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Replacement PSU

Started by gamekeeper , Jun 09 2010 02:49 AM

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10 replies to this topic

#1 gamekeeper

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Posted 09 June 2010 - 02:49 AM

ACER T120. M.B: KM400 + Athlon 2400+. All IDE drives.
PSU: FSP200-60ATV

I'm having a spot of bother with my machine.

Every once in a while, when I boot it up, it only gets as far as the Windows Desktop screen - then freezes. All I can do is ctrl/alt/del to Shut down or Restart. Restart usually does the trick, then it might not happen for a couple of months. 99.9% of the time, things run o.k, so there can't be a great problem !?!?
Someone suggested that the PSU may be failing.
As I want to update the machine internals in the near future, it would be a good idea to look at the PSU now.

Currently: All my drives are IDE (PATA).
When looking for a PSU, do I need to specify 'connections' (PATA or SATA) etc ?

My future drives will be SATA
Do all psu's come with both connections ?
Do some come with both connections ?

Can I replace my IDE HDD / DVD drives with SATA ones - one at a time - therby running both types for a while ?

When searching these items, I agree that they usually state what connections they have,,,, but in jargon that's not always clear to us none techies.

I rekkon I need to look for something of 500w + to future-proof for my system.

I am disabled & this is a Home machine. It is usually on all day, and whilst I do need to keep it going, I have a limited budget.

Any suggestions on what I ought to be looking for please ?

Thanks for reading.

Edited by gamekeeper, 09 June 2010 - 02:54 AM.

ACER Aspire T120 - XP Pro SP3 - 2gb (max) RAM - IE8 - Magicolor Laser - Brother A-I-O

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#2 the_patriot11

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Posted 09 June 2010 - 11:54 AM

for IDE drives, you will just need to make sure the Power supply has enough 4 pin Molex connectors to power your IDE drives and fans, as they both use the 4 pin molex. All power supplies come with them, but they are starting to phase out, with fewer and fewer of them, since with the newer sata drives the only thing that use them are fans, so make sure that your PSU you order has enough of them. As far as sata drives, while some will run off of 4 pin molex, the vast majority require a special sata power connector, and while they are pretty standard now, not all PSUs have them, and those that do may not have enough, especially the cheaper ones. You should figure out how many 4 pin molex and sata connectors you will need, and probably order a PSU with a couple extra to leave room for future expansion. something like this Should do you just fine. It is also modular, which means you can remove any cables that you are not using, allowing more airflow. I have started using more and more modular power supplies for this reason, as all my computers are air cooled. Other brands that I trust as far as Power supplies are coolermaster (i love coolermaster) Antec, and Corsair.

On another note, before you rule out your power supply, check the capacitors on your motherboard for any leaking and/or bulging capacitors, as they can sometimes cause problems like this as well.

Edited by the_patriot09, 09 June 2010 - 11:55 AM.

Primary system: Motherboard: ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3, Processor: AMD Phenom II x4 945, Memory: 16 gigs of Patriot G2 DDR3 1600, Video: AMD Sapphire Nitro R9 380, Storage: 1 WD 500 gig HD, 1 Hitachi 500 gig HD, and Power supply: Coolermaster 750 watt, OS: Windows 10 64 bit.

Media Center: Motherboard: Gigabyte mp61p-S3, Processor: AMD Athlon 64 x2 6000+, Memory: 6 gigs Patriot DDR2 800, Video: Gigabyte GeForce GT730, Storage: 500 gig Hitachi, PSU: Seasonic M1211 620W full modular, OS: Windows 10.

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#3 Eyesee

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Posted 09 June 2010 - 12:10 PM

Since this is very infrequent Im thinking that it is not a power issue at all. If it were a power issue it would be more consistant. I would not replace the power supply just yet. You might spend money to still have the same issue.

What comes to mind first is something that is loading on startup that is causing the system to hang sometimes.
You can use msconfig for testing (start - run - msconfig - startup tab) to get a list of programs loading on startup.
Then check our startup database for programs that are loading but are completely unnecessary and disable them

This is a trial and error type of thing and you only want to use msconfig for testing to isolate any culprit not to permanently disable it.

In the beginning there was the command line.

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#4 the_patriot11

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Posted 09 June 2010 - 12:13 PM

on that note, you can also use F8 to load up the operating system driver by driver manually, and see if it locks up on any one driver.

Primary system: Motherboard: ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3, Processor: AMD Phenom II x4 945, Memory: 16 gigs of Patriot G2 DDR3 1600, Video: AMD Sapphire Nitro R9 380, Storage: 1 WD 500 gig HD, 1 Hitachi 500 gig HD, and Power supply: Coolermaster 750 watt, OS: Windows 10 64 bit.

Media Center: Motherboard: Gigabyte mp61p-S3, Processor: AMD Athlon 64 x2 6000+, Memory: 6 gigs Patriot DDR2 800, Video: Gigabyte GeForce GT730, Storage: 500 gig Hitachi, PSU: Seasonic M1211 620W full modular, OS: Windows 10.

