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#1
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PC does power off on 3D gaming
I have a problem with a PC system shutting down itself, e.g. by turning
off the power (supply). This is a matter under GNU/Linux (2.6.7 SMP kernel self-compiled) and Windows XP Pro with Service Pack 2 installed. The graphics adapter (see below for details) is quite new, coming out of "exchange under the warranty". When I put load on the system, e.g. thru 3D-games like Doom3 or Half-Life(1)/Mods the system tends to turn of power, and just freezing the image one second before. Doing only CPU-intensive things like compiling the Linux kernel (with "# make -j3" for multithreading) the problem does not occure. Indeed, the system did turn off thrice (3x) on being idle, just running GNU/Linux and a KDE desktop. (Screen saver could be a cause there...) It seems to be a problem caused by the graphics adapter, and the more load there is on it, the sooner this happens. E.g. after starting Doom3 it takes between 3 up to 15 minutes to occure, with Half-Life(1)/Firearms it takes up to 60 minutes. I talked to a friend working at the PC store "next door", he suggests to exchange the Enermax 4**-Watt-power supply. He tells me that Enermax is not as reliable in voltage level fluctuations and so on (even on having spent lots of money on this power unit, last year ago). Any opinion on this? Indeed, this could be a cause. Remember, this type of graphics adapter is supplied by a Y-cable plugged inbetween the card and the power unit. And there is a lot of other hardware built-in. Here is a list...: My System consists of following hardware configuration: ASUS A7M-266D (http://www.asuscom.de/prog/spec.asp?lansg=07&m=a7m266-d) 2* AMD Athlon MP 1600+ (running by recommended 1400MHz) 1* 256MB + 1*512MB unbuffered DDR DIMMs = 768MB total 1* ATI Radeon 9500 (seems to be standard, not pro) with 128MB(???) graphics RAM 3* Hauppauge TV-cards 1* Ultra DMA 100 IDE-Controller card from Promise 1* ethernet adapter Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL-8139/8139C/8139C+ (rev 10) 2* CD-burner 1* DVD-ROM drive 4* IDE hard disk drives 1* green LED for displaying power on status *lol* In case of power supply exchange, e.g. by spending my last money, how could I calculate the need of energy of my system? How much Watt should the supply supply? Anybody has a rule of thumb for this? I would appreciate Your help in this case. Greetings, - Stephen |
#2
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On Fri, 12 Nov 2004 22:36:52 +0100, "Stephen L."
wrote: I have a problem with a PC system shutting down itself, e.g. by turning off the power (supply). This is a matter under GNU/Linux (2.6.7 SMP kernel self-compiled) and Windows XP Pro with Service Pack 2 installed. The graphics adapter (see below for details) is quite new, coming out of "exchange under the warranty". When I put load on the system, e.g. thru 3D-games like Doom3 or Half-Life(1)/Mods the system tends to turn of power, and just freezing the image one second before. Doing only CPU-intensive things like compiling the Linux kernel (with "# make -j3" for multithreading) the problem does not occure. Indeed, the system did turn off thrice (3x) on being idle, just running GNU/Linux and a KDE desktop. (Screen saver could be a cause there...) It seems to be a problem caused by the graphics adapter, and the more load there is on it, the sooner this happens. E.g. after starting Doom3 it takes between 3 up to 15 minutes to occure, with Half-Life(1)/Firearms it takes up to 60 minutes. I talked to a friend working at the PC store "next door", he suggests to exchange the Enermax 4**-Watt-power supply. He tells me that Enermax is not as reliable in voltage level fluctuations and so on (even on having spent lots of money on this power unit, last year ago). Any opinion on this? Enermax is better than some unbranded generics but it isn't even capable of sustaining the rated wattage. They rate the sustained load at 70%, which for 460 of Enermax's "watts" would be more like 322W rating for an Antec Truepower or Sparkle. Enermax gained popularity back when CPUs and video cards didn't use so much power, they looked prettier than many of the competitor's units and systems didn't use enough power yet for anyone to really notice the limitations of their rating system. Today it's more noticable. Having written that, it can be concluded that this is the problem, but a true capacity lower than your system actually needs during heavy gaming could do exactly what you describe. A problem with the video card itself would more likely just crash/freeze the game and hang the system, not turn it off completely unless the card was shorting out, which would be unlikely, for it to work as much as it does. Indeed, this could be a cause. Remember, this type of graphics adapter is supplied by a Y-cable plugged inbetween the card and the power unit. And there is a lot of other hardware built-in. Here is a list...: My System consists of following hardware configuration: ASUS A7M-266D (http://www.asuscom.de/prog/spec.asp?lansg=07&m=a7m266-d) 2* AMD Athlon MP 1600+ (running by recommended 1400MHz) 1* 256MB + 1*512MB unbuffered DDR DIMMs = 768MB total 1* ATI Radeon 9500 (seems to be standard, not pro) with 128MB(???) graphics RAM 3* Hauppauge TV-cards 1* Ultra DMA 100 IDE-Controller card from Promise 1* ethernet adapter Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL-8139/8139C/8139C+ (rev 10) 2* CD-burner 1* DVD-ROM drive 4* IDE hard disk drives 1* green LED for displaying power on status *lol* In case of power supply exchange, e.g. by spending my last money, how could I calculate the need of energy of my system? How much Watt should the supply supply? Anybody has a rule of thumb for this? A good name-brand 420W would probably suffice but I suggest a Sparkle/Fortron 520W. It's the most bang for the buck, there's no point in trying to exactly match a PSU's wattage to the load, there should be some reserve power. PC Power & Cooling makes some nice units too but they're more than a little pricey for the higher wattage models. The Sparkle/Fortron can be had for about $75-85, but that'll only get 410W from PC Power & cooling or cost over twice the price for 510W. http://www.axiontech.com/prdt.php?src=FG&item=57575 http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...ion=17-104-968 http://www.pcpowerandcooling.com/prices/ You might take multimeter readings to see if the voltages are dropping, that's what I expect is happening to your system currently, either that or the Enermax's fan speed is too low and it's overheating. |
