Which power supply should I get

[thechief73]

Slickzor, you really have a good grip on the situation, and if you know that those voltages are fluctuating that badly then I would say follow your gut.

As for Memtest86+, I have seen countless overclockers, PC guru's, and general PC users all recommend to use Memtest to check and see if your memory is functioning properly. I would not understand its popularity and how widely it is recommended without it being a good working/reliable program. I have used it myself and I trust it.

For the PSU, if it is not a problem for you to get the 620w go ahead and do it. Your plan sounds like the best I could come up with and its what I would do in your situation. RMA the defective one and sell the PSU they send you back. Buy the 620w and you will be able to upgrade your GPU at a later time without worries.

As for RAM, if you end up needing to buy it, 4GB will get you by, 6GB is good for gaming and to makes sure your OS and other programs respond quickly. You do not need to go over 6GB unless you want to 3D render, Photoshop, or do alot of video editing.

Speeds of 1333MHz are just fine, but 1600MHz only costs a tiny bit more if not the same(at least in the US) so go for the 1600MHz, any faster you may run into issues where you'll need to mess with settings in the BIOS, and faster speeds than that are really not nessasary as they do may only give a few % increase in performance if any, and that will not be visible in the real world only in benchmarks.

For CAS timmings anywhere from CAS7-CAS9 are good and again the differnce between them are probably not noticable to humans only benchmark software, that said if you can find CAS7 RAM go for that before CAS8 or CAS9, the prices should be them same or very close to each other(they are here). One other thing I would offer as advice is look at the RAM voltages, 1.5v is good because that means the RAM can run at that speed with less power and stress on the memory, but its more rare than 1.65v RAM. 1.65v is the normal for DDR3 tripple channel and there is nothing wrong with using that either and is usally the standard, its just that that is the highest recommended voltage from Intel for RAM on i7's, so I just feel its better for your PC to go with 1.5v.

Brands that are Ok, check you QVL(Qualified Vendor List) for your motherboard first. Kingston, G-Skill, Corsair, Crucial, OCZ are all good brands to consider.

 

[Slickzor]

@Kikiriki, you do know that i've let the test run for 30 times. That means 30 times the same packages have come through, hence the 14 hours. If there would be fake 'money' come through than it would have probably noticed it. I'm sorry but i trust memtest and i'm going with TheChief. Thanks for the new insight on Memtest though, it is a nice metaphor .

I'm just going to do that then Chief, I'll order the 620 tomorrow and install it asap I'll let you know if it works. Oh btw one more question. I can get the Corsair TX750W for another 6 euro extra. Is this truly overkill or is it a better choice, it gets great reviews as well. please let me know .

Btw, I DO render video's and photoshop for school and later for work. But I think 6gb will do the trick and else i'm just going to buy 6 more when I've got more money in a year or so. For now it's just that I want my PC to be stable, i'm sick of changing things and using the crap some stupid bastards provided me with (alternate.nl sucks, bad mobo twice, bad GPU, maybe bad memory and had to pay extra to get another bad mobo. (still considering suing them)). I've got myself a trustworthy company with great customer service. I'm just going to buy my stuff there (as I did with my awesome new motherboard an CPU) and i'll be fine.

Thanks a lot for all the information and insights. I got the plan now. Buy the new PSU, if that doesn't solve it then atleast I got a good one for later upgrades. And if it didn't solve my problem, i'll replace the RAM and sue the company that cost me so much more money because of bad products. Thanks again! I'll be back after my PSU is installed and tested!

 

[thechief73]

Oh btw one more question. I can get the Corsair TX750W for another 6 euro extra. Is this truly overkill or is it a better choice, it gets great reviews as well. please let me know .

Ok I read some reviews quick of the TX750w and it seems to be a nice PSU, the only thing that I seen in every review was that there was a larger than normal voltage ripple and signal noise than they see in similar rated/priced products, But to be fair what I read about the Seasonic says close to the same thing. So this one is a call your going to have to make. Buying the 750w is definatly overkill, its almost enough for you to run two GTX480 or GTX580 GPU's in your PC. Buy buying the Seasonic for only a few € cheaper its a hard choice.

Btw, I DO render video's and photoshop for school and later for work.

If that is the case then I would recommend you go with the 1600MHz and try to find it with CAS7 just for that little bit extra performance, I acutally have some never used Corsair RAM with those specs I am trying to get rid of.

Sorry it took me so long to reply, I have been reading

 

[Slickzor]

The only thing that would stop me from buying the Corsair is the fact that it has fewer extra's and that it takes 2-3 days to get send to my home instead of 1 day. The 6 euro aren't that big of a deal for me. But Kiki just said that a 750W would be nice as well. So that's also an extra benefit of the Corsair.

