powersupply

  • Thread starter Thread starter mathawk
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M

mathawk

Hi

Just wondering, i am having startup and other problems where i can hear the
fan speed slowing down momentarily causing a crash. My power supply is only
300W, could it be not powerful enough?
Thanks
 
Hi

Just wondering, i am having startup and other problems where i can hear the
fan speed slowing down momentarily causing a crash. My power supply is only
300W, could it be not powerful enough?
Thanks
Click to expand...

As Eric mentioned, you've provided virtually no information that would
help others help you.

Have you installed any new items in your computer recently?

I once had a Compaq 5430US which was a very good 1.8 mHz machine. When
I upgraded and added a new graphics card (ATI 8500DV), a second hard
drive, a DVD burner and doubled the memory, I found the 235W power
supply wasn't nearly enough to support these new additions. When I
found I could not simply buy and install a new, higher rated PSU
(Compaq's PSUs use a proprietary 24-pin connector rather than the more
standardized 20-pin connector) I opted to build my own machine and
haven't looked back.

A fan slowing down may or may not be indicitive of a failing power
supply. In my case the fan ran at much higher rpms, for extended
periods, because of the stresses (and elevated temps) my new additions
had placed on the PSU and the processor. YMMV.

f





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mathawk said:
Hi

Just wondering, i am having startup and other problems where i can hear
the fan speed slowing down momentarily causing a crash. My power supply is
only 300W, could it be not powerful enough?
Thanks
Click to expand...

I doubt that the fan slowing down is causing the crash. Rather, it's
probably a symptom of the same event. Unless of course the fan is slowing
down so much, and for so long that the computer is overheating, but that's
pretty unlikely.

You could try a new power supply, but it could just as easily be a lot of
other things, and swapping parts can be an expensive way to troubleshoot,
unless you happen to have spares laying around.
 
The power supply should be amply for a normal pc. Open the case and blow out
the fan on the power supply , the fan on the processor chip and case fan.
The build up of dust (the fans suck it in) is huge and causes early
component failure and overheating. JJ
 
300 watts is more than enough for most every system. BUT is
it really 300 watts? When dumping inferior supplies into the
US (because it is more profitable), then some supplies do not
even contain essential functions that were defacto even 30
years ago. They can do this because too many don't even
understand what those functions are; cause future problems by
buying only on price. And so power supply can also claim
wattage numbers that don't really exist.

To know what is happening, no simpler solution than using
the 3.5 digit multimeter. Even swapping power supplies is too
long and not always a complete answer. Such meters are so
ubiquitous as even sold in Sears, Home Depot, Radio Shack, and
Lowes. Don't waste time. Procedures on how to discover what
is happening AND (if you do buy another supply) to confirm new
supply is working properly: "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
 
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