#3
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On Fri, 12 Nov 2004 22:47:44 GMT, kony wrote:
On Fri, 12 Nov 2004 22:36:52 +0100, "Stephen L." wrote: I have a problem with a PC system shutting down itself, e.g. by turning off the power (supply). [snip] Enermax is better than some unbranded generics but it isn't even capable of sustaining the rated wattage. They rate the sustained load at 70%, which for 460 of Enermax's "watts" would be more like 322W rating for an Antec Truepower or Sparkle. Enermax gained popularity back when CPUs and video cards didn't use so much power, they looked prettier than many of the competitor's units and systems didn't use enough power yet for anyone to really notice the limitations of their rating system. Today it's more noticable. OK, interesting to hear! Having written that, it can be concluded that this is the problem, but a true capacity lower than your system actually needs during heavy gaming could do exactly what you describe. A problem with the video card itself would more likely just crash/freeze the game and hang the system, not turn it off completely unless the card was shorting out, which would be unlikely, for it to work as much as it does. I join in this subject. In case of power supply exchange, e.g. by spending my last money, how could I calculate the need of energy of my system? How much Watt should the supply supply? Anybody has a rule of thumb for this? A good name-brand 420W would probably suffice but I suggest a Sparkle/Fortron 520W. It's the most bang for the buck, there's no point in trying to exactly match a PSU's wattage to the load, there should be some reserve power. PC Power & Cooling makes some nice units too but they're more than a little pricey for the higher wattage models. The Sparkle/Fortron can be had for about $75-85, but that'll only get 410W from PC Power & cooling or cost over twice the price for 510W. OK, thanks for the hints, I will also talk to this friend at the store and looking for what they got in town. http://www.axiontech.com/prdt.php?src=FG&item=57575 http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...ion=17-104-968 http://www.pcpowerandcooling.com/prices/ You might take multimeter readings to see if the voltages are dropping, that's what I expect is happening to your system currently, either that or the Enermax's fan speed is too low and it's overheating. Hey, You are right, I also just remembered the SMBus/Hardware Sensor monitoring. Maybe I can figure out something in a logfile, just before it disables my system... could be a try. Thanks for answering, - Stephen |
#4
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The MINIMUM you can get by with, with all that hardware running in your
system, is the Antec 550 Watt True Power power supply. The Antec is very conservatively rated and rock stable. I'm very surprised your system didn't crash sooner. -- DaveW "Stephen L." wrote in message news I have a problem with a PC system shutting down itself, e.g. by turning off the power (supply). This is a matter under GNU/Linux (2.6.7 SMP kernel self-compiled) and Windows XP Pro with Service Pack 2 installed. The graphics adapter (see below for details) is quite new, coming out of "exchange under the warranty". When I put load on the system, e.g. thru 3D-games like Doom3 or Half-Life(1)/Mods the system tends to turn of power, and just freezing the image one second before. Doing only CPU-intensive things like compiling the Linux kernel (with "# make -j3" for multithreading) the problem does not occure. Indeed, the system did turn off thrice (3x) on being idle, just running GNU/Linux and a KDE desktop. (Screen saver could be a cause there...) It seems to be a problem caused by the graphics adapter, and the more load there is on it, the sooner this happens. E.g. after starting Doom3 it takes between 3 up to 15 minutes to occure, with Half-Life(1)/Firearms it takes up to 60 minutes. I talked to a friend working at the PC store "next door", he suggests to exchange the Enermax 4**-Watt-power supply. He tells me that Enermax is not as reliable in voltage level fluctuations and so on (even on having spent lots of money on this power unit, last year ago). Any opinion on this? Indeed, this could be a cause. Remember, this type of graphics adapter is supplied by a Y-cable plugged inbetween the card and the power unit. And there is a lot of other hardware built-in. Here is a list...: My System consists of following hardware configuration: ASUS A7M-266D (http://www.asuscom.de/prog/spec.asp?lansg=07&m=a7m266-d) 2* AMD Athlon MP 1600+ (running by recommended 1400MHz) 1* 256MB + 1*512MB unbuffered DDR DIMMs = 768MB total 1* ATI Radeon 9500 (seems to be standard, not pro) with 128MB(???) graphics RAM 3* Hauppauge TV-cards 1* Ultra DMA 100 IDE-Controller card from Promise 1* ethernet adapter Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL-8139/8139C/8139C+ (rev 10) 2* CD-burner 1* DVD-ROM drive 4* IDE hard disk drives 1* green LED for displaying power on status *lol* In case of power supply exchange, e.g. by spending my last money, how could I calculate the need of energy of my system? How much Watt should the supply supply? Anybody has a rule of thumb for this? I would appreciate Your help in this case. Greetings, - Stephen |
#5
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Stephen L.:
The graphics adapter (see below for details) is quite new, coming out of "exchange under the warranty". I talked to a friend working at the PC store "next door", he suggests to exchange the Enermax 4**-Watt-power supply. 1* ATI Radeon 9500 (seems to be standard, not pro) with 128MB(???) I don't know about the Radeons but Nvidia cards will give you an error message if they don't receive enough power, then they automatically throttle back. Before spending time & money on a PS, I would suspect the card since it was a warranty replacement. Many companies do not give you a 'new' card under warranty replacement, they will give you a refurb or a card that has been returned by someone else and tested ok. Ask your buddy to let you borrow a power supply and see if that solves the problem. -- Mac Cool |
#6
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On Fri, 12 Nov 2004 23:59:36 +0100, "Stephen L."