If I don't reply within 24 hours of your reply, feel free to send me a pm.

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#5 gamekeeper

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Posted 09 June 2010 - 07:37 PM

thanks folks,

I did only 'half' think that the problem could be a low power one,,,, but when people try to help by offering suggestions - you have to look at it,,,, otherwise why ask ?

I have looked at my Start-up list (for the first time - ever),,,,, and there is quite a list. I'll do a full check on your lists tomorrow.

As I said earlier, I do want/need to upgrade my kit 'as & when' I can, so starting with a PSU anyway might not be a bad idea,,,, especially as I'll need SATA connections then.

If I do go for a SATA/PATA one now, can I just add a SATA drive (or replace a PATA with SATA) to the kit whenever I like (just by using the supplied connection) or does that also depend on motherboard or something else ?

all the best

Tom

ACER Aspire T120 - XP Pro SP3 - 2gb (max) RAM - IE8 - Magicolor Laser - Brother A-I-O

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#6 the_patriot11

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Posted 10 June 2010 - 06:24 AM

Your motherboard will also have to have sata connectors, or use an adaptor which I have had nothing but bad luck with them.

Primary system: Motherboard: ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3, Processor: AMD Phenom II x4 945, Memory: 16 gigs of Patriot G2 DDR3 1600, Video: AMD Sapphire Nitro R9 380, Storage: 1 WD 500 gig HD, 1 Hitachi 500 gig HD, and Power supply: Coolermaster 750 watt, OS: Windows 10 64 bit.

Media Center: Motherboard: Gigabyte mp61p-S3, Processor: AMD Athlon 64 x2 6000+, Memory: 6 gigs Patriot DDR2 800, Video: Gigabyte GeForce GT730, Storage: 500 gig Hitachi, PSU: Seasonic M1211 620W full modular, OS: Windows 10.

If I don't reply within 24 hours of your reply, feel free to send me a pm.

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#7 gamekeeper

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Posted 10 June 2010 - 10:07 AM

ah,,,, thought as much.

I do intend to upgrade the MB at some point,,, but not just at the moment.

This obviously involves CPU & RAM at the same time, so I have to know that I can afford it all.

It still makes sense (I think ?!) to get a PSU that will do both then, in readiness ?

Have just come in & about to look through the Start-up routine.

Thanks to you all for your help.

Edited by gamekeeper, 11 June 2010 - 08:06 AM.

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#8 gamekeeper

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Posted 11 June 2010 - 08:23 AM

Well,,,, I checked my Start list against your database.
The only two that showed anything untoward were:
ZLCLIENT
CTFMON
They both had versions with both a Red Cross and something acceptable !

Either way, I don't think the start-up list is suspect,,,,,, again, i'm of the opinion that if there was an actual problem there, that it would happen all the time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll be ordering a PSU in the next few days,,,, & I guess a couple of IDE (M.B) to SATA (drives) adaptors. Whilst I don't expect it to cure this symptom (although it may) I'm getting ready for later additions.
I can get some pretty good items over here for less than $50. I won't be going for the cheapest (false economy) & will be sticking to the lists/recommendations on these pages. I can get something up to about 750w with dual 12v rail (19/20A) etc.

Thanks all for your help so far,,,,,, don't be afraid to pop back if you get any other ideas !

cheers

Tom

ACER Aspire T120 - XP Pro SP3 - 2gb (max) RAM - IE8 - Magicolor Laser - Brother A-I-O

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#9 Layback Bear

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Posted 11 June 2010 - 12:10 PM

Another brand you might want to look at in power supplies is PC Power and Cooling. At the top and bottom of every Bleeping Computer page there is a Startup list and this is a good place to start comparing your start up programs with. If you find something that isn't there Google it. A lot of times when you download a program it will apply itself to the startup list and you don't really need it to.

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#10 gamekeeper

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Posted 13 June 2010 - 01:24 AM

I'm just hearing that ACER use "Proprietary Parts" for their machines !
Having looked at my unit, I can see that at least One fixing screw on the PSU is out of kilter with the rest,,,,, & without disconnecting the whole machine, I can't quite tell if the other Three are actually square either.

Physical size of PSU:
140mm long. I can go a bit longer if need be.
160mm wide - & I can't go wider.
86mm deep - & I can't go deeper.

If FSP make items for ACER,,,, I would have thought that 'replacement' / other manufacturers would make similar sized items - there are a hell of a lot of ACERs out there.

Over all these years, I have never needed to change a PSU so this is a learning curve for me (& hopefully for other readers).

Any more comments or advice welcome.

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#11 DaChew

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Posted 13 June 2010 - 07:26 AM

Have you given the case and contents a good cleaning?

The fact that your problem is inconsistent and only on startup makes me suspect you have added too many drives but your psu is a decent one to even last this long.

I would save my money and get a new computer as yours is near it's end of life.

You could also use a usb external enclosure to move an extra hard drive.

Chewy

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