Problems with Radeon 4850 HD & AMD Phenom II X4... Seeking advice on SMPS/PSU

[DSK_2xV]

Hi all

Till very recently, I had a Intel Pentium D based machine with ATI Radeon 4850 HD GPU, 2 GB DDR2 RAM and a 250GB PATA HDD with all the usual peripherals, the most significant one being a TV Turner card… and I used the Corsair VX 450W SMPS to power the rig…

Recently, I upgraded to an AMD Phenom II X4 based machine with a 1 TB SATA HDD, 8 GB DDR3 RAM but I retained the old GPU and the SMPS along with all the minor peripherals… but the system won’t remain stable when I try to put any significant load on it, ie when I try and play the latest games it crashes…

The end result is that the screen goes blank and the GPU ends up becoming hot as hell… I had the same problem some years ago when the retailer tried to lump on me a $hitty iBall SMPS for my then nVidia 9600 GT based GPU but I came here and the good people on this forum suggested that I go in for my current SMPS, the Corsair VX 450W, and life had been good uptill now… so from what I can make out, its got something to do with the SMPS and after doing some research of my own, I have identified the Corsair VX 550W as a possible candidate for upgrade…

The question being… if the problem is to do with the SMPS, then will the VX 550W be the adequate replacement for the VX 450W taking into account my specifications? Also, a friend of mine told me that my current SMPS should be able to take the load of my new system, which lead to me think that maybe there may be some compatibility issues between the old GPU and the newer motherboard, although the retailer assures me that the two are 100% compatible, but I would definitely appreciate anyone here’s take on it…

my new motherboard is the Asus M5A 78L-M LE… and yes I know it’s a cheap one, but I had to employ budgetary constrains somewhere

[pimpom]

The VX 550W should certainly be good enough. Like your friend, I feel that the VX 450 should also be adequate. Maybe the crashes are caused by something else, perhaps the RAMs. I suggest you test them with memtest86.

OTOH, the GPU's heating up does indicate the PSU as a possible cause. Perhaps it has developed a fault. Did the problem start as soon as you switched to your new configuration?

Right now, my son is using a 4850 with an Athlon II 7750+, 4GB, two HDDs (sometimes three, sometimes with an additional external drive), a tuner card. The PSU is a Saga II 500W. No hiccups, no excessive heating.

Is the fan on the card spinning normally? Is the heatsink firmly attached? Is there any build up of dust on the card, especially around the GPU?

If you can borrow a more powerful PSU to test your rig with before committing yourself to buying one, that would be a good way to see if the PSU is the culprit.

Regarding the motherboard, there shouldn't be any compatibility issue as the PCI-E interface is standardised. As for the fact that it's a cheap one, I've always felt that the cheapest product that fulfills its purpose without a major compromise is the best one.

[MegaMind]

VX450 can handle ur rig easily..

[DSK_2xV]

Originally Posted by pimpom

OTOH, the GPU's heating up does indicate the PSU as a possible cause. Perhaps it has developed a fault. Did the problem start as soon as you switched to your new configuration?

Right now, my son is using a 4850 with an Athlon II 7750+, 4GB, two HDDs (sometimes three, sometimes with an additional external drive), a tuner card. The PSU is a Saga II 500W. No hiccups, no excessive heating.

Is the fan on the card spinning normally? Is the heatsink firmly attached? Is there any build up of dust on the card, especially around the GPU?

Well, there were some minor issues with the GPU… such as every now and then the system just didn’t boot with it in it, I decided to ‘solve’ the problem by just removing it entirely and connecting the monitor directly to the motherboard’s onboad VGA connector while I made arrangements to get the entire thing replaced…

And insofar as the dust goes … well, I had several overheating issues with the earlier Pentium D processor due to it constantly over heating so I had to leave the cabinet open to prevent the same, which was very condusive for dust accumulation and as I was away for most of the year and my younger sibling is less-than enthusiastic about keeping the PC dust free from inside… there was MASSIVE build-up of dust all over the GPU’s fan and everything… but all of it has since been cleaned out now…

And I doubt its the RAM modules, as although I could not get my hands on another 'high-end' SMPS, how I wish my friends were more technology savvy than what they are, but I did get my hands on a 'low-end' GPU, the Radeon 5450 HD and I was able to run Dragon Age 2 and Sims 3 on my new PC at a reasonably high setting...

