Seriously underperforming, powerful gaming Rig.... (suspected PSU)

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J

justdontknow

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Jan 20, 2014
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Hi all,

last year i went all out on a gaming machine.

I asked a guy to help me build it.
Sadly he didn't realize how much power this beast would need..
Here's the specs:

CPU - Intel Core i7-4790K 4.00GHz
Motherboard - Asus SABERTOOTH Z97 Mark 2
CPU Fan - Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
Video Cards:
Sapphire AMD R9 290X VAPOR-X OC Graphics Card (3Gb DDR5, 384-bit, PCI-E)
(^ x2 crossfire)
RAM - Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB
SSD - Crucial M550 240GB
HDD - Western Digital Black 1TB
Case - CM Storm Stryker – Full Tower
PSU - Seasonic M12II-850
Optical Drive - Samsung 24x SATA DVD RW


So, once it was up and running, i tested TOMBRAIDER 2013.
I did the 'Stress Test' on ultra settings, tress FX on, tripple buffered v-sync - but only at 1080p
(only monitor i have)
From the test i had a minimum of 40 fps.... i was happy, but then i remembered that was how it was supposed to perform at 1440p... ... (although without v-sync on i was getting 100fps min)

however during this test my computer sounded like a plane taking off, and one graphics card went yellow and the other turned red (LEDs) - There was So much heat coming off the red one it was ridiculous, but not so much on the yellow.

So my guy deduced that the problem was that the graphics cards weren't getting enough power to perform and stay cool. (which figures as together they use 700watts, leaving only 150watts for all the other components e.t.c)

So we unplugged one graphics card, tested one at a time on less demanding games,,, and since then i have had just one of my two GPU'S 🙁
and can't play any graphically demanding games..... i mean even with dawn of war 2 on the stress test i averaged 18 with 2fps as a minimum.... ... i mean what the heck.
-------

How powerful a PSU Should i get?
he said 1250 watts would do... after checking my specs again, but i would really appreciate someones advice on here, as you guys know your stuff.:)

thankyou kindly,
J
 
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It's not a power issue. An 850w SeaSonic is enough for both those cards. You said it yourself, one card was showing Red led's, the other was showing yellow(bet ya the red one was on top). It's a heat issue. That's one issue with Crossfire 290x's, even with the after market cooling provided by Sapphire. Your best bet would have been to buy the 295x2. Cheaper, better cooled, and didn't suffer from that malady.
 
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As mentioned above, your PSU is enough for those 2 cards, 100fps min with vsync off sounds about right for your system.

The R9 290x is a really hot card, easily reaching around 90ºC during load, Crossfire it and is expected to have that amount of heat, everything is fine it seems, though it would've been better going with the 295x2 or 2x GTX 970/980
 
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No.. To run 290x crossfireX, u'l need at least a 1000watts gold or platinum rated psu. Coz at 850watts, 700w are needed to run the dual gpus, only 150w remains for other hardware.
In that 150w, i7 needs 88w, sabertooth needs at least 70-80w.
Ur system runs jst fine when ur dual 290x are running in idle mode, but when u throw a demanding game at it, they starts to run at full rated watts. But it cant get it coz from that 850w, the other system hardware takes at least 180 to 200watts, then only 650watts remain for dual 290x. Ur primery gpu takes all d power it needs and 2nd gpu runs but it cant get enough power to run at its maximum.
There is absolutely no need for an 1250watt psu, u'l jst waste ur dollars and u'l never use more than 900w.
Instead go with a gold or platinum rated 1000watt or 1100w psu.
It'l solve the problem of overheating of ur primary gpu too, since it'l not get loaded with extra work due to low watts to 2nd gpu.
Gud luck...
Dnt 4get 2 select d bst answer...
 
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hey, thanks for all the replies.

i'd be absolutley heartbroken if; even with the aftermarket coolers they were still 'unusable'...... as a £grand don't come for free......

Frankenstein - thankyou for your response. This is also what the guy i had build it suggested..; that the cards weren't getting enough power to use (both their cooling systems)
interesting to know that the primary will make up/cover for the secondary GPU when theres a lack of power.
Plus thanks very much on the advice on which watt / gold,platinum / PSU i will need. - Would a gold 1000watt do it for instance... (what's the happy medium?)

*It was the top card.... but there was no heat rising from the bottom card (negligable,,, Very cool infact) ...
So the yellow one was still coping under all the stress.

