appropriate power supply

[JH]

Hi All,

I have a home-built comp with the following specs:

M/B ASUS A7V8X-X
Processor: AMD Athlon 2600+ Barton
Graphics: Asus 5200FX Magic
DVD Recorder (Pioneer)
40 GB Seagate 7200RPM HD
256MB DDR 333 Mhz Memory

The power supply currently connected is:

TASK TK-930TX
300 W Max. Frequency 47-63 Mhz.
+5v = 25A
+3.3v=15A
-5v=0.6A
-12v=0.6A
+12v=12A
+5vsb=2.0A

My question is re. the power supply. Is it powerful enough? I read that
400W+ is better for the later AMD's. On the unit it says Pentium IV but
their website http://www.task.com.tw/ps-atx-single.htm says it's compatible
with AMD and Pentium IV. I previously had a 500W power supply (on same
website page) but it began spontaneously cold-booting (i.e. would turn off
the computer and a few seconds later it would start by itself. Checked all
usual culprits like faulty power switch, settings in BIOS) the computer so
replaced it with this one which has been working for the last week.

Does anyone have any experience with this brand (TASK) for power supplies?

Thanks for any help you can give.

JH.

 

[w_tom]

No one can tell you what is or is not sufficient because
first most - many power supplies cannot even output their
rated power. Yours may be correctly labeled meaning it is
more than enough power:
http://www6.tomshardware.com/howto/02q4/021021/index.html

Then there is this detail to make the problem even more
complex:
http://firingsquad.gamers.com/guides/power/default.asp

Solution is found in numbers from a 3.5 digit multimeter.
If power supply was approaching max power, then voltages would
begin to drop. Simply get programs executing to numerous
hardware simultaneously. Then measure voltages. Details
provided in:
"Computer doesnt start at all" in alt.comp.hardware on 10
Jan 2004 at http://tinyurl.com/2t69q or
"I think my power supply is dead" in alt.comp.hardware on 5
Feb 2004 at http://www.tinyurl.com/2musa

Many power supplies are foolishly purchased only on one spec
- price. Asian manufacturers can dump inferior supplies due to
a lucrative pool of technically naive computer assemblers in
North America. Power supplies that appear (to these
assemblers) to be working are actually missing many essential
components. If the supply does not even claim (in writing) to
provide some of these functions, then it is defective no
matter how many thousands of watts it claims. An abridged
list:
Specification compliance: ATX 2.03 & ATX12V v1.1
Acoustics noise 25.8dBA typical at 70w, 30cm
Short circuit protection on all outputs
Over voltage protection
Over power protection
100% hi-pot test
100% burn in, high temperature cycled on/off
PFC harmonics compliance: EN61000-3-2 + A1 + A2
EMI/RFI compliance: CE, CISPR22 & FCC part 15 class B
Safety compliance: VDE, TUV, D, N, S, Fi, UL, C-UL & CB
Hold up time, full load: 16ms. typical
Efficiency; 100-120VAC and full range: >65%
Dielectric withstand, input to frame/ground: 1800VAC, 1sec.
Dielectric withstand, input to output: 1800VAC, 1sec.
Ripple/noise: 1%
MTBF, full load @ 25°C amb.: >100k hrs

 

[Matt]

Hi All,

I have a home-built comp with the following specs:

M/B ASUS A7V8X-X
Processor: AMD Athlon 2600+ Barton
Graphics: Asus 5200FX Magic
DVD Recorder (Pioneer)
40 GB Seagate 7200RPM HD
256MB DDR 333 Mhz Memory

The power supply currently connected is:

TASK TK-930TX

I would say 300W is cutting it a little close, but it should be enough
if it is honestly 300W. Certainly you don't have much surplus in case
you want to add some drives or a hotter video card. I would be more
comfortable with a name-brand 350W supply.

If it works for you as-is, I wouldn't change it.