So coming back to my earlier question, I take that the Corsair VX 550 is the way to go?

[MegaMind]

@DSK_2xV, VX450 can easily power ur rig...
If u are sure for a PSU upgrade, get TX650 V2... More head-room for future upgrades..

[DSK_2xV]

Also, the system is actually quite stable under normal circumstances... I can surf the internet, type letters and even watch videos, even full HD videos... its only when I start doing anything that would seemingly put more than usual load on the GPU when the system just goes down...

Originally Posted by MegaMind

@DSK_2xV, VX450 can easily power ur rig...
If u are sure for a PSU upgrade, get TX650 V2... More head-room for future upgrades..

Humm... yes, and although that is an option... I don't think that I'll be indulging in any upgrades for the next few years now, so if the VX550 W can power my current rig efficiently enough for the coming years, then I'd be good...

[MegaMind]

Originally Posted by DSK_2xV

Also, the system is actually quite stable under normal circumstances... I can surf the internet, type letters and even watch videos, even full HD videos... its only when I start doing anything that would seemingly put more than usual load on the GPU when the system just goes down...

I dont think the issue is due to PSU...

I have a friend using OCed Q6600+GTX260 with VX450 for 2 years w/o any issues..
4850 consumes 30-40W less power than GTX260...

[Cilus]

Megamind, don't be too sure about VX450's performance...don't forget in spite of its good build quality, it is just a 450W PSU and will be stressed if the load power requirement is higher than that.
Now HD 4850 is a old card and has higher power consumption than current gen powerful GPUs. For HD 4850/HD4870, the minimum recommended PSu is 500W., check it in guru3d.
DSK_2xV, the maximum chance for your unsuitability in load is due to inadequate power supply. Get a Corsair GS600W PSU @ 3.8K if you are in tight budget. If you can spend more then Corsair TX650V2 @ 5.2K or GS700W @ 4.8K is the best choice as it will keep room for future upgrades.

[MegaMind]

@Cilus, yes its a 450W unit.. But i've seen my friends using VX450 to power 5850 & GTX 260(core 216) with Quad proccy..

But May be u are right... As each PSU bears diff load levels..

[DSK_2xV]

Humm... well, although the GS600 W and the GS700 W are more lighter on the pocket, speaking as the guy who once fried his GPU and the SMPS trying to save a few hundred bucks, i think that i'd be more inclined to go in for the TX650 W if that's the one i need to go and get...

[DSK_2xV]

Just a very minor question that I had... when I went in to buy the SMPS, it was suggested to me to go in for either a VIP 700 W Gold or the Corsair GS 700 W instead of the Corsair TX 750 W... as they apparently give more 'bang for the buck'... so I just that one last question about that... considering my current configuration, would either of the former two SMPS suffice my requirements or is it the TX 650 W the recommended way to go?

[MegaMind]

I would say TX650 V2 ~ 5.5K

TX750 V2 - If u plan on multi-GPU in future..

[DSK_2xV]

Well, as advised, with an eye on future upgrades i got the TX 750 W V2 and everything is running fine... everything is running fine on the new PC at least, as i continue to experience all sorts of BSoD problems with my older PC...

but for the time being, i am not going to brood over it too much, as i now intend to just relax as i try and enjoy life on my new PC now... i'll get to work on trying my hand at fixing the older one later... much later...

a BIG 'Thank You' to everyone for their valuable input...!

[MegaMind]

Congrats on ur purchase, do post some pics...