wrote: Enermax is better than some unbranded generics but it isn't even capable of sustaining the rated wattage. They rate the sustained load at 70%, which for 460 of Enermax's "watts" would be more like 322W rating for an Antec Truepower or Sparkle. Enermax gained popularity back when CPUs and video cards didn't use so much power, they looked prettier than many of the competitor's units and systems didn't use enough power yet for anyone to really notice the limitations of their rating system. Today it's more noticable. OK, interesting to hear! Having written that, it can be concluded that this is the problem, but a true capacity lower than your system actually needs during heavy gaming could do exactly what you describe. A problem with the video card itself would more likely just crash/freeze the game and hang the system, not turn it off completely unless the card was shorting out, which would be unlikely, for it to work as much as it does. I join in this subject. Well I MEANT above, "having written that, it CAN'T be concluded that this is the problem (yet)". It does seem quite suspect but taking voltage measurements is a first step towards identifying if it's problematic, and if no other parts seem to suggest they're faulty all that's left (unless you had a scope to measure ripple) would be trying another PSU in it's place. In case of power supply exchange, e.g. by spending my last money, how could I calculate the need of energy of my system? How much Watt should the supply supply? Anybody has a rule of thumb for this? A good name-brand 420W would probably suffice but I suggest a Sparkle/Fortron 520W. It's the most bang for the buck, there's no point in trying to exactly match a PSU's wattage to the load, there should be some reserve power. PC Power & Cooling makes some nice units too but they're more than a little pricey for the higher wattage models. The Sparkle/Fortron can be had for about $75-85, but that'll only get 410W from PC Power & cooling or cost over twice the price for 510W. OK, thanks for the hints, I will also talk to this friend at the store and looking for what they got in town. http://www.axiontech.com/prdt.php?src=FG&item=57575 http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...ion=17-104-968 http://www.pcpowerandcooling.com/prices/ You might take multimeter readings to see if the voltages are dropping, that's what I expect is happening to your system currently, either that or the Enermax's fan speed is too low and it's overheating. Hey, You are right, I also just remembered the SMBus/Hardware Sensor monitoring. Maybe I can figure out something in a logfile, just before it disables my system... could be a try. A temporary resolution to keep system gaming in the interim might be reducing the CPU and/or video card clock speed a bit. |
#7
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snip
OK, thanks for the hints, I will also talk to this friend at the store and looking for what they got in town. http://www.axiontech.com/prdt.php?src=FG&item=57575 http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...ion=17-104-968 http://www.pcpowerandcooling.com/prices/ You might take multimeter readings to see if the voltages are dropping, that's what I expect is happening to your system currently, either that or the Enermax's fan speed is too low and it's overheating. Hey, You are right, I also just remembered the SMBus/Hardware Sensor monitoring. Maybe I can figure out something in a logfile, just before it disables my system... could be a try. Also in winXP disable the silly,"Automatic System Restart" My computer/Right click/Properties/Advanced/Startup and recovery/Settings. And also here, http://aumha.org/win5/a/shtdwnxp.php It may not even be a power supply problem. HTH -- Free Windows/PC help, http://www.geocities.com/sheppola/trouble.html remove obvious to reply Free original songs to download and,"BURN" :O) http://www.soundclick.com/bands/8/nomessiahsmusic.htm |
#8
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On Sat, 13 Nov 2004 15:48:05 +0000, Shep© wrote:
snip Also in winXP disable the silly,"Automatic System Restart" My computer/Right click/Properties/Advanced/Startup and recovery/Settings. Yes, I did this before. And also here, http://aumha.org/win5/a/shtdwnxp.php It may not even be a power supply problem. As I wrote, I experience the same with Linux, so it could/should not be the problem. HTH Thanks, nevertheless, for answering - Stephen |
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