Can an UNDERPOWERED PSU cause performance and drive issues?

[jonomaia123]

Hay guys. i'm doing this topic because my last recommended atempt to solve the microstuttering in my pc didn't resolve the issue. (that was "buying an SSD)

Tested another GPU, OS, CPU, MOBO, RAM, Bought a new 7200 HDD and, at last, a 120 galax SSD.
From what i realized, in some cases, the problem really seems to be worse than before in some cases! so i started to think. the only things that i DIDN'T test another option is: My watercooler and my PSU. in the cooler side, i kinda doubt that it would cause an issue like that, but, in the psu side, im starting to believe.

my rig is:
Galax gtx970 (other tested: pny gtx970)
FX8370E (other tested FX8300)
RAM corsair vengeance 1600mhz 16gb (other tested Geil 8gb 1600)
gigabyte a970 UD3p v2 (o. t. asus m5a88-m)
corsair H45
1.5TB seagate 5900 HDD
1 TB western digital 7200 HDD
120gb galax "SSD gamer"
COOLERMASTER gx650 PSU

-ALL other parts runs fine in my brother's rig without any issues, so, plz, don't try the "AMD is the issue" or things like that.

Can a "problematic" PSU cause instability in the system's overall? (HDD speeds, stutters, and other problems?
Maybe my psu is struggling to keep up with the system?

(ABOUT ANY SOFTWARE AND CONFIGURATION PROBLEM, this topic reagroups EVERYTHING that i have already did to solve, without any results:
https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/stuttering-issue-in-video-applications-with-stable-system.247041/ )

 

[SkyBill40]

Based on the output of your PSU, I'd think you have sufficient power with some headroom to run what you've got. If you've tested everything and know it all to be working on another setup without incident but haven't yet ruled out the PSU, it's not going to hurt to try a different one with similar output or more than what you've got. Have you noticed anything other than the symptoms you're already having that would seem to be power related? How old is that PSU? What are your temps like? If they're spiking or seem far hotter than what you'd expect them to be, I'd check your AIO and see if the pump is working. How old is it?

I ask because my rig is somewhat similar but with a few exceptions: 8350, 990FX board, air cooling, 1TB WD HDD, GTX 1080, and an 850w PSU.

 

[jonomaia123]

hi, thanks for the reply!
the PSU is 1 and a half year old. the weird thing i? i could not make the relation between the issue and power, but, i`m running out of possibilities, then, it could be a possible solution. +, thinking that it became somewhat worse with the ssd, something tells me that its really a possibility hahah.

the other factors that can contribute is the fact that the rig is overclocked. GPU factory overclocked, boosting to 1392mhz in comparizon to the 1250~ of the pny and i overclock my cpu too (to 4.3, 1.38v) so, getting a stronger psu could help.
the second weird thing is that, even without the overclock OR UNDERCLOCKED the issue persists. even with gpu and cpu usage LOWER THAN 50% the issue stil persists

In the thermal side of things, games that really stress my rig like assetto corsa on ultra, boosting my gpu temps to max 81, and FIRESTRIKE bench, there's no issue at all. mobo max temps are 60-64 in socket (just when overclocked) and way below that when default clocked. CPU never hits the 65 mark (the thermal margin of the FX8370E is 71.5) and barelly hits 50 when default clocked.

the only things that i could spot for sure is, every time the stutter happens, there's some tipe of spike or increase in "disk usage".
Testing with DOOM 2016 performance metrics, the CPU number go RED in half a second and go back to normal. But, because of the fact that it happens regardles of CPU usage v(99%, 50%, or even less) it is something between disks and the rest of the rig.
Narrowing even more, because the issue is identical or worse regardless of my drives (1.5 seagate have 6 years, 1tb wd i bought last year thinking that it was the problem, and SSD bought 1 month ago as a last resort), the only thing in common would be the power.

 

[clarkjd]

According to this:
https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/631048-psu-tier-list-updated/

You have a tier 4 PSU by a manufacturer whose PSUs are questionable at best. And you are trying to overclock your build. That being said, there are instances where the VRMs on the motherboard cannot handle the power required by a FX83xx chip.

 

[SkyBill40]

I wouldn't necessarily take that list as golden seeing it's missing a lot and very well could be filled with subjectivity and bias. Having said that, the PSU isn't great but it's not utter trash either.

The point of the mobo VRMs is a valid one seeing that the 970 chipset isn't as robust or as well suited as the 990. That doesn't mean to go out and but a new board or anything, but I'm just pointing out that your overclock ability may be limited.

As before, if you have another PSU available for the purpose of testing you should look into it; however, I'm not suggesting you go out and buy a new one either.

 

[jonomaia123]

Hello everyone. more tests done:

1-i've got a friends thermaltake smart 600w -> same issue.
2-tried my cpu with Stock cooler + without overclock -> same issue.
3-tested my cpu in my friend's rig -> all ok
+ temps in HWMonitor about the MoBo, without the overclocks didn't even passed 45 in what i believe to be the socket. the other ones sit around 36 and 38.

+ My brother had almost the same rig as mine in terms of CPU and GPU and could ran everything okay without stuttering with a 430 corsair psu and a crappier motherboard.

So...

the last things to test are: another monitor (which i don't believe would resolve, 'cause the stuttering are visible in the task manager and msi in terms of hd usage and cpu usage)
and maybe some type of short in the CASE itself?

+ One more test that i have done in the past with interesting results is with games in WINDOWED MODE, where, in the moments that the games stutters, the system itself (background videos, youtube, mouse movement) remains perfectly fine!!

 

[clarkjd]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned, is that the GTX970 does (and always has had) an issue with its ram. It claims a 4 GB VRAM, but anytime more than 3.5GB is needed, the last half gig is accessed much more slowly than the other 3.5GB. If you are running at anything above 2K resolution, or high levels of eye candy turned on, then the vram issue can come into play, and affect the smoothness of your gaming experience.

 

[jonomaia123]

I was aware of that, but the gpu usage and its memory is basically irrelwvant to the stutter. It happens even bellow the 2gb usage mark.
+, as i mentioned, my brother, with his gpu (that is a 970 pny) did not have any problems in his system, but, setting his gpu in mine, the problem shows up again

 

[jonomaia123]

Example of that is how it can run assetto corsa on ultra, benchmarks like fire strike 3d without stutter and Have the issue with Rocket leaguw in the smallest resolution, with all graphics tunned down or even indie games like Enter the gungeon

 

[jonomaia123]

up! no one have any other tip :/ ?