Corsair:

- Takes longer to get send
- Is recommended by someone else too
- Has 130 more watts
- 6 euro more expensive

Sea sonic:

- Takes 1 day to get send to me (I'll have it this week for sure)
- Has 130 less watts
- 6 euro cheaper


Argh why is this so hard xD. If you say that the seasonic 620 will run an I7 950, Asus Rampage III gene, GTX 580 (future card), 8gb 1600mhz pc12800 RAM without a problem then I'm going to buy the Seasonic tomorrow.

Btw, why are you getting rid of the corsairs?

ps. No problem about the late response, mine is late as well... schoolwork -_-.


EDIT: Even after this long topic I really feel the need to say this. I've checked different forums and they say it was either memory or PSU. The readings my Hardware Monitor in the BIOS gives are the following:


BIOS (no fluctuation in these readings):
3.3V Voltage = 3.213V
5V Voltage = 4.950V
12V Voltage = 12.362V

HWmonitor in windows gives different ratings, but I should trust the monitor in my BIOS more according to other people on different websites.

HWmonitor (no fluctuation in these readings):
------------------------ Value --------------- ---Min ------------------------ Max
+3.3V ---------------- 3.34V --------------- 3.34V --------------------- 3.34V
+5V -------------------4.97V --------------- 4.97V --------------------- 4.97V
+12V ----------------11.43V ------------- 11.43V --------------------- 11.43V


CPU Vcore according to HWmonitor (fluctuates constantly):

This afternoon
CPU VCore ---------- 0.96V --------------- 0.94V --------------------- 1.24V
This evening
CPU VCore ---------- 0.94V --------------- 0.94V --------------------- 1.28V
This night
CPU VCore ---------- 0.98V --------------- 0.94V --------------------- 1.18V

This would mean that they are all well within the 5% margin, and even the HWmonitor's data is within the margin. What should indicate my power supply is perfectly fine. The only thing that fluctuates in BIOS and in HWmonitor is DRam Core and Bus Voltage. And in HWmonitor my Vcore fluctuates constantly between different minimum and maximum. The rest stays static at all times. Is all of this instability or absolutely normal? I'm sorry I'm asking this question again but I don't want to waste money on something that doesn't need replacement. There is still the possibility that it's my Memory and I'm not excluding that from the equation even though it SHOULD work fine.

Pfff, I really feel my brain is about to explode with questions and new questions coming in. If only I had a bit more money, then I'd replace them both immediately and be sure what was causing it.

Would really appreciate it if someone could convince me once more what it is. My PSU or Memory. A short explanation will suffice. Thanks a million! Going mental here! :x

 

[thechief73]

[EDIT/UPDATE] After reading your last post you put up while I was typing this up, I really dont know what else to do or tell you. I cannot provide anymore help than I already have I am completly as stumped as to what the problem is as you are yourself and trying to diagnose problems I have never expeirenced before and cannot see them in person is EXTREAMLY DIFFICULT.

All I can say is maybe take it to a PC shop, which will probably cost as much as a new PSU anyhow, or try a replacment/substitute PSU that you know works 100% and see if that solves it, and if none of those work I guess try to get your hands on some different RAM sticks to try in your system. If none of those solutions work I am as stumped as you are my friend.

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Ok, like I said before your going to have to chose, I dont want to for you. I didnt look at them each that closely, what are the Corsairs extras? If the €6 doesnt matter, then its all up to weather you want to wait 1day or 2-3days and have extra headroom in the watts dept.

I put these specs into the Antec PSU Calc, I think there is a link somewhere in the above posts:

i7-950
High-end desktop - (adds ~50W over normal desktop, IDK why but its extra headroom also)
6 Sticks of DDR3 - (for when you upgrade)
GTX 480 - (has highest power requirments over the GTX 580)
2 HDD's - (just incase you want to upgrade)
1 DVD+/-RW Drive
1 Soundcard
4 USB devices
4 120mm case fans

Total Rec. Watts = 562w (thats w/o capicitor aging)

Electrolytic capacitor aging. When used heavily or over an extended period of time (1+ years) a PSU will slowly lose some of its initial wattage capacity. We recommend you add 20% if you plan to keep your PSU for more than 1 year, or 25-30% for 24/7 usage and 1+ years.

Total Rec. Watts = 665w (with 20% capacitor aging)

So with that said, I am going to say to get the Corsair if your are worried about power, but going by the power use on this link( GTX480 - GTX580 ) I gave you the Seasonic will handel your PC just as well. As the total system power usage of their i7 test machine is 480w for the GTX480 and 452w for the GTX580. This is their Test System Specs.

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The reason I am selling my Corsair memory is because I started building this system, but i decided to wait until SandyBridge was released to do my build.

