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Problem description: Every 3D application freezes Attempted fixes: I've uninstalled old AMD display adapters, re installed fresh drivers, re-seated the card, re-seated the RAM, played with clock settings with some success (see below), reinstalled DirectX Recent changes: I overlocked my proc, a Q8300 Core 2 Quad from 2.5ghz to 3.0ghz, but it's a minimal power consumption boost Operating system: Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 System specs: Antec case 500w PSU, the 12v rail has 22 amps (enough to run the card, which requires 20), Gigabyte EP45-UD3R, Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 2.5ghz OC'd @ 3.0ghz, 8 gigs of DDR2 RAM, a 500 gig standard disk based HDD, and a Gigabyte Windforce GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB graphics card. Location:  I have Googled and read the FAQ: Yes I have an old computer, I know, but it's been a bulletproof beast of a machine for me for many years. I've decided to buy a $100 card and try to squeeze another year out of it before I put it out to pasture, but the card isn't playing ball. With all the other information above, the only thing that has worked so far is MASSIVE underclocking, when I've underclocked 300mhz, it'll run anything, but I'm losing a lot of performance. I can't imagine this thing is getting too hot so fast to run, it has a heatsink and 2 fans on it ffs! The only culprit I can think of is power draw. I have a 500w PSU that came with this case, but it's been rock solid, and the 12v rail has 22amps. I know that PSU's degrade over time, this one is running on 5 years of moderate usage, but even at a 90% load my power draw should be around 360-375 watts. I don't wanna blow another $100 on a new PSU, an hour to install it, just to have the issue persist, I feel like this must be a real "duh" thing happening, maybe, hopefully? I also don't have a second PC to test the card in independent of mine, sigh.
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Feb 25, 2015 04:43
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 05:03 |
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If it's a generic 5-year-old case PSU then it's no question - replace it ASAP. Antec PSUs from some years back had known issues with bad caps, so I'd replace it even if it was an Antec model at this point since 12V @ 22A indicates an old design. You may as well get a new PSU that you can carry over to a new system before this one dies and takes something else with it, so whether or not this fixes your specific problem it would still be a good investment. If it doesn't fix it it might be the GPU itself, but everything points to the ancient power supply. Look in the SH/HC parts thread for PSU recommendations since you can get a decent PSU for less than $100 easily. future ghost fucked around with this message at 23:41 on Feb 25, 2015 |
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Feb 25, 2015 23:29
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Well, I'm more confused now. I thought my PSU had 22 amps because of some specs I read, but upon opening the case and examining it, it's only 17. HOWEVER. I unhooked the 6-pin connector, re-seated the card again, and used the Y-connector (that came with the card) to use two 3-pin molex connectors and it's working great?  Do I just keep an eye on it or do I have a fire hazard on my desk now?
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Feb 26, 2015 03:01
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I'd still suggest replacing it. 17A on 12V on a really old PSU is not safe to keep using, unless you want to kill your PC with ripple right before burning your house down. That's all of 204W when the thing was new - its probably more like 150 or less max now. future ghost fucked around with this message at 09:14 on Feb 26, 2015 |
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Feb 26, 2015 09:12
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