Bossyfins: i'll take pictures and upload them plus i'll download that software. 😉




 
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Right i dowloaded that software HWMonitor you advised BossyFins.

But it doesn't seem to have my GPU....?

It has the motherboard, the CPU, RAM, the intel HD 4600 and just before the intel hd there is something called:
WDC WD1003FZEX_OOM......
^which i have no idea what that stands for....

i don't really get why it's not seeing my GPU....

alarmingly my CPU is 40c idle....... - with thermal paste +CPU cooler..... (guy who built it said it was a bit odd)
------

I'll take those pics now. :)
 
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ok, i had to use photobooth on a mac laptop.... but it shows the spacing... (they are right ontop of eachother.... but the guy said that was best for some reason..) even though there seems to be another rack below...
vxffde.jpg


 
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Alright, downlooad MSI Afterburner. We can use that for temp monitoring of the GPU. Also, 40c on idle cpu is not good..

Now, I am confused at this part. The case seems to be backward. This doesnt make sense as the window panel is on a different way.

4927_99_cooler_master_storm_stryker_full_tower_chassis_review_full.jpg


See, so my first instict is air flow. How many fans are pushing air IN, and how many are pulling air out. Remove the side panel, and take a picture of the whole case.

Also, that spacing seems very close. But I do notice one thing. One of the GPUs has the plugs for power, but the other doesnt. Remove that Gpu, and then try your testing again.
 
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Why would he need a gold or platinum rated Psu? That has absolutely nothing to do with his power delivery. Power draw, yes, but not delivery. Remember, this is a SeaSonic Psu. I'll guarantee that thing is able to overdraw at least 50w of power if it absolutely had to. Not great for the Psu, but it's not a power issue. I highly doubt that even at constant gaming he's drawing a consistent 800w. With everything he said(plane taking off, red lights for the top card) it sounds like a thermal throttling issue. I remember reading reports of the 290x in crossfire, and having extreme issues with heat for the top card.

Improved air flow is going to be the best answer here. Either that, or selling those cards and getting two 970's, or the 295x2.
 
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Also, is your PSU facing up or down? If your PSU is up, and the case is backwards, that means the air inside the case is extremely hot, and on top of that the PSU is sucking hot air into it to cool it, which means it could be overheating.
 
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While 700 watts is barely enough, running the PSU at it's limit is hard on the capacitors which will shorten it's life.

Anyway, the problem you have is almost certainly a cooling problem. The Vapor-X ARE quite usable but
they still pump out 250 watts of heat each so you need a lot of case cooling.
 
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Hi all, thankyou very much for all the replies.
So the common consensus seems to be a heat issue..
--

i'm going to address a few points that you've raised:

1.)Bossyfins: my computer is not backwards heheh.. it looks identical to the one you posted, A.K.A
4927_99_cooler_master_storm_stryker_full_tower_chassis_review_full.jpg
i don't know what!? is up with the picture i posted earlier - it does indeed look backwards :) ... but i assure you the pci-e slots are at the rear end of the computer.. and it looks identical to the above picture - really weird optical illusion; that picture i posted earlier in thread???

Ok, so here's the otherside of the computer,,, but this is were it gets weird. Because I don't appear to have any front fans!?
This is a picture of the front from the internet:
2n1w760.jpg


And here is a picture of the otherside of My computer:

vmpppf.jpg

^now where those two front fans are pictured... is obviously 'bricked up'... which i find strange.
--

2.) "One of the GPUs has the plugs for power, but the other doesnt. Remove that Gpu, and then try your testing again. "

> there is a button on the GPUs that allow you to turn them off i believe... it's the small blue one in the picture i posted earlier in the thread... plus the computer only recognises one gpu now.

—
—

As for the fans being the wrong way round..; the guy seemed to know what he was doing.. so i think they are facing the right way.

and in regards to the psu being upside-down i have two images ... which seem conflicting.:
the rear:
hs4ck5.jpg
^that looks upside down to me?? (the carpet/floor is at the top of the picture...... ?? don't know why my uploads have rotated)
but then the inside is the right way up (text wise)

inside:
10x9c41.jpg


i don't know what to do..... ;(
 
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One of the gpu's is missing the pcie power connectors in that picture.The bottom one that is.It does need those pcie power connectors.

Also it almost seems that the 212 evo doesn't have a fan on it.Is at at the top? Is it blowing air outside the case? I would make it blow air to the back of the case.

Can you take a picture with the side panel off?
 
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