Corsair HX850w (I got this because it was a great deal and cost just slightly more than 600w-650w PSU's at the time. Keeping)
Intel i7-950 (Didnt buy yet)
Asus Rampage III Formula (Didnt buy yet)
Corsair XMS3 3x2GB 1600MHz CAS7 (Bought this on sale and w/Rebate offer)
WD Caviar Black 640GB (Didnt buy yet)
Prolimatech Megahalems CPU Heatsink (Got this few $ off on sale. Keeping)
Sony DVD+/-RW (Already own)
Antec 300 Illusion (Already own)

 

[Slickzor]

@Thechief, yeah i saw the benchmark PC, it's close to mine. I think i'm going for the Corsair, it gets similar reviews as the Seasonic but the 130W extra is nice to have as a buffer. And the 6 euro extra are just 6 beers over here anyways so I'll manage .

I've read the update. I'm completely stumped as well, for 6 months already xD. Well lesson learned, never buy your stuff from a company you can't physically go to and tell them what's what. I'm going to buy the Corsair or the Seasonic, I'm going to sleep now and will decide tomorrow. I'm leaning towards the corsair because of the extra power and deterioration buffer.

Really appreciated the help you gave me all day! Thanks a lot man!

I'll come back here when I have installed the new power supply. Cheers!

ps. Nice rig you're building there . I7 950 is truly powerful (when it runs properly for a few minutes I can really feel the speed difference with my old core 2 quad q9400 and Gigabyte mobo) and the Asus Rampage III looks and works brilliantly, setup great, looks really clean, BIOS very extensive and easily clockable with the level system. You won't regret it!

 

[kikireeki]

CPU Vcore according to HWmonitor (fluctuates constantly):

This afternoon
CPU VCore ---------- 0.96V --------------- 0.94V --------------------- 1.24V
This evening
CPU VCore ---------- 0.94V --------------- 0.94V --------------------- 1.28V
This night
CPU VCore ---------- 0.98V --------------- 0.94V --------------------- 1.18V

And in HWmonitor my Vcore fluctuates constantly between different minimum and maximum. The rest stays static at all times. Is all of this instability or absolutely normal? I'm sorry I'm asking this question again but I don't want to waste money on something that doesn't need replacement. There is still the possibility that it's my Memory and I'm not excluding that from the equation even though it SHOULD work fine. :x

Pretty normal. the vcore voltage fluctuates constantly according to cpu load. it is a power saving feature, and you can disable it in the Bios.
You can check your CPU specs here: http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=37150&processor=i7-950&spec-codes=SLBEN
VID Voltage Range 0.800V-1.375V

And I'm running HWmonitor right now, and I can see the Vcore value playing all the time. (fyi mine is AMD).

 

[Slickzor]

According to that information my CPU only supports 1066mhz DDR3. But my Motherboard can handle a lot more. Automatic settings put it on 1066mhz in BIOS but i clocked it to 1600mhz (both the same problem with the freezing on both speeds however).

Is it true that I can now only use a maximum 1066mhz memory? Or is 1600mhz fine as well?

My former CPU also had a lower frequency http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=35365 1333mhz FSB.

Is it a problem that I use 1600mhz memory on a CPU that only supports 1066mhz or 1333mhz? Both my motherboards could handle the 1600mhz.

 

[kikireeki]

It shouldn't be a problem.
but the 1600mhz is usually used for oc, otherwise it is better to be kept at standard freq, especially in your case, just for beating the odds.

 

[Slickzor]

Ok thanks for that, I'm going to order the power supply now and I wanted to make sure that the CPU worked with my Memory else that would be the problem for sure. Thanks again . Going to buy the Corsair TX750W now. Really hope this solves it, and else I'm certain it's my memory. That would actually be sad and hilarious, replaced everything in my computer except for the GPU then xD, well at least I got an up to date computer .

 

[thechief73]

Slickzor, how well and reliable the RAM is at different speeds depends on your motherboard. Check the supported RAM speeds on your mobo's spects to see the best speed to run. If it says somthing like: Memory Standard - DDR3 2200(O.C.)/2133(O.C.)/2000(O.C.)/1800(O.C.)/1600(O.C.)/1333/1066, your safest bet is to run it at speeds that do not say (OC) by them.

 

[Slickzor]

1600MHZ is not OC according to my motherboard user guide. And even on 1333 or 1066 it gives the same problemsn.

I'm going to buy the power supply now (finally got some money) and hope for the best, I also checked my RAM usage when the computer froze, it didn't fluctuate one bit (remained constant) so that shouldn't be the problem. Let's just hope this works.

 

[Slickzor]

Bumping this topic because I've got an update and my problem still isn't solved (hope I can do this and it's not against site policy). I could've made a new topic but then all the information in here would likely to be repeated which in my opinion is a waste.

First of all it wasn't my computer memory as Kikireeki stated, bought new memory and problem persists (Corsair Vengeance 2x4GB CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9).

I'm going to buy a new power supply (Corsair TX750W) now which I still think is causing the problem. If I bought this and got results, I will state it here so others that might have the same (insane) problem as I'm having can benefit from this. In the meantime, if anyone has a (stress-)test I can use to check if my Hard Drive or GPU are oke then I can exclude those from the list of possible causes as well. Thank you