Alright! Looks like my desktop is back in order, once I install those fans and keep a close eye on my temperatures. Hopefully that’s all it was! Thanks WitherDoggie for everything! Big help!
I meant to reply to this thread a couple of days ago and I got busy and forgot. My apologies. Glad you've got it sorted out. 90mm is an odd size for a case fan. I don't think I've heard of case fans that small outside of usage in server racks.
I decided to take a shot with Noctua on the 90mm fan. It’s a perfect fit! I gotta say it was a little misleading, because they manufacture it as a 92mm model, but it’s no different from a 90. I bought another to compare, in case it wasn’t right. For the 120mm fans I used Asus ROG STRIX XF 120. Initially I was set on looking over Corsair models, but I couldn’t find any I liked for the case. Now I’ll plug these babies up, get my desktop running again and let you know how they do! It’s probably nothing, but how would I go about checking my power supply. I just want some peace of mind knowing that my output, is enough for what I’m using y’know ? I’m fairly certain the little I’ve added has had little to no affect, but I want to be sure. So if anyone has some knowledge you can pass along, I would appreciate it!!! Thanks
Apologies, I haven't had the time to reply here. College semester started this week and I've been busy. Power supplies have a sticker on them with the wattage they are rated to produce. The sticker is usually located on the side and may not be visible without removing the power supply. Adding the extra fans won't overload a power supply. Fans don't use much power and typically draw at most 5 watts (unless you buy those jet engine delta fans that can pull as much as 45W of power lol). The Asus fan you installed draws 1.08W according to its technical information sheet. I don't know the model of the Noctua fan you have, but from their website, their 90mm fans draw roughly 1-2W of power. While it is possible for additional fans to to overload a power supply, if adding an additional 2-3W of power draw to your system is going to overload the power supply, the power supply was already not powerful enough for your system. Power consumption by a PC will fluctuate depending on what you are doing. A 2-3W addition is less than the power draw of the system will typically fluctuate. This fluctuation is why it is usually recommended to have a power supply that can supply 25% more power than the components in your system can draw.
I do not know where you've heard that, but that is pretty incorrect. The "sweet spot" for most energy efficiency for PSUs is at 50%. It's smart to have a power supply that's almost double what your computer needs, that way when it goes under intense load, it's not generating as much heat or pulling as much eneergy, compared to if there's only 25% "headroom left" before the PSU reaches it's limit. At 25% headroom, the PSU's components begin to get very hot and begin to wear out much faster than if it was only at 50%. Not only that but there's also a lot of headroom for spikes (cough cough Nvidia's GPUs cough cough), had they happen. When they happen, they unpredictable and can cause gradual long-term devastating damage to your components if your PSU is not able to handle them.
It's been quite some time since I've done research on the matter. It's very well possible the recommendations have changed. I can't seem to find the original sources I read years ago though. I know these sources predate latest generation of Nvidia GPUs and possibly the RTX 2000 series as well. A quick google search recommends leaving 40% headroom (source) although this source suggests leaving 20% headroom. In 2013 Corsair recommended hitting peak power draw between 50% and 80% leaving as little as 20% headroom. Bequiet's PSU calculator says their PSUs hit peak efficiency between 50% and 80% power draw (you have to enter a system configuration to see this message). Equally important in choosing the correct wattage for a PSU is also the quality of it.
Be careful when you read facts from the manufacturer selling you a product. You may get very skewed answers in their best interest...
I think you’re both right to a reasonable extent. We all know how swiftly technology can change from one year to the next. Every new year brings new trends, new technologies, new ideas, better designs, and so forth. It’s alright if it’s not the latest volume of info you’ve got. It has to start somewhere, and I need a foundation to go off of, so in my mind, the outdated info could be just as helpful as the newer that’s built upon it. Thank you both for your responses!
I have some rather sad news… *dramatic music* I decided to put it to the test today. I ran my desktop earlier for the third time since I started fixing it. I was going to “test” Forza Horizon 4 on Steam, because I know from experience that, that is a very demanding title like GTA V. I believe I celebrated a little too soon… I only played for like 40 minutes and bam - same thing. Instant power failure. For the total of 4.5 hours I had it speeding along, my case stayed cooled that entire time. I had software running my temperatures constantly, so I could tab between my games and my temps while I was playing. I was also listened to my fans to ensure they were running, but not too hard. CPU averaged - 33 Celsius, while GPU averaged - 38/42 Celsius. So for the past couple hours, I’ve been reading all over the power supplies and what to look for in the event that mine is bad. Well I think it’s just shown it’s big ugly grin, because now it won’t even power up. This took a step backwards… I should have paid more attention. My surge protector is no good, and we do get more than average outages and surges in our area from storms usually. I think the problem is staring me in the face. Using Pcgamer’s link (https://www.pcgamer.com/how-to-choose-a-power-supply/) provided by WitherDoggie, there was a lot of helpful info in there, but I’m still unsure about which quality it is I should be looking for. No prior knowledge about this, so it’s a shot in the dark really. I did however use (https://outervision.com/power-supply-calculator) which pcgamer’s page mentions, for determining a good unit for my uses. I also tried (https://www.bequiet.com/en/psucalculator) to double check. Pulled my PSU out, and it’s a Delta DPS-500AB-6 A. It’s rated for 483.9W max output. Also, I read there’s different forms, I don’t know which mine is exactly. TBD. As for the wiring, it appears the plugs on my PSU, have been soldered to the circuit board, however they’re removable on the MOBO and GPU. The first calculator recommends a Evga 650W unit, while the second recommended a bequiet Dark Power 12 750W unit. Any recommendations of your own ? *tosses computer into fire*
