Am I correct that this PSU is killing my OC?

[Hutch]

Hey guys, first off just wondering what exactly runs off the 12v rail(s)? CPU, Mobo, HD's, Opticals, Watercooling pumps/radiators, Fans, Video card(s)... What does the ram run off of?

It's taken me a few days to come to the conclusion that my weak overclock on my new S3 is the result of a weak psu. I blew my kingwin mach 1 a couple hours before installing the S3 so I've been using a coolermaster 430W 19amp 12v PSU and I'm 99% certain it's killing my OC. I'm getting stuck around 400fsb. My temps are golden, I've toyed around with the voltages, timings ect but still no luck. Finally I went to the bare minimum of 1 HD, 7600GT, Nautilus 500 WC, no fans and got an extra 5 mhz fsb. So I tried reducing the voltages all around to just +.2 on the dimm, stock gmch, stock vfsb, reduced cpu V to 1.4250 and was able to bring my FSB up to 415mhz. Increasing any voltages brings locks during post (at the same spot everytime.)

As you can see in my sig from my sig I'm no noobie... Just trying to get a little more input on this problem before I make any more purchases ;)

Also does anyone know the formula to figure out how much power the cpu is using for the C2D's? I'm pretty sure on the 12v that 1 amp = 9watts from what I can tell so it makes perfect sense that my oc is being limited by my psu...

Thanks guys,
Hutch

[Vikodemous]

Download speedfan set up the v.core monitor and do benching/stress tests, if it fluctuates/dips significantly you have your answer.

Also I would not recommend Coolmax,Kingwind,Raidmax,Etc... when OC'ing.

[EsaT]

Software isn't reliable mean for telling real voltage but if you really have all that on that PSU I wouldn't search cause from farther.

[Hutch]

Fluctuation in vcore usually has nothing to do with the PSU... Most motherboards fluctuate in vcore, especially asus. Already have checked speedfan and it displays my +12v @ 0.77v which makes absolutely no sense lol.

[perkam]

Get the XS Deal Of the Month September 2006...search for it.

Perkam

[Hutch]

Good recommendation perkam, I did about 10 hours of psu research and found myself back to that enhance psu. Jonnyguru does a helluva job on his psu reviews. Went through everyone of them. I finally took a look at the Silverstone 500W element and researched from there... Are these two PSU's actually the same thing (different brands?)

My only question left I have is this, how does the power on the 12v rails get split? What rail powers what I should say? 7600GT's don't use the pci-e power supply connecters, so would I be wasting the 2nd rail? Although I do have a dead 7900GT KO Superclocked that I just sent in for a replacement which I will definately use whenever evga gets me the new one..

Thanks guys,
Hutch

[K404]

A lot of PSUs are split differently.

If your GPU doesnt have a PCI-E plug, it`ll take all its power through the ATX plug, though the PCI-E slot is limited to 75W.

I`m almost in the same boat as you at the mo, so looking at whats out. I`m looking for something that either has one massive 12V rail (PCP+C etc) or one that explicitly states it has 12V rails dedicated to the CPU, mobo/molex and PCI-E plugs. The OCZ GameX 700W is lookin good to me.

[Dumo]

Imo, psu is the first component to get and the last one to upgrade. Get one with xtra power for future cpu/gpu upgrade.

Try to run with minimum peripherals connected...ie. single HD.

[Hutch]

That was one of the first things I tried, ran single drive, one pump, no optical drive, radiator fan... Just 2 nights ago I tried using a 4w PCI geforce 2 and that didn't help... this power supply is just awful... makes the kingwin look like it's king.

I'm definately getting that enhance PSU... From the wifey for my bday on tuesday ;)

[Hutch]

Now to think of it, could it be crossloading? No PCI cards, 4 sticks of ram, one sataII drive, no opticals, no fans.

My 7600GT asks for 5-5.5amps at the most...

When going for 500mhz+ fsb, which I guarantee won't be hard with a good psu, how much power is the motherboard and cpu using? E6400+Giga S3.

Anyone have any negatives to say about that enhance 500w PSU for $67?

Oh yea, I could careless how loud my PSU is. My hearing is pretty bad, (very low normal level) and noise just doesn't bother me. My high school didn't have walls, it was seperated by bookshelves and dividers (pretty sad considering how rich this town is) and we all just had to get used to the noise. Not until around 60db does it get a little annoying. And yea, I know what 60db from a fan sounds like, I have 3 80mm 6000+rpm fans that put out around 62db each, none of which I use anymore lol. Used to have all 3 of them cranked for a couple months..

[Hutch]

Hmmm... I just tested it out with my multimeter and under full load running 3dmark06 the most my 12v rail dropped was .05v... 11.73v-11.68v, which is a little low but still within limit. The 5v rail didn't budge from 5.1v.

It must be the 3.3v rail. I tested with only 2 sticks and was able to post at 460mhz without touching any of the voltages. I'm ordering the enhance 500w anyways tomorrow ;)

[CandymanCan]

IMO anything under 24A on the 12v line isnt enough for overclocking really high

[Xion X2]

Me and two friends of mine have had terrible luck with multi-rail PSU's. The culprits:

Antec TruePower II 550W
CoolerMaster 600W
Thermaltake 680W

These PSU's were coupled with single-card setups: two of them 1900XT's and one GTX. The Antec and CoolerMaster were dual-rail with 18/apiece on the CM and 19/apiece on the Antec. Both failed under heavy overclocking of the CPU/Video. The Thermaltake was a triple-rail and failed under the same conditions.

I would stay away from multi-rail PSU's if I were you. Silverstone has a really good PSU called the "Zeus". It's a 560W model that outputs 38A on a single 12v rail. ST56ZF is the part #. Me and my friends all went with this PSU, and it's performed flawlessly.