PSU and gaming

[nachoman]

I just assembled a new system:

Cooler Master Centurion 5 w/ Cooler Master stock 350w PSU
Aerocool HT-101 JR heatsink/fan
Athlon 64 3500+
MSI Neo2 FIR mobo
1 GB Corsair pc3200 RAM
GeForce 6600GT AGP 128M
My old Maxtor Fireball 40G HD
old Toshiba CDR

Okay, so the system works--runs XP and whatnot. I try playing Half-Life 2 and Counterstrike: Source, and my system crashes/reboots in both. In CS I play for about 30 seconds, and poof, reboot. In HL2 it crashes after I've chosen 'New Game' and the intro starts--as soon as "HALF LIFE 2" appears, poof--reboot. I've tried lowering all the graphics options to the bare minimums, no luck there.

So I've been trying to read various forums to discover my problem, and it seems it's a common one. The most likely culprit in all this is A) HL2 is overly sensitive to various hardware setups B) my PSU is underpowered and shuts down the system when things get too graphics intensive. Also, C) I may be overheating, though airflow seems pretty good in my case. Don't know how I would monitor the heat during a game if the system always reboots when a problem occurs.

Does this sound reasonable? If so, can I get some ideas on reasonably priced 400W PSUs?

Thanks folks.


edit: Just installed Nascar 2004 (bundled with vid card) and the system reboots when I'm at the game's main menu typing in my character name.<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by nachoman on 01/16/05 10:36 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[folken]

Would you be able to try a diff vid card? Maybe yours is havin issues.
Are you overclocking at all?
What temps do you get? That MSI board should have come w/ something to monitor it in windows. Or just download MBM5.

<A HREF="http://www.folken.net/myrig.htm" target="_new">My precious...</A>

 

[Crashman]

I'd go with something a bit stiffer than 400W. The Fortron Source 350W unit can put out around 410W, similar to an Antec True Power 380W or an Enermax 400W. I'd step it up to a Fortron Source 400W, which cost around 50% more but is still cheaper than Antec. And the FSP400 is good for around 460W.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[nachoman]

Guys, thanks for your input.

I figured out the problem, and it's completely user ignorance. My video card has an extra power connector that I did not see--it isn't mentioned in the manual either. I hooked up a spare connector from my psu to the card, and voila, I can play games until my eyes go red. The problem was just as simple as the card not getting the extra juice it needed.

I will keep the suggestions in mind though, in case I have more trouble. Thanks again.

 

[folken]

WOW, I'm actually amazed that it ran at all w/o the power connector. Usually those things wont let the computer boot and beep like crazy w/o it. Props to nVidia, lol.

<A HREF="http://www.folken.net/myrig.htm" target="_new">My precious...</A>

 

[slvr_phoenix]

Crashman, have you actually run a system under moderate usage with a Fortron PSU for a year or more? I'd like to know if other people have seen the same thing that I have, which is that Fortron's PSUs drops down not just to spec, but below it in about 6 months when put under moderate to heavy use. :\ I haven't met a Forton PSU yet that has lasted over a year before entirely loosing its headroom and then some. Am I the only one?

<pre><b><font color=red>"Build a man a fire and he's warm for the rest of the evening.
Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life." - Steve Taylor</font color=red></b></pre><p>

 

[Crashman]

You might have a cloud over you! Most of my Fortron Source power supplies have been used! I did have bad experiences with Antec's standard power supplies dropping voltage as load increased.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>