw it up? And besides that, the BIOS on this sucker doesn't allow any increase on the very slow memory speeds, and the processor is pretty good but not out-of-this-world. Hence my reluctance to sink cash into this machine for a power supply... at some point I would ask myself why I'm not just buying a new machine.
Do not look at the Wattage of a power supply unit. They are marketing ploys used by companies that make cheap and garbage PSUs. Look at How many amps you are getting on each line. Look at reviews and test data for your PSUs. Corsair and Antec Earthwatts make some of the best Power Supply Units. Since you bought a pre-built system, and you cant seem to locate the name of your PSU, most likely its average at best and is not truly a 500W PSU. It is most probably barely enough to power that Stock machine. Since you have decided to upgrade the one component in your system which is most power hungry AND you have picked a X4890 which is a pretty power hungry card amoung GPUS, chances are pretty good that your problem is related to not enough and unstable power from your PSU. Did you use both a 6 and a 8 pin to power your 4890? I am pretty sure it needs both. To answer your questions about swapping out PSU: 1) Yes it is worthwhile to invest in a good PSU. Not only does it seem that your system needs one but a good PSU will extend the life of other components of your system. 2) The ease of swapping out a PSU depends on your case. If your case is crammed, and most likely it is, because its a pre built system, you will have to maneuver a lot. It's not that hard though. Just take couple of photos before unplugging the PSU from all of the components. Label each of the pins indicating what they were connected to. Then retrace using your new PSU.
I have not built a computer in about 4 years, so I am not really up on the latest hardware. However, I built my first computer about 20 years ago and generally know what I am talking about. A 450 Watt power supply should be plenty of power. The first thing I would check would be drivers. Crappy drivers can definitely cause BSODs. After that I would check overheating of the CPU or GPU. There are utilities that will report how much heat your components are putting out, but I can't think of them off the top of my head.
Thanks for the detailed answer. To answer your question about the connectors, both the 4890 and the 5870 use two 6-pins. Here's a more pointed question though: so like I said, I've had about 3 BSODs in almost 4 months. Is it indeed likely that the PSU is the entire cause of that, or would an overloaded PSU cause more pronounced/frequent problems? As it is I will probably stick the card in when I get here and see if there are noticeable problems. If so I will probably just go to Best Buy and pick up a better PSU. Is there anything I need to know compatibility-wise? I have had several people say the same thing, that my current PSU is enough, and that's somewhat reassuring. I've just also had people like Zboy above say maybe not, and that's why all the questions. Speaking of drivers, I have the latest ones... but even though I made efforts to uninstall Catalyst Control Center before re-installing the drivers for the 4890, two "radeon 4800 series" entries show up when I check the icon in my system tray... and there should only be one as far as I know. Could some kind of double-install error cause occasional BSODs?
It is hard to pin point the source of your BSOD without more details. Underpowered PSU certainly can be a source of that. As can faulty memory sticks, driver issues, etc. What OS are you running? If you are running a Vista, expect more BSODs. I would suggest hardforum.com. You can search the forum or ask questions for very detailed answers. Even if your PSU is not directly related to your BSOD, I am fairylu certain its still underpowered and will cause your system problems when your GPU is pushed to the max. Again, as I said earlier, a good PSU is vital to all your computer parts, and often it is the most overlooked part of a new system. New card theory is a good way to go but I would stay away from Best buy. Here is where you want to go for new PSU. newegg.com I will provide you links to some good PSUs... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371015 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371016 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022
Thanks again for the continued advice. I am running Vista 64-bit. Speaking of the BSODs, I found something that may illuminate my problem a bit. This is from someone's customer review of the same machine: "Word of warning to people trying to upgrade memory!!!! Sorry for yelling but it's kinda important. The memory this machine supports is supposed to be the 1066MHz DDR3 PC3-8500 and, with it being triple channel, the 3GB it comes with are three 1GB modules. I went to [an online retailer] and ordered 6 more GB of that memory. After installing I noticed that when I pushed the system close to its limits I'd get intermittent burps, hiccups, and once in a while the BSOD and a crash. Turns out that Gateway put in the PC3-10700 DDR3 modules that natively run the DRAM frequency at 667MHz--or, in other words, 1333 MHz instead of 1066 MHz. Of course it's backwards compatible and it kicks down the speed to match the 1066MHz spec, but the timings are just different enough. After pulling it and getting the PC3-10700 1333MHz memory, to match up the modules already in there, I've been trying to crash it again. It's been running great since. Not a burp since." I did the exact same thing: I bought 6GB extra of PC8500. The symptoms this guy talks about seem perhaps a bit more consistent with my problems that a PSU issue, but it could be a combo of both. Either way I'm thinking about getting another PSU regardless. Ah yes, I actually bought my card and memory from newegg, so I'm familiar with the site. Thanks for the specific PSU recommendations. I see that Best Buy does have the same two exact models of PSUs above though (650W Antec, 650W Corsair). I can only assume it doesn't matter which place I buy them from, right? I just like to avoid having stuff shipped when possible. Finally, one last high-level confirmation so I can be sure of myself here: I realized today that not only do I have zero added external devices hooked up to this thing that draw power (printer & external HDD have their own power sources), I actually have one less than the computer was meant to run with: I bought separate speakers with their own power supply. So all I have external-device-wise is a mouse and keyboard (obviously). Also nothing new internal. Now, the power specs on the card originally in the machine (4850) were given as 30W idle and 110W peak. The new card will be 27W idle and 188W peak. I assume those extra 78W won't make my system explode or anything, but you're saying it's more than worth the investment in a quality 650W PSU regardless, because it will help the life of my whole system, correct?
Yeah, it most probably is a memory issue. I brought up the memory stick issue earlier because one of the systems I build for my friend had an issue with memory. In any case upgrading a PSU would be a good choice. If it's the same product it should not matter where you got it from. I prefer newegg because they have a huge selection, no tax, free fast shipping, good return policy and at times they have 10% bing cashback. Your system wont explode but if your card is being pushed to the max on a very demanding game for a long time, you will see crashes. Your system as a whole will not be getting sufficient power and this will affect your other components as well. If you intend to keep this system for at least 2 years or more, a $75 is a sound investment on a good PSU. I am also upgrading to a 4890. The first thing I did was bought a Corsair 650 Watt PSU. My current PSU Antec Neo 550 is sufficient to power a 4890, but I did not want to take any risk. Wanted to give my system nice breathing room. BTW, if you do get one, I suggest one of these. Cheap but effective in protecting your components when you work on it. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16899261005&cm_re=static-_-99-261-005-_-Product Good luck.
It can be a PSU problem, but it can also be a video driver problem, an overheating problem, a RAM problem, a CPU problem, or a hard drive problem. I know that answer tells you nothing, but it's true. lol. Most of the time an overloaded PSU will cause your computer to reboot/power cycle. The strict wattage on your CPU is enough if it's from a reputable manufacturer. If you stick with brands like Seasonic when you buy, you're getting a very good power supply. If you go and buy a 1000 watt "TeknochargerLEET" PSU, you're probably going to destroy a city block. Companies like Seasonic make power supplies for other companies. For example, Seasonic makes some of the PSU's for Corsair. What I would do if it's possible is re-install Windows before you put your new video card in, if you can, update all the Windows patches, then install the latest video drivers before you install ANYTHING else. If you're still having BSOD's, it's something else that's wrong and not corrupt files or drivers more than likely. The reason I'm suggesting this is that it's your cheapest possible solution. You really spend nothing other than time. If it fixes your problem, then you're out $0. As for your last question, BSOD's can be caused by having mixed drivers from various installs, but it usually happens when you install drivers for the wrong card or wrong manufacturer. People switching from nVidia to ATI sometimes have this issue.
BTW, if you go the new PSU route, that Corsair PSU ZBoy recommended is an excellent PSU. It's a rebadged Seasonic S12 II from what I remember - one of the best PSU's you can buy in that wattage and price range. And that's a hell of a price for it, too.
Haha... yeah, you know, as if all I mentioned wasn't enough already, I've read frequent complaints from buyers of this machine that the hard drive is sketchy. I notice that maybe 20% of the time it won't boot properly from a cold start... it often loses its mind once and has to try again. So to sum up... sketchy hard drive, sketchy PSU, sketchy/slow memory, and a motherboard that doesn't let you overclock anything. This computer has too many issues... but it seemed like a good deal at the time.