*sad noises* I'd do my own looking at PSUs and not just buy what a power calculator recommends. I use them purely for an estimated wattage of the components in my system. A 650W unit is what I use and I have the same GPU and CPU and it runs fine (besides exploding and being reliable, I'm not sure how much better a PSU can be). The 750W unit wouldn't hurt and would leave room for future upgrades if you wanted to do them. I've been looking at getting a 750W unit as I do plan on getting a RTX3000 series card whenever they come back in stock. I don't have much personal experience with PSUs as the one I have is going on 5 years old soon and still going so I can't recommend a specific product. I wouldn't put anything lower than a 650W power supply in your system. Some recommendations for selecting a PSU: 1. get a good, reputable brand. Evga, Corsair, Bequiet , Seasonic all come to mind. 2. 80+ ratings are good, but not absolutely required for a PSU. Personally, I'd only buy one that is at least 80+ silver rated though honestly I'd go for gold or platinum if the price was right. 3. Don't go for a massively oversized power supply. While you aren't going to hurt anything besides your wallet on this as a power supply will only supply what the PC needs, there is no point in buying a 1000W+ power supply if you're never going to need that much power. Now, if you plan on upgrading the system to the point you'll need that size power supply, then go for it. Now also when selecting a power supply, you have the possibility of modular and non-modular cables. Modular cables are nice because you only have to plug the cables you need into the power supply. This makes cable management easier if you care about that. Non-modular supplies have all the cables pre attached to the power supply and they cannot be removed without cutting them off (don't do that). Personally, I'd only buy a modular power supply.
I thought the same thing, that’s why I have spent some more time reading as much as I can about this stuff. I’d really like to get the replacement ordered up ASAP! Looks like EVGA has my attention. And yes, I agree! When I saw my unit was mid-range, I was immediately thinking 650w unit minimum, just to play it safe, but I believe I’m going to settle with an EVGA SuperNova 80+ Gold 750W unit. Based off your recent replies, and the websites you shared, I am confident that I wouldn’t ever need anything more powerful. I can’t grab an oversized unit anyway, as most of them I’ve seen are too large for my case regardless. I especially don’t want to go spending a large amount on a power supply, unless it’s necessary. (I don’t want junk) I don’t plan on doing any power grinds to push my system to it’s limits. I believe I’m done upgrading too! I’m more than happy with my GPU, CPU, and ssd’s. Modular cables sound like the best way to go! There’s already such a tightly limited amount of space in there anyway when working. Only thing that sucks there is, I can’t reuse the old cables, which I’m sure are totally fine. Rip! Which leads me to my next question. My motherboard has two connections, a 24-Pin connector (2x12) and a 8-pin connector (2x4), however, the *New* PSU doesn’t have a 24-pin plug-in, only 18. What can I do about that ? Am I limited to using only a specific one or are there adaptable plugs for situations such as these ?
fwiw, I had a machine randomly restarting every 2-3 hours, replacing the power cable to the PC fixed it. Never would have thought but I needed to try it before shipping the thing back.
Seriously? I mean it actually had a fault in it, and that was your problem? That's interesting, I will test that out, to eliminate all the possibilities. Before, it would run a couple hours or more, and then it would shutdown, exactly like you pulled the plug on it. It's never restarted though, I've always had to turn it back on myself. This last time though, yesterday, I couldn't get it to power back up. Whatever it is, cord or supply, it's done. No more worky... With my surge protector shot, and knowing that it would even help my system out to get a slightly more powerful unit, I would feel better replacing it altogether anyway.
I don't even know how/why, I just had a bunch from over the years so swapped it out. And in case you're thinking maybe it hadn't been plugged in all the way -- I tested removing it and re-cabling everything a couple of times before I swapped out this cable. I just did it for completeness because that's how I roll. (And I really didn't want to repack the machine and ship it back.) Huh...I didn't think it was weird that mine would boot up again on it's own. But yeah if the power was cut I'd expect it to stay off until I pushed the button again. Maybe the MB has some kind of signal detection built in? Dunno
That's a good idea to try. If Nick's got a quarter as many pc power cables as we do, or an eighth as much as we did before we brought a bunch away, he should have no trouble trying another.
I don’t have any old desktop power cables, but my older brother does. I tried it, but to no avail, nothing happened. It was a good idea, and it was worth a try! Thank you anyway! I am looking forward to tomorrow evening after work, as the EVGA unit I ordered will be delivered by then. I shall wait with great interest, to come home and fix my treasured pc. Correction - The 8-pin connector is actually (2) 4-pin plugs. I couldn’t tell until I unplugged it. Also after I did some more digging earlier, I found out that the newer models will work fine. They don’t explain it very clearly, but for anyone wondering the same, the 24-pin connector feeding the motherboard is split into 2 plugs on the modular power units, whereas on my older non-modular unit it’s all one. I’m so accustomed to swapping out parts that are identical, which is why I was unsure about the new one.
Just wanted to let y'all know that I was able to install everything with ease. I was delayed... My new PSU is in and my pc is running like a champion! Hopefully, this is the fix we are looking for... I had to make minor adjustments, trying to keep my wires well managed and away from hot spots as much as possible. All the voltages seem to check out from what I can tell, and my temperatures too.