 

[larrymoencurly]

M/B ASUS A7V8X-X
Processor: AMD Athlon 2600+ Barton
Graphics: Asus 5200FX Magic
DVD Recorder (Pioneer)
40 GB Seagate 7200RPM HD
256MB DDR 333 Mhz Memory

The power supply currently connected is:

TASK TK-930TX
300 W Max. Frequency 47-63 Mhz. <-- MHz, not Hz? Wow.
+5v = 25A
+3.3v=15A
+12v=12A

My question is re. the power supply. Is it powerful enough? I read that
400W+ is better for the later AMD's. On the unit it says Pentium IV but
their website http://www.task.com.tw/ps-atx-single.htm says it's compatible
with AMD and Pentium IV. I previously had a 500W power supply (on same
website page) but it began spontaneously cold-booting (i.e. would turn off
the computer and a few seconds later it would start by itself. Checked all
usual culprits like faulty power switch, settings in BIOS) the computer so
replaced it with this one which has been working for the last week.

Does anyone have any experience with this brand (TASK) for power supplies?

Pentium IV compatibility just means that the PSU has a square 4-pin
connector for extra +12V current (yellow and black wires). Most mobos
made in the past year, whether for Intel or AMD CPUs, have a matching
connector because they run the CPU from the +12V rail instead of the
+5V, but your Asus A7V8X-X uses +5V and doesn't benefit from that
4-pin connector.

To find out if your PSU is causing problems, you've got to take
voltage measurements with a digital multimeter while the computer is
running because BIOS and Motherboard Monitor readings are often
grossly inaccurate.

http://takaman.jp has a good power calculator that doesn't
overestimate power needs by as much as many others do, and it says
that you need roughly 200W total, 190W combined +5.0V and +3.3V power
(no 4-pin square plug on mobo, right?). That may seem low but is
consistent with the measurements taken by C'T magazine and
www.silentpcreview.com. Unfortunately some PSUs are overrated a lot
more than others, so there are 400W PSUs that are inadequate for your
equipment and 250W PSUs that can run it 24/7 with no problems. A
cheap but top quality manufacturer is Fortron, which also makes brands
like Sparkle, Hi-Q, PowerQ, and Powerman, which are available from
www.newegg.com and www.directron.com.

I don't know about Task quality (couldn't find any reviews), but if
you post the registration numbers found under the UL or CSA symbols
(UL's looks like a backwards "R" and then a "U", number starts with
"E"; CSA number starts with "L"), someone can find the actual
manufacturer at www.ul.com or www.csa.ca. How heavy is your Task
compared to better-known 300W PSUs, like Fortron, Antec, Thermaltake,
Seasonic, or Enermax? More importantly, how big are its heatsinks and
transformer (yellow-covered thing, probably one larger one and 1-2
small ones), both which are visible through the vent openings?

 

[JH]

"JH" <[email protected]> wrote in message

I don't know about Task quality (couldn't find any reviews), but if
you post the registration numbers found under the UL or CSA symbols
(UL's looks like a backwards "R" and then a "U", number starts with
"E"; CSA number starts with "L"), someone can find the actual
manufacturer at www.ul.com or www.csa.ca. How heavy is your Task
compared to better-known 300W PSUs, like Fortron, Antec, Thermaltake,
Seasonic, or Enermax? More importantly, how big are its heatsinks and
transformer (yellow-covered thing, probably one larger one and 1-2
small ones), both which are visible through the vent openings?

The UL symbol is E178768
I found one yellow thing of about 3 cm wide and 1 1/2 cm high. If the 2
smaller ones are stuck on the larger one at each side, they are about 2 cm
wide
The website actually states different values than the psu itself for the
current output at +12v. 12.0A on the psu and 20A on the website:
http://www.task.com.tw/ps-atx-single.htm for the 930TX (unless I am
misreading it somehow on the website).

Thanks for all your comprehensive replies, it's a big help.

 

[larrymoencurly]

The UL symbol is E178768
I found one yellow thing of about 3 cm wide and 1 1/2 cm
high. If the 2 smaller ones are stuck on the larger one at
each side, they are about 2 cm

UL matches that symbol to Wintech, which is not one of the better PSU
manufacturers. The transformer seems really small for a 300W because
the ones in my Antec, Soyo, and Powmax 300W PSUs (the latter two
brands are low quality) measure slightly over 4 cm x 3 cm, with the
cylinder in the middle being about 2.5 cm